Claiming Israelite Descent

 

By Ashirah Yosefah

 

 

If you are a seeker of Truth, you may well be one of the most challenging spiritual journey of your life … a return to “the ancient paths” (Yirmeyahu 6:16).  If you are from among the nations of the world, it is probably safe to assume this “return” has been accompanied by the tearing down of religious doctrines and traditions that you once regarded as “sacred and factual”, when they were discovered to be “falsehood, futilities and lies” (Yirmeyahu 16:19). 

 

Your journey may involve a deep sense of hope, even conviction, that you may possibly be a descendant of the “Lost Ten Tribes”.  This is usually combined with a sense of exhilaration, a yearning for identification with Jews and with the people of Yisrael as a whole. 

 

Amidst this “spiritual restructuring”, an “identity crisis” is taking place that is convulsing the lives of thousands throughout the world.  Exciting, even ‘messianic’ in its prophetic implications, there is something that may be overlooked.  The soul is the true essence of man; the body is merely an abode for the soul, a physical entity to be elevated to levels of holiness by the soul within.  When a person’s “spiritual identity” is stripped away, one becomes vulnerable.  Feeling uncertain and exposed, we yearn to quickly re-clothe ourselves in an identifying garment, a badge of belonging as someone who is “recognized”.  We are, after all, human.  We all crave recognition.  We each need affirmation that we are a valuable part of a greater whole that has definition, meaning and acceptance.  When a person has an appropriate sense of who they are, they rarely demand acknowledgement.  It simply never comes to mind.

 

There is a saying, “As a man thinks, so is he.”  This saying has definite psychological applications, but can it truly be applied to a variety of spiritual movements that have in the past and are at present sweeping the nations to the end result that gentile peoples are identifying themselves as physical descendents of the Lost Tribes of Israel?

 

Over the past decade in particular, there has been widespread spiritual awakening amongst predominantly Anglo-Saxon Christian nations.  A religious movement has taken hold in many Western nations that is referred to as the “Two House” or “Ephraimite” movement.  Within this movement are wonderful people who have experienced a strong inner desire to learn and to keep Torah.  They truly believe with deep intensity that they are much-assimilated descendants of the exiled Lost Ten Tribes of Israel. 

 

This religious movement has grown rapidly.  While the movement claims independence from Christianity, its development has also been independent of any formal input and guidance from truly Torah-based religious authorities, such as may be found within Orthodox Judaism.  Sadly, some leaders within the various Lost Tribes religious movements often display and teach a characteristic disrespect for Rabbinical authority and the Halacha inherent in the Oral Torah given to Moses at Sinai.  Despite this disparaging attitude towards them, the overwhelming majority of Rabbis are not aware that these movements exist.  Those who have interfaced with the movements usually have substantial concerns regarding them.  One of those concerns is a theft of Jewish identity.  Identity theft is a stark reality and identifying characteristic of any form of replacement theology, no matter how attractively and ‘lovingly’ the package is wrapped.

 

The name of Yosef’s second son, Ephraim, whose descendents grew to become the largest and most influential of the ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, is frequently associated with the western Lost Tribes movements, to the extent that adherents call themselves “Ephraimites” or “Josephites”.  The majority of these people are unaware that the name “Ephraim” carries a stigma.  It immediately waves a red flag to the very Jews with whom they seek reconciliation.  For most ‘Ephraimites’ and ‘Josephites’, reconciliation with Jews is highly desirable.  It represents the coming together of the “two sticks” spoken of by the Prophet Yehezeqel, the stick of the “House of Yosef/Israel” and the “House of Judah”. 

 

Having reconciliation with Jews as a goal and mandate, and being desirous of learning and living by Torah, one would assume that it would be logical to seek input from the spiritual leaders who have been immersed in Torah since this Holy Covenant was first given to Moses at Mount Sinai.  On a personal level, some ‘Ephraimites’ and ‘Josephites’ have been and are doing this.  Yet, their religious movements have their own spiritual leaders who take upon themselves the appellation “rabbi”.  The “rabbis” guiding these movements are not Rabbis recognized by any form of traditional Torah Orthodoxy.  The latter must submit to an arduous ten year study program.  ‘Ephraimite Rabbis’ are ordained within a year or less and generally by ‘correspondence’ learning overseen by Messianic Jews or non-Jewish “rabbis”.  Given that the Torah specifies attention to equal weights and measures, something seems out of balance.

