The Ten Tribes

The unanimous view of Rabbi Akiva, Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Shimon, all of the Talmud is that the descendants of the Ten Tribes are “sinners”, meaning heretics. Rabbi Akiva thinks that they will not return to the Land of Israel because of their sins, Rabbi Eliezer thinks that they will return to the Land of Israel when God takes them out of their darkness and Rabbi Shimon thinks that their return to the Land of Israel depends on whether or not they will repent.

What is remarkable about these early Talmudic opinions is their apparent familiarity with Median Jewry. They take a distinctly negative view of Median Judaism, yet Median Jews are firmly recognized as Jewish. There is no dispute in their mind as to the existence of Median Judaism, there is no discussion of so-called “lost tribes”, in fact, they are described as “sinners”, not lost. What is their sin? Apparently their innovative tactical syncretism with religious imperialism. Modern concerns about Israelite “racial ancestry” does not appear to bother the rabbis of the Talmud the slightest despite Median Jews mostly being descended from post-Israelite converts to Median Judaism. The “Who is a Jew?” rabbinical quest for exclusion does not even appear on the minds of those early rabbis of the Talmud. Median Jewry are simply Jewish sinners according to these early rabbinical authorities.

It would be very strange if the knowledge about Median Judaism had not been passed down the generations from poskim (rabbinic decisors) to poskim, from generation to generation. It was hardly coincidental when rabbi Sabbatai Zevi chose initiation into the Bektashi order (a denomination of core Median Judaism) over forced conversion to Islam and hundreds of his adherents followed him into the Bektashi order, becoming the founding generation of what is now the Sabbatean (misnamed “Dönmeh”) subdenomination of the Bektashi order in Turkey. Surely had the leading poskim of the generation initiated the then recognized Mashiach into the secrets of Esoteric Judaism, including the existence of Median Judaism such as the Bektashi order?

It is clear that the Ortodox Rabbinical elite has all along been aware of the existence of Median Judaism but have kept quiet about it since the assumption has long been that Median Judaism and Median Jewry will only be revealed to the public by the Mashiach.

Not only did the early rabbinical authorities of the Talmud recognize Median Jews as fully Jewish, there is no doubt that the leading poskim who are initiated into Esoteric