Unity, Discord, and Messiah

by Ashirah Yosefah

 

 

Hashem is the Creator of the Universe, and His penchant for planting goes far beyond the physical realm.  He is the Master Gardener when it comes to sowing "seeds of thoughts" into our lives.  While reading, or in the midst of a conversation, suddenly a phrase, a word, will jump out, and implant itself within your mind.  These "seeds" may need time to ‘germinate’, or they may sprout to life quickly, depending on the ideas that have been sown and the soil of the mind in which they’ve come to rest.  While listening to the Arutz-7 radio program “Light Unto the Nations” with Jeremy Gimpel and Ari Abramowitz recently, a woman from America called in, a Gentile, and voiced a plea for Jews to unite, stating that the world needs Jews to unite, to be the light to the nations that Hashem has called us to be.

 

Reflecting on the woman’s comment, I could not help but think of the infighting and division has long existed amongst people who claim to worship of the G-d of Israel.  This infighting and division can be found within Judaism, within Christianity, and within new breakaway groups from Christianity, such as the "Two House" or "Ephraimite" movements.  In each case, division and dispute exists within, as well externally as towards those of other religions.  Obviously, when one speaks of the differences between Judaism and Christianity, a key point of dispute is that of Moshiach.  A more recent topic of dispute is that of the identity and return of the Lost Ten Tribes, especially in light of Ephraimite claims to be physical descendents of these Tribes, who desire reconciliation with Jews, but not necessarily with Judaism.

 

Without question, until Moshiach comes, there will be differences of understanding, opinion, and belief.  The interpretation of Biblical prophecies and the timing and identity of Moshiach are two areas where Tanach leaves many questions unanswered.  As the time for Moshiach’s arrival and the return of Israel’s exiles draws ever nearer, anticipation can heighten differences in ideology to the point of combustion. 

 

Both Tanach and Talmud reveal that Moshiach will oversee the return of exiles of Israel, including the descendents of the Lost Ten Tribes wherever they may be in the world.  Hashem made a promise in His Torah that “Even if your dispersed will be at the farthermost parts of the world, from there Hashem your G-d will gather you, and from there He will fetch you.” (Devarim 30:4)   With the identification and return of tribal groups such as the Bnei Menasheh of Burma, the Ethiopian Jews, the Pashtuns of Afganistan, and the growing numbers of Anousim from divers places in the world, Messianic anticipation grows even more.  Over the past decade, hundreds of thousands of Gentiles have left the Christian church and are claiming to be “Ephraimites”, physical descendents of the Lost Ten Tribes.  Despite being relatively unknown, there are now an estimated 250,000 practicing Bnei Noach (Righteous Gentiles) in the world.  A complex historical and religious period to say the least.  In each of the above, particularly in the case of the Ephraimites, the Prophetic Books of Tanach form the basis of their respective claims. 

 

The Book of Yehezqel is full of prophecies depicting the Latter Days restoration of the exiles of Israel.  Let us look at Yehezqel 11 in particular.  Yehezqel 11, verses 14-21, would seem to indicate that there is a timeline, as well as both a spiritual and physical process of return for the exiles of Israel:  

 

14 And the word of the HASHEM came unto me, saying:

15 'Son of man, as for thy brethren, even thy brethren, the men of thy kindred, and all the house of Israel, all of them, concerning whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said: Get you far from HASHEM! unto us is this land given for a possession;

16 therefore say: Thus saith the L-rd HASHEM: Although I have removed them far off among the nations, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet have I been to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they are come;

17 therefore say: Thus saith the L-rd HASHEM: I will even gather you from the peoples, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.

18 And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof and all the abominations thereof from thence.

19 And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh;

20 that they may walk in My statutes, and keep Mine ordinances, and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their G-d.

21 But as for them whose heart walketh after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations, I will bring their way upon their own heads, saith the L-rd HASHEM.'” (Yehezqel 11:14-21, JPS Hebrew-English Tanach, 1912)

 

Rav Dr. Joseph Breuer, in his translation and commentary entitled The Book of Yehezqel, pages 75-78, makes interesting observations on these passages from Yehezqel:

 

"Verse 15.  ... Ezekiel is to find his brethren, his true brethren, among those to whom he will have to bring the message of deliverance and resurrection.  This includes not only the golah in the narrow sense of the term but also kol Beit Yisrael kuloh, all the dispersed members of the people of Israel who have been wandering throughout the world leaderless ever since the collapse of the Northern Kingdom. ...