 

The heart cry of sincere ‘Ephraimites’ is to be recognized by ‘brother Judah’ and to be accepted as the returning ‘prodigal sons and daughters’ of the estranged Northern Kingdom  of Israel that was exiled by the Assyrians.  Totally contrary to their hearts’ deepest yearning, the designation “Ephraimite” speaks of separation, division, and a distinct identity apart from Klal Yisrael.  The original King of the Northern Kingdom, Yaroboam, did everything in his power to distinguish his people as a separate entity from the Kingdom of Judah, ruled by Shlomo haMelek’s son Rehoboam.  This separate entity identity quickly descended into blatant idolatry, a return to the “Golden Calf” of Sinai … in stereo!  It is this ancient spiritual arrogance that continues to leave an indelible mark on the mind of most religious Jews.

 

Spiritual leaders within the Ephraimite movement encourage their congregations to believe passionately that they are descendents of the Northern Kingdom, the “House of Israel.”  These teachers stir up strong emotions regarding a future “return” to Eretz Yisrael where they will live amidst the Hills of Ephraim (the Shomron).  Some leaders have organized Ephraimite “registries”, taking a census of people who believe they are descendents of the Lost Tribes and who wish to make future aliyah to Eretz Yisrael.  In 2003, one leader went so far as to draft an Ephraimite Constitution, clearly stating by his actions that the constitution that governs the State of Israel and, more importantly, the eternal Constitution that binds the people of Israel, the Torah, with its inherent Halachic laws, is unacceptable to Ephraimites because they are a “distinct people”.  “Distinct” is a barrier to reconciliation.  Yehezqel’s prophetic vision of two sticks becoming one, with the stick of Yehudah being placed upon, over, on the stick of Ephraim/Yosef portrays a homogenous melding of two peoples with a common ancestral root.  Note that the stick of Yehudah is on the top.  Placing one thing atop another indicates a certain implied order.  Perhaps this order is best communicated by Ya’akov’s deathbed blessing on his son Yehudah:

 

“The scepter shall not pass from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet; so that tribute shall come to him and the homage of the peoples be his.” (Bereshith 49:10)

 

This prophetic blessing was later confirmed for a Messianic Age application by the Prophet Zechariah:

 

“For the L-RD of Hosts has taken thought in behalf of His flock, the House of Judah; He will make them like majestic chargers in battle.  From them shall come cornerstones, from them tent pegs, from the bows of combat, and every captain shall also arise from them.” (Zechariah 10:4-5)

 

Cornerstones imply foundations.  Tent pegs imply securing a form of shelter.  If the ‘cornerstones’ and ‘tent pegs’ are to come from the House of Judah, and “ the stick of Yosef, in the hand of Ephraim and all the House of Israel associated with him”[1] are to be merged as one into the stick of Yehudah placed upon it, a question needs to be asked.  The prophet Hoshea foretold that Ephraim would be “swallowed up among the nations.”[2]  In other words, then Ten Tribes, alluded to in the nickname ‘Ephraim’, would become so assimilated that they would disappear just as the food we eat disappears within us.  They would become as gentiles, intermarried and assimilated.  How does one from the nations enter into the ‘tent’ or ‘dwelling’ of Israel? 

 

The Torah proclaims that there is one Torah for Israel and one for the sojourner in their midst (Bemidbar 15:15).  The Torah instructs that the stranger who sojourns in the midst of Israel is to be loved by the people of Israel as they would love themselves (Vayyiqra 19:33).  Since Sinai, people have joined Am Yisrael (the people of Yisrael) by means of conversion … the Torah speaks of it, Tanach speaks of it, and the Rabbis have developed its parameters to meet the needs of a changing world over the centuries.  Most Ephraimites claim that conversion is not for them; they want the State of Israel to create a special category of ‘confirmation’, a recognition of their claimed ancestry, that foregoes a conversion process.  Anousim (descendents of the Jews who fled the Spanish Inquisition) are sometimes granted a confirmation if they can conclusively provide evidence of Jewish maternal descent; however, the truth is that most Anousim are required to convert in order to once again be identified as Am Yisrael.  As one who has undergone an Orthodox conversion myself, I can emphatically state that conversion, though at times challenging,  is basically a thorough education program in the basics of Torah, Halacha and Jewish life … the very things one needs to begin identifying with Am Yisrael and to integrate into life in Eretz Yisrael.   Yet, most ‘Ephraimites’ and ‘Josephites’ shun conversion and insist that they retain a distinct identity as “Ephraimites”.   Is this reconciliation?  Is this reasoning together?  Is this coming alongside Brother Judah?  Chutzpah!  Every one of these actions bespeaks separation and division.  It was a lack of unity that resulted in the destruction of both Holy Temples, with the result that Am Yisrael was sent into exile amongst the nations.  It was the Northern Kingdom’s (particularly the Tribe of Ephraim’s) pride, arrogance and unyielding self-determination that resulted in their downfall in the first place.  They have always wanted to carve out their own destiny … with or without the House of Judah.  Unfortunately, their legacy lives on. 

