The Exile of the Ten Tribes

Found 8 Search results

Rachel's Death and Burial
Rabbi Yaakov Medan
Where was Rachel buried? Why is she the one crying for her children, and why does God answer her prayers? The answers to these questions leads us on a fascinating journey that begins with the Yosef and Binyamin (from the birth of Binyamin and the selling of Yosef through the Concubine on Givah, the destruction of Shiloh, and the exile of the ten tribes), continues with the civil wars throughout the generations (from the selling of Yoself through the murder of Gedalia to the destruction of the Second Temple and the Bar Kokhva Revolt). Rachel's prayer for Binyamin in the merit of her selflessness for him, and her prayer for Yosef and for all of Israel in the merit of her ability to conquer her natural jealousy toward her sister - these prayers have stood by Israel throughout the generations.
Punishment of the Individual and of the Nation
Parashat Nitzavim
Dr. Mordechai Sabato
Parashat Ki Tavo describes kelalot - the curses – from a public perspective; the unique innovation of Parashat Nitzavim is that the curse can also relate to the individual, the family, and the tribe. The Torah therefore emphasizes that he covenant relates to and includes each and every individual, in any status and from any time. This emphasis negates the ability to escape both the covenant and the curse.
The Fall and Exile of Shomron
Rabbi Alex Israel
Hoshea ben Ella rises to power as an apparent appointment of the Assyrian King, but soon after he joins an anti-Assyrian coalition. While Hoshea does not follow in the footsteps of the kings of Israel and residents of the northern kingdom participate in the Pessah Korban with Hizkiyahu in Jerusalem, this change is too late to stop the destruction and exile of the northern kingdom.

The Assyrian policy of population transfer is aimed at crushing hostile populations. By dispersing the exiles to far-flung locations, Ashur succeeds in destabilizing and disorienting the defeated. This technique absolutely destroys the internal cohesion of the exiled community and strangles its political opposition. For Israel this policy is a death knell. Domestically, as alien populations are transferred to Shomron, along with a foreign governor, it essentially becomes impossible for Israel to reinstate itself as an independent entity and leads to the disappearance of the ten tribes.

The people - not only the kings - of Israel chose to go in the ways of the surrounding nations and, just as the Torah warned, God and the land of Israel rejected them.
The Shomronim
Rabbi Alex Israel
The exile of the ten tribes ultimately leads to their disappearance as a distinct group. The Assyrian policy of population transfer brings in foreigners who worship idols and since the Land of Israel does not tolerate sinners they are attacked by lions. They are saved not by rejectiong the idols, but by accepting God as supreme. The strict monotheism mandated for Jews is different from the level of belief required of other nations. For Israel, icons are absolutely forbidden, even when they serve as intermediaries to God. This is the primary sin for which the inhabitants of Shomron were exiled. However, for other peoples, idolatry and other gods are tolerable as long as God is recognized as the supreme deity, even while other gods are worshipped alongside Him.

The status of the Shomronim - Samaritans is a long historical debate spanning from the period of the rebuilding of the second Beit HaMikdash, in which they were not permitted to participate, and continuing into the time of the Sages.
The Exiles In Babylon
Rabbi David Sabato
In the interim period between the exile of Yekhonya and the exile of Yehuda in the days of Tzidkiyahu, a complex situation was created in which there were two Jewish centers: one in Bavel, which included the elite of Jerusalem, and one in Jerusalem, where the poorest of the people of the land remained. There is a king in both centers: Yehoyakhin in Bavel and Tzidkiyahu in Jerusalem. This complex situation raised the question of the status of each center and the relationship between them.

One perception arises in Bavel among the elders of Israel who come to Yehezkel thinking that the covenant between God and Israel has been annulled and that they should now integrate themselves among the nations.

In contrast stands the opposite position, expressed primarily in the words of the false prophets, which views the exile as a temporary and fleeting event that will come to a close in the near future.

Yirmiyahu proposes a third possibility, one that is different and more complex. Yirmiyahu argues that the exile is not a passing event, but rather a significant one. It is a long and extended process for which preparation is necessary. The people must settle into it and build upon it, while knowing that its goal is the return to Eretz Yisrael. Exile is a necessary condition for redemption. However, for the first time, Yirmiyahu also expresses the idea that will accompany exiled Jews for thousands of years – identification with the country in which they are found.