 

Verse 17.  ... When the exiles will have regained G-d's nearness, G-d will gather His people from among the alien nations (kibatz is 'a physical gathering of people'; Hirsch Commentary, Genesis 49,1).  But this physical gathering must go hand in hand with asifah, a spiritual "ingathering".  While they are scattered in the Diaspora, they must eliminate everything foreign to their Divinely charted destiny and close ranks also in spirit around the Sanctuary of life they all share in common.  That is the meaning of asifah (see Hirsch Commentary, ibid).  Only if they have done this will their return to their homeland be a true return to the Land of Israel.

 

Verse 18.  When they return, their most important task will be to keep away from their land anything that might rob the soil of its holy, Divine identity

 

Verse 19.  Then only one heart will beat within them, lev basar, a heart receptive to all things Divine.  They will no longer have that heavy, inert heart of stone which formerly weighed down their heart of flesh and blood, slowing its pulse until it ceased to beat for G-d and His Law.

 

Verse 20.  They will return home with the high resolve to remain ever mindful of G-d's renewed, eternal admonition which they must obey in order to remain in possession of the land forever (Leviticus 18,1-5 and 24-28).  Then the bond between G-d and His people will endure forever."

 

In the book Mevaser Tov – Bearer of Good Tidings, page 359, written by Rabbi Yehudah Elkelai, he references the Third Temple and a gathering of peoples, commenting as follows:

 

“Gather under the same roof … Gather round and I will tell you what will happen to you at the end of days … in the days of Moshiach … Rabbi Yehudah interprets:  They were shown the Temple … the future Temple will be such that by it’s merit, the entire world and all the nations will wish to become part of Israel.  They will recognize the greatness of Israel and desire to come to the Land of Israel.  They will recognize that Jerusalem is the Mountain of Hashem.

 

… This Gathering in the Temple is the gathering of Moshiach ben Yosef and the meaning is not that they will gather physically in the same location, but rather that the leaders of the Holy nations will gather together in the same opinion or knowledge and belief, a gathering of minds.”

 

“… only one heart will beat within them.” (Breuer)  “… will gather together in the same opinion or knowledge and belief, a gathering of minds.” (Elkelai)  The Prophet Zephaniah phrased these concepts very simply:

 

“For then I will make the peoples pure of speech, so that they all invoke HASHEM by name and serve Him with one accord.” (Zephaniah 3:9)

 

It would appear that until the spiritual ingathering of the exiles of Israel - both Houses - is complete, a complete physical ingathering will not take place.  During this period, error, disagreement, and shituf - mixed worship will continue to exist as individuals work out their individual tikkun (spiritual correction) before Hashem, returning to Him in teshuvah (repentance) in response to His quickening of their souls.   

 

Only Hashem is All-Knowing.  We are but flesh.  We are capable of error, easily swayed by emotion, persuasion and circumstance.  We are the products of our collective ancestry and experience.  Surely if Hashem can be long-suffering towards us, we who are created in His Image can make an effort to forebear with another's difference of opinion (in areas that do not constitute idolatry, sin or abominations) for the greater goal of unity.  Remember, the Sages of Israel say that it was disunity amongst Am Yisrael that brought about the destruction of both Temples. 

 

Ahavat Yisrael – love amongst Jews, is critically important; as is “Ahavta l’rayacha kamocha” – to love one’s neighbor as oneself.  How can we expect to further the process of repentance and the return of the exiles and estranged of Am Yisrael if we are intent on division, lashon hara and condemnation?   How can Israel be established as a Light to the Nations if we cannot be a Light amongst ourselves?  How can the nations be brought to a proper understanding of the role of Torah, Jews, Jerusalem and Israel in relation to nations, if the early voices that have begun to sound forth on the eve of Redemption cannot be heard above the cacophony of doctrinal disagreements, hereditary mistrust, and innuendo?

 

The Vilna Gaon and the Ramchal, among others, have identified the return of the exiles as one of the primary functions of Moshiach ben Yosef.  Wherever the long-assimilated descendants of the Lost Ten Tribes may be, they have been separated from their true foundations for nearly three millennia.  Their present identity is fraught with many questions, and their doctrines have suspect in the eyes of Jews since ancient times.  As the Prophet Hoshea wrote so long ago, the Torah had become a strange thing amongst the members of the Northern Kingdom:

 

11 For Ephraim has multiplied altars – for guilt; his altars have redounded to his guilt:

12 The many teachings I wrote for him have been treated as something alien..  (Hoshea 8:11-12, JPS Hebrew-English Tanach)

 

Mind you, this is the same Torah that Moshe Rabbeinu said was to be the very life of the Children of Israel: 

 

45 And when Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel,

46 he said unto them: ‘Take to heart all the words with which I have warned you this day.  Enjoin them upon your children, that they may observe faithfully all the terms of this Teaching.