 

Allow me to describe a situation I have witnessed on too many occasions.  A Jew meets someone claiming to be an ‘Ephraimite’, who is asserting that they are a physical descendent of the House of Israel who has ‘returned to the fold’ and, ideally, they would like to be allowed to make aliyah and live in Eretz Yisrael.   Totally convinced of having Israelite ancestry and passionate in their conviction, the ‘Ephraimite’ often assumes an authoritative posture, standing hands-on-hips, or alternatively waving their hands expressively in mid-air, while they proceed to emphatically tell the Jew that they know that they are a descendent of the Lost Ten Tribes.  No factual evidence or proof is given or can be given.  They simply say they have a feeling way down inside that they know is real.  The feeling has come about since they began to study Torah.  Never mind that their Torah teachers rarely come from within the ranks of Orthodox Judaism.  Never mind that the Ephraimite leaders usually disregard the Oral Torah.  Never mind that they have at best a decade of turning to Torah when religious Jews are immersed in Torah from infancy.  The Ephraimite then proceeds to inform the Jew that they now number in the hundreds of thousands, they are not interested in learning about the Seven Universal Laws of Righteous Gentiles or conversion, and that they are all going to make aliyah to Eretz Yisrael someday soon.  Judaism’s Rabbis are simply going to have to accept them, irrespective of what their religious beliefs regarding human deity and Messiah might be. 

 

If you happen to be an ‘Ephraimite’, without doubt the above caricature offended you.  The realtiy is this problem of spiritual arrogance is real and it is rampant.  Its roots traverse centuries … all the way back to ancient Yisrael.  Ironically, if the ‘Ephraimite’ claims are true, then the one character trait that may be most convincing, in the absence of genealogical evidence, is the one most Ephraimites don’t realize they exude.  It was a dominant personality trait of Yaroboam, the first Ephraimite King of the Northern Kingdom: Spiritual arrogance and pride, together with a headstrong determination to carve out a religious and national lifestyle similar to, but distinct from, that of Jews.  This cannot be called One Nation.

 

Without genealogical records, or a family history of religious traditions that parallel those maintained by Jews, a ‘feeling’ of ancestral descent from the Lost Ten Tribes, no matter how intense or compelling, will simply not be accepted as credible proof.   No one can conclusively state they are descended from the Lost Ten Tribes, nor can they arbitrarily claim specific tribal affiliation.  It is only by conversion that a Gentile becomes recognized as part of Am Yisrael.  Even those who have compelling evidence that they do have Jewish ancestry, such as the Anousim, the Bnei Manasseh, the Pashtuns, and many Russians, are still required to go through the conversion process.  Having been separated from Torah and Halacha for so long, the education process that accompanies conversion prepares the individual to take an active role as part of Am Yisrael and enter into, or return to, their people with understanding.  This is a positive thing, not a punishment nor a prejudicial process. According to the Sages, true tribal ancestry will be proclaimed and verified by Moshiach with the help of Eliyahu haNavi. 

 

A friend once made a statement that burned itself into my psyche: 

 

“Without humility, spirituality is an intellectual exercise.”

 

 

The Prophets also mention humility … Mikah, for one:

 

“'Wherewith shall I come before HASHEM, and bow myself before G-d on high? Shall I come before Him with burnt-offerings, with calves of a year old?  Will HASHEM be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give

my first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?'

 It hath been told thee, O man, what is good, and what HASHEM doth require of thee:

 only to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy G-d.” 