Historically, the complex picture that Yirmiyahu tried to fix in the nation's consciousness in the exile was not always successfully absorbed. Sometimes, Jews became overly settled in their lands and over-emphasized seeking the peace of exile; occasionally, they strongly opposed their country and preached rebellion.
Rachel Weeping for Her Children
Rabbi David Sabato
This unique prophecy exalts the figure of Rachel and has been a source of inspiration for future generations. It has engraved the image of a loving and compassionate mother on the consciousness of the exiled and tormented people for thousands of years.

Yaakov's lack of reconciliation with the loss of Yosef expresses his inner recognition that Yosef is alive. This is the principle alluded to by Rachel's continuous bitter weeping. Her non-stop weeping and refusal to be comforted testify to a similar cognition: Deep inside, Rachel knows and feels that her children will one day return to their land. This weeping is not a weeping of despair but a weeping meant to stir up the mercies of Heaven for her children and return them to their land. Just as Yaakov merited to be comforted and to see his lost son, so too Rachel is promised that her weeping will have an effect, and in the end her children will return to their land.

In contrast, the second part of the prophecy describes a return of a different kind. Here, the son is active in the process; Ephraim's desire to return is what drives the wheels of salvation. Indeed, here too there is parental love for a lost son, but this is a father's love for his son, which symbolizes God's love for Israel.

The difference between the two parts stands out in the root "shov." In the first part, it appears twice and denotes the children's return to the land as a result of Rachel's weeping. In contrast, in the second part, it appears three times and describes Ephraim's repentance, which will bring about his salvation.
The Book of Yehezkel
Introduction
Dr. Tova Ganzel
The Book of Yehezkel covers a fateful period of some 22 years in the history of the Jewish People: beginning with year five of the exile of King Yehoyakhin and ending fifteen years after the Destruction of the First Temple. As opposed to other prophets, Yehezkel's prophecies are conveyed in Babylon and grapple with the contemporaneous crisis from a Diaspora vantage point.

The purpose of Yehezkel's prophecies – in the years preceding the Destruction – was to inform the people that God had departed from His Temple in Jerusalem. He therefore describes in detail the Divine chariot and the journeys of God's glory outside the Temple.

Yehezkel presents the view of the "inhabitants of Jerusalem," who say that the exiles have distanced themselves from God and from His Land, and that they are not counted among the inheritors of the land and those close to God. God's response, however, conveyed through the prophet, is that while those taken in captivity are currently in exile, God is with them there, as a "miniature Temple". For the first time, the prophet affirms the Jewish identity of the exiles: they remain part of God’s nation, even though the Jews still living in their homeland have a different view, and maintain that God's place is still in the Temple in their midst.

Both groups, the inhabitants in the land and those exiled to Babylonia, despite their differences, have this in common: neither changed its behavior during these years. Thus, Yehezkel's prophetic mission during these years was not to call upon the people to mend their ways and repent, but rather to explain the significance of the events in Jerusalem, and thereby to prepare the ground for the prophecies of rebuilding which came after the Destruction, as well as the vision of the future Temple.
The Future of the Kingdom of Israel
Dr. Tova Ganzel
The future unification of the exiles of Israel with the exiles of Yehuda is a rather surprising prophecy. Up until now, Yechezkel has not mentioned the exiles of Israel. This arose from the fact that as, as far as we know, the exiles of Israel, unlike the exiles of Yehuda, did not live in exile as a community with a separate, independent identity. The prevailing philosophy among them was the pagan world-view which assumed that as well as obeying the local administration, exiled groups would also show loyalty to the local deity. Therefore, this prophecy concerning the reunification of the kingdom of Israel with the kingdom of Yehuda is both a notable and significant development.

Thus, it appears that the prophecy of the Dry Bones earlier in the chapter refers to the Kingdom of Israel. The 150 years that have passed since the exile of the Kingdom of Israel are not proof of their annihilation, and the nation receives a Divine promise of Divine revival.

Our prophetic unit concludes with Yehezkel conveying the promise that the revival of the people, in all its various manifestations – Land of Israel, leadership, covenant, and the Beit HaMikdash - will be eternal.