47 For this is not a trifling thing for you; it is your very life; through it you shall long endure on the land that you are to possess upon crossing the Jordan..'

(Devarim 32:45-47, JPS Hebrew-English Tanach)

 

With the passage of time and the dangers of assimilation in the Diaspora, Jews, too, have seen many of our own fall away from Torah-observant lifestyles.  Could it be that the Prophet Hoshea also hinted at this, whilst rebuking Ephraim?

 

1 Ephraim compasseth Me about with lies, and the House of Israel with deceit; and Judah is yet wayward towards G-d, and towards the Holy One who is faithful. (Hoshea 12:1, JPS Hebrew-English Tanach, 1912)

 

Nonetheless, Hashem made it clear to Hoshea that He would deal quite differently with Judah's plight as a result of the trials of exile:

 

6 And she conceived again, and bore a daughter. And He said unto him: 'Call her name Lo-ruchamah; for I will no more have compassion upon the House of Israel, that I should in any wise pardon them.

7 But I will have compassion upon the House of Judah, and will save them by HASHEM their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, nor by horses, nor by horsemen.'  (Hoshea 1:6-7, JPS Hebrew-English Tanach, 1912)

 

Jews have paid a high price to fulfill the Divinely-appointed responsibility to be Guardians of the Torah and witnesses to the G-d of Israel.  Recognition and credence must be given to the knowledge and authority of the Sages of Israel who have preserved the Torah and the traditions of Judaism to this day, instilling in generation after generation of Jews the uniqueness of their calling and lifestyle.  Days of spiritual awakening and ingathering are obviously upon us, and we need to heed the voices that will guide us back to the “ancient paths” spoken of by the Prophet Yirmeyahu (Yirmeyahu 6:16).  A day is fast approaching when the nations will be seeking the paths that we’ve trod; in fact, they’ve already begun.

 

20 Thus saith HASHEM of hosts: It shall yet come to pass, that there shall come peoples, and the inhabitants of many cities;

21 and the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying: Let us go speedily to entreat the favour of HASHEM, and to seek HASHEM of hosts; I will go also.

22 Yea, many peoples and mighty nations shall come to seek HASHEM of hosts in Jerusalem, and to entreat the favour of HASHEM.

23 Thus saith HASHEM of hosts: In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold, out of all the languages of the nations, shall even take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying: We will go with you, for we have heard that G-d is with you.'” (Zechariah 8:20-23, JPS Hebrew-English Tanach, 1912)

 

Jews, "Ephraimites" and Christians have many differences with respect to their religious beliefs.  It is doubtful that these differences will cease for some time.  Yet, all three have one thing in common.  All look forward with great anticipation to a particular event:  The coming of Moshiach.  It is in this area that the most heated tensions, debates and arguments can be found ... and the greatest condemnation and lashon hara. 

 

Tanach does not say G-d judges one for being wrong about who is or is not Moshiach, but rather by commitment to G-d and to His Word.  Despite identifying a multitude of Biblical heroes, Tanach is silent with respect to any identity for Moshiach; it only describes the character traits he will have and the acts he will perform. 

 

Mankind has elected many "messiahs" throughout history, within Judaism and without.  They have come and they have gone.  The world has not yet seen nor experienced anyone fulfill all the roles that Tanach and the Talmud establish as the identification factors for the man who will rule Israel and the nations, restoring peace, justice and Torah to the world in the end of days. 

 

Hashem has orchestrated a total ambiguity within Scripture when it comes to the identity of Moshiach – a fact that should tell us something in and by itself.   Despite this, there has been endless strife and persecution, even unto death, over the identity of Moshiach.  Shouldn’t Hashem’s silence on the issue define some realistic boundaries for our own expectations?  As with all things, when the time is right, Hashem will bring prophecy to pass and there will be no mistaking it.

 

Torah enjoins us to hate those things which are hated by Hashem - idolatry beginning chief among them, as is evidenced in the every first of the Ten Words or Commandments that Judaism, Christianity and the Lost Tribes movements all revere: 

 

“I AM Hashem your G-d, Who brought you out from the land of Egypt, the house of bondage, you shall have no other gods besides Me.” 

 

Obviously, a "carte blanche" approach to every difference within and without is not possible, nor proper.  Undoubtedly, however, we can each take increased measures to reduce discord, encourage understanding, and facilitate an ever-increasing awareness of the Light of Hashem and His Torah in this world.  As the Rebbe of Lubavitch was wont to say, “A little light dispels a lot of darkness.”