(Mikah 6:6-8)

 

Please do not think that I presume myself to have been above all such arrogance.  Allow me to share a pivotal experience in my own spiritual journey:

 

It was May 2003.  I had arrived in Israel the day before.  A friend took me to visit a Cohen, one who is regarded as a bit “radical”, but also one who has gained acclaim both in Israel and in America.  An accomplished musician, an activist, and a former radio personality, the man did not mince his words.  My friend introduced us, stating emphatically, “You have to listen to her.”  And so it was that I launched fearlessly into what had become my standard “shpiel” regarding what (I thought) Torah and the Prophets have to say concerning the exile and return of the Lost Ten Tribes.  The Cohen listened patiently as I presented my “case”.  He then began to speak.  He proceeded to verbally pulverize, not my content in its entirety, but my manner of presentation:  “You arrogant, selfish goy!  You don’t even know what you don’t know.  How dare you come in here and presume to tell me what our Bible says as if you know it better than we!  I am a Cohen.  My father was a Cohen, my grandfather was a Cohen, my great-grandfather was a Cohen …”   You get the picture.    

 

As my friend’s eyes widened in apologetic dismay, I sensed intuitively that I was to listen quietly and attentively.  The Cohen continued for several minutes, explaining in succinct terms the repulsive nature of the spiritual pride and arrogance that oozes from non-Jews who have assumed, knowingly or unknowingly, the “spiritual authority syndrome” so prevalent within Christianity.  It is spiritual baggage that sticks like glue for some time after a person disentangles themselves from Christian doctrines.  Needless to say, it was an encounter I will not forget.  I picked up my battered soapbox and took it away to a solitary porch in an isolated desert settlement to re-think life and my own “assumed” identity.

 

Despite verbal overtures of reconciliation and return, most ‘Ephraimites’ seem to feel that they have bridged the “Grand Canyon” of more than 2500 years of exile and separation.  The Ten Lost Tribes, and their descendents, have been estranged from their family ancestry, traditions and Torah for nearly three millennia.  That is a long time with an infinite number of genealogical permutations.  That is why they are “lost” … not missing, but completely lost of their identity … and a watered down genealogical line at that.  When some commentaries in the Talmud go so far as to say that they are as good as ‘dead’, or have become ‘gentiles’, the true meaning is that the descendents of the Ten Tribes did become ‘dead’ to Torah and tradition.  In fact, they accomplished this even before the Assyrian invasion.  That is why they were exiled in the first place.  Furthermore, there has been constant intermarriage amidst the gentile nations.  Once the maternal line of Am Yisrael is broken just once, family identification can only be restored by conversion … even for those with Jewish fathers who can prove generations of Halachically acceptable Jewish ancestry.

 

Adherents to the Lost Tribes movements claim to be “Israel”, not Jews, but “Israelites”.  The Church also claimed this, repeatedly, over the past 2000 years.  This is not a good association.  To an Orthodox Jew, the name “Ephraim” is usually understood to refer to Jews who were born in exile.  Semantics aside, the modern day reality is that “Jew”, “Israel” and “Israelite” are deemed inseparable, common and synonymous entities, no matter how much one might argue that Tanach makes a distinction between the House of Judah and the House of Israel.  In the same way that one might argue that feelings are neither right nor wrong, they just “are”; so too it must be acknowledged and recognized that to Jews, the names “Jew”, “Israel” and “Ephraim” all have distinct and deeply ingrained meanings.  To ignore this reality is foolhardy at best and does not bode well for any prolonged or progressive dialogue.

 

What is the standard “proof” offered by most ‘Ephraimites’ and ‘Josephites’ for their passionate conviction that they are part of Am Yisrael?  Over the past decade or more, there has been research claiming paths of migration during exile, etymology of names and place names, and “people group” characteristics derived from the ancestral blessings of Ya’akov and Moshe.  This research is often referred to, but the bottom line is usually an unexplained and mystical “feeling” deep within.  Unfortunately, feelings don’t cut it with Jews.  Jews demand logic, reason and factual evidence.  The stirrings within non-Jewish souls to learn about Torah and forsake paganism and idolatry warm the heart of most Jews and bring expressions of sincere awe, but simply saying “I know I am an Ephraimite because I feel it inside” does not make the grade.  To go a step further and claim actual tribal descent, i.e. Gad, Asher, Naphtali … well, let’s say that an already tenuous case is simply made all the more incredulous.  Most Jews, themselves, would not make such a claim.  Without having factual proof or some form of authoritative recognition, anyone making such statements at the present time is dancing dangerously close to falsehood, which is forbidden by the Torah.  Despite all the wonderful and varied research regarding the Lost Tribes, concrete proof does not yet exist.  Feel you might be a descendant of the Lost Tribes?  When Moshiach comes, you and everyone else will know for sure.  State it conclusively in the interim?  It might be advisable to think about this in light of the Torah admonition to speak truth.  There is nothing wrong with erring on the side of caution.

