When the topic of "the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel" are brought up, people often ask me, “Why does it matter anyway?” If they don't ask it, I can see the question in their eyes.
The importance of “Why” is largely three-fold:
First, the Creator-of-the-Universe unconditionally promised multitudinous (i.e. numerous, lots, loads, many, a great number) descendants to Abraham. The Elohim of Abraham then repeated that promise frequently to Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Ephraim. If the reality and fulfillment of that ancient promise could be disproved in the modern world, then the Great Promise-Giver could be called the Great Liar.
He is NOT a liar.
Secondly, if Jacob’s descendant peoples realize who they are, what promises are made to them, and what covenant their ancestors were bound to and broke, they will experience a profound mental, spiritual, emotional, and physical paradigm shift. It will effect more than what they “know” or “believe” about themselves. It will, or should, change “the way” they live their lives. Just as a figurative bride prepares herself for marriage, they would clean up their act in anticipation for the big event, or rather in this case: the great re-marriage of Israel with the Almighty.
Learning to keep His Torah (teachings and instructions) would be a priority.
Thirdly, the Most High thought high enough of the restoration of Joseph (the Northern Kingdom) and Jew-da (the Southern Kingdom) as to make it one of the central themes of all His set-apart scripture, thus I find it expedient to make it a central theme of my conversations. I simply love to read and write about this topic. And I suspect the issue is more precious to our Abba than what any of us may realize.
That is the matter in the matter.
Hanok ben Galutyah
