The Tribes of Isreal

Beta84

Beta84

They're out to get us
mAlice said:
I can look up who they are, too. Who are they to you? Are they distant relatives? Are they just historical biblical people who have nothing to do with today? How are they viewed? What is their significance outside of leaving lineage, that can only be traced so far?
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The tribes are virtually untraceable. I believe people who have the last names "Cohen" or "Levi" can trace back, but everyone else has been grouped into the 'larger' tribe of "Israel" since it's all been lost. They are the main lineage of Judaism I guess, if you believe that the only Jews began as Abraham/Sarah --> Isaac/Rebecca --> Jacob/Leah/Rachel...since then it would be all of his sons.

I don't think it goes for much in this day and age. They're more or less historical figures. Most Jews couldn't even name the sons of Jacob, other than Joseph :shrug:
 
mAlice

mAlice

professional daydreamer
Beta84 said:
The tribes are virtually untraceable. I believe people who have the last names "Cohen" or "Levi" can trace back, but everyone else has been grouped into the 'larger' tribe of "Israel" since it's all been lost. They are the main lineage of Judaism I guess, if you believe that the only Jews began as Abraham/Sarah --> Isaac/Rebecca --> Jacob/Leah/Rachel...since then it would be all of his sons.

I don't think it goes for much in this day and age. They're more or less historical figures. Most Jews couldn't even name the sons of Jacob, other than Joseph :shrug:
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What is the "larger" tribe of Isreal?
 
Beta84

Beta84

They're out to get us
mAlice said:
What is the "larger" tribe of Isreal?
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It's a conglomerate of all the other tribes, more or less. I'd have to do some quick research to get my story straight, it's been awhile since I learned some of this stuff.
 
mAlice

mAlice

professional daydreamer
Beta84 said:
It's a conglomerate of all the other tribes, more or less. I'd have to do some quick research to get my story straight, it's been awhile since I learned some of this stuff.
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Is the "larger" tribe considered to be in existence today, or is it also just historical? Is the "larger" tribe the jews that live all over the world today?
 
Beta84

Beta84

They're out to get us
mAlice said:
Is the "larger" tribe considered to be in existence today, or is it also just historical? Is the "larger" tribe the jews that live all over the world today?
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I had to check a couple things to get my answer and not mislead you...

Judaism 101: Jewish Names
Cohen and Levy are the two most common surnames among Jews in the United States (Miller is third, as mentioned above). Another specifically Jewish surname is Israel, which is much less common. Jewish thought often divides Jews into three groups: Kohein, Levy and Israel. Israel basically means the rest of us.
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Naso 5763
When the Torah is read, a Cohen (or Kohen) is called to make the blessings over reading the first portion. Then a Levite is called for the second portion. A Yisroel (Israelite) may then be called for the remaining portions to be read.
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Here's the best one though (same link)
After the split of the Kingdom into Israel and Judah following the death of King Solomon, the Assyrians conquered the Kingdom of Israel in 722 BCE and exiled the Ten Tribes. Since then the Ten Tribes were not heard from and Jews can now only trace their lineage to the Kohanim and Levites. The rest of us reside under the designation of "Israelites" - not sure from which tribe we descend.
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The second link has alot more background relating to the tribes and whatnot.
 
Starman3000m

Starman3000m

New Member
mAlice said:
Is the "larger" tribe considered to be in existence today, or is it also just historical? Is the "larger" tribe the jews that live all over the world today?
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When you refer to the "larger" tribe of Jews, are you thus referring to those who are the descendants of the House of Judah? That tribe is the only one whose claim is that of being a "Jew" all other tribes are Israeli and their descendants are Israelis - not Jews.

And, yes, with all the tribes scattered abroad there are sure to be descendants from each and every Israeli tribe throughout the earth.

As for your question: Which tribe is the largest, it all depends on which has had the most children.
 
mAlice

mAlice

professional daydreamer
Starman3000m said:
When you refer to the "larger" tribe of Jews, are you thus referring to those who are the descendants of the House of Judah? That tribe is the only one whose claim is that of being a "Jew" all other tribes are Israeli and their descendants are Israelis - not Jews.

And, yes, with all the tribes scattered abroad there are sure to be descendants from each and every Israeli tribe throughout the earth.

As for your question: Which tribe is the largest, it all depends on which has had the most children.
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I didn't ask which tribe was the largest.
 
mAlice

mAlice

professional daydreamer
Beta84 said:
I had to check a couple things to get my answer and not mislead you...

Judaism 101: Jewish Names



Naso 5763


Here's the best one though (same link)


The second link has alot more background relating to the tribes and whatnot.
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Thanks. So, back to my original question, which I obviously didn't elaborate well enough. What does it mean to you, or the rest of the world? Do you feel you are a descendent? If so, what does it mean to be a descendent, how does it affect you?
 
migtig

migtig

aka Mrs. Giant
mAlice said:
Thanks. So, back to my original question, which I obviously didn't elaborate well enough. What does it mean to you, or the rest of the world? Do you feel you are a descendent? If so, what does it mean to be a descendent, how does it affect you?
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IMHO, it depends on your personal belief system. If you are a Jew, well it probably doesn't mean much unless you are a Cohen or Levi, which allows you that elevated status Beta pointed out. If you are one of the doomsday Christians, it may mean that once the tribes are united again, you'll be one step closer to getting your war between the Messiah and the devil.

To me personally, it means nothing. I don't believe I am descendent, though there are some in my family tree that may have believed they were. :shrug: I think historically it's quite interesting, especially when you factor in the group of Ethiopian Jews who believe they are one of the lost tribes and there is even rumours that they are the keepers of the arc of the covenent.

Maybe it'll all be figured out with DNA testing one day. Wouldn't that be a hoot?
 
mAlice

mAlice

professional daydreamer
migtig said:
IMHO, it depends on your personal belief system. If you are a Jew, well it probably doesn't mean much unless you are a Cohen or Levi, which allows you that elevated status Beta pointed out. If you are one of the doomsday Christians, it may mean that once the tribes are united again, you'll be one step closer to getting your war between the Messiah and the devil.

To me personally, it means nothing. I don't believe I am descendent, though there are some in my family tree that may have believed they were. :shrug: I think historically it's quite interesting, especially when you factor in the group of Ethiopian Jews who believe they are one of the lost tribes and there is even rumours that they are the keepers of the arc of the covenent.

Maybe it'll all be figured out with DNA testing one day. Wouldn't that be a hoot?
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The Genographic Project.
 
Beta84

Beta84

They're out to get us
mAlice said:
Thanks. So, back to my original question, which I obviously didn't elaborate well enough. What does it mean to you, or the rest of the world? Do you feel you are a descendent? If so, what does it mean to be a descendent, how does it affect you?
Click to expand...

I kinda answered that in my 2nd post, but I'll go at it again now that I've given more detail. For the Cohen and Levi tribes, it may mean something to them. For certain, it gives them some bit of "prestige" since they are the only ones allowed to read the first two portions of the torah reading (Cohen first, Levi second). For the other tribes, it doesn't really mean much of anything. It's not traceable so pretty much any Jew is considered to be in the other tribe of "Israel". It's more of a classification than anything else.
 
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