 

The Prophet Hoshea warned ‘Ephraim’, alluding to the Northern Kingdom, of their impending exile and the loss of their identity.  He spoke of their pride, their foolishness, their rejection of knowledge and their rejection of Hashem.  The Northern Kingdom rejected the Torah and quickly fell into idolatry.  They determined to create their own new religion by mixing elements of worship of Hashem with elements of the pagan worship that surrounded them.  1 Melakim 12:25-33, 11 Melakim 17, Yehezqel 20:27-44 and the Book of Hoshea present just a few eternal testimonies of their spiritual decline.  They spurned the warnings of the Prophets.  They “knew” better than the recognized messengers of Hashem.  The Northern Kingdom was destroyed for rejecting the knowledge that has sustained the Jewish nation throughout history’s repeated attempts to annihilate them.  Torah tells us that the sins of the fathers are visited upon their descendents to the third and fourth generations of those who continue in the errant paths of their fathers (Shemot 20:5).  Sadly, the forefathers of the Northern Kingdom never looked back and history was to repeat itself time and again. 

 

The Ten Lost Tribes have been separated from Torah and the worship of the Patriarchs for 2500 years.  The western Lost Tribes movements have only taken recognizable form since 1996.  Beginning with one or two organizations, in recent years these organizations have fractured into splinter groups due to divisiveness within their ranks.  Some of them are coming dangerously close to following the ingrained patterns of Christianity by creating a “new”, “parallel”, or “improved” religion to Judaism.  This is called replacement theology.  It’s an ancient disease brought on by spiritual arrogance and pride.

 

Replacement theology is theft of spiritual identity.  It is fraudulent misrepresentation.  In their sincere, but misguided, attempts to draw near to and emulate the Jews, non-Jews are dressing like Jews, wearing kippahs, headcoverings, tsitsiot and prayer shawls.  They are adopting Jewish prayers and worship traditions.  Without proper instruction, they are taking upon themselves to uphold Torah commandments that are specific to the Jews alone, particularly those of the Cohanim and Leviim.  This, in itself, can be dangerous in the long run spiritually.  Their intentions are usually good … a desire to return to “ancient paths” and to identify with the history and plight of G-d’s Chosen People … but a stark reality is being overlooked.  In the eyes and the understanding of most Jews, these people who are wooing them for reconciliation are stealing their religious identity … an identity that has been preserved throughout the centuries at tremendous personal cost, sacrifice and loss of life.  These Lost Tribes movements are consciously or unconsciously shaping themselves into yet another form of replacement theology, but one that is regarded by many Jews as being from more insidious and far more dangerous than any of its predecessors.

 

“A person without knowledge is surely not good,

he who moves hurriedly blunders.”

(Mishle 19:2)

 

The Lost Tribes phenomenon has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years, but it has forged ahead without the benefit of seeking a solid measure of reality and input from the very Jews it desires to draw near to.  Yes, overtures from ‘Ephraim’ to ‘Judah’ have been made … and eloquent ones at that … but these have been couched in terms and words that proclaim “we know, we are”, not “we think we might be, what do you think?”  The ‘drawing nigh’ of would-be descendents of the Ten Lost Tribes is being enacted primarily by one side of the equation … which makes it very easy to avoid relinquishing  or compromising on attitudes and doctrines that the other side would consider questionable. 

 

If Lost Tribes adherents could subdue their exhilaration of “returning to the fold” long enough to “hear Judah out”, they would discover some amazing things.  If they would hear Jewish objections, concerns and fears, and give due respect to Judaism’s long tenure of studying and guarding Torah.   If the many Lost Tribes adherents could do this with an attitude of humility, without emphatic statements and demands, then perhaps spiritual clarity would be the result.  A spiritual clarity paving the way to satisfying and enriching lives in sync with the Eternal Torah of the G-d of Yisrael, and a deepening relationship of understanding with Jews.   

 

“The fear of HASHEM is the discipline of wisdom;

Humility precedes honor.”

(Mishle 15:33)

 

Some of the above statements have been harsh and undoubtedly offense has been taken; however, I reserve a peculiar right to make the statements and offer the insights this article sets forth.  I was once an ‘Ephraimite’.