I came across this map while looking for where the word Jew came from:
Here is what Wikipedia had to say on the subject: The Jewish ethnonym in Hebrew is יהודים Yehudim (plural of יהודי Yehudi) which is the origin of the English wordJew. The Hebrew name is derived from the region name Judah (Yehudah יהודה). Originally the name referred to the territory alloted to the tribe descended from Judah the fourth son of the patriarch Jacob (Numbers). Judah was one of the twelve sons of Jacob and one of the Twelve tribes of Israel(Genesis). The Genesis 29:35 [1]relates that Judah's mother — the matriarch Leah — named him Yehudah (i.e. "Judah") because she wanted to "praise God" for giving birth to so many sons: "She said, 'This time let me praise (odeh אודה) God (יהוה),' and named the child Judah (Yehudah יהודה)", thus combining "praise" and "God" into one new name. Thereafter Judah vouchsafes the Jewish monarchy, and the Israelite kings David and Solomon derive their lineage from Judah. After the splitting of the united Kingdom of Israel, the name was used for the southern kingdom of Judah, containing not only the land of the tribe of Judah but also that of Benjamin and Simeon. With the destruction of the northern kingdom of Israel, the kingdom of Judah became the sole Jewish state and the term y'hudi (יהודי) was applied to all Israelites. When the word makes its first appearance in writing (in the book of Esther) its meaning has already expanded to include converts to the Jewish religion as well as descendants of Israelites."
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Essentially, there was a civil war among the Israelites. Each of the 12 tribes took sides and the Land of Israel was split in two: the cousins who joined together under Judah's banner ruled the south and the rest of the cousins banned together and formed the kingdom of Northern Israel. I think this might be like cousin Arabs/Muslims: some are Shia and some are Sunni and they fight over land and power.
The Jews who are left all come from the kingdom of Judah, hence the term Jew.
And since modern day Israel is based on the historical Israel, perhaps we should set the borders along the kingdom of Judah borders and defend those with a true ancient claim.
I am not sure what claim the kingdom of Judah has on the norther kingdom. When the northern kingdom was destroyed why would Judah have a claim on their cousin's territory?
And from a religious perspective, God spared the kingdom of Judah, which is why we are Jews. God destroyed the northern kingdom, not at the hands of the Judeans, but by outside, gentile, forces. So the lands of the cousins of Judah was taken away, and those tribes destroyed. Why should the children of Judah fight for the northern kingdom? We should defend first and foremost, our ancient homeland, the Kingdom of Judah.
2 comments:
What's in a name?
First of all, the name "Jew" is not used in the same way "Yehudi" was used in First Temple times.
As you yourself noted, the tribes of Shimon and Binyamin lived in the kingdom of Yehudah so many Yehudim weren't really Yehudim.
Further, when the Assyrians conquered the Northern Kingdom and exiled its people, a large number fled south to Yehudah and joined the population down there. This means that today's Jewish population contains descendants from all of the original tribes but because the Yehudim were the majority and because it was their name on the kingdom the term "Jew" became attached to us.
But if you want to then be really, really specific, kohanim and Leviim aren't Jewish because they're from Levi, not Yehudah! But go and try to tell your friend Ben Levy he's not Jewish and see what happens.
In addition, there are the descendants of the Idumeans who were converted 100 years or so before the destruction of the Second Temple and the Khazars about 1000 years ago.
Here's the bottom line: Al pi haTorah, God gave the Land of Israel to Bnei Yisrael, the entire nation, with defined borders. These borders are the heritage of all Bnei Yisrael, regardless of original tribal affiliation. Therefore Bnei Yisrael today have an obligation to settle in as much of those borders as possible.
"Therefore Bnei Yisrael today have an obligation to settle in as much of those borders as possible."
So would you say that one needs a heter to live outside of Israel?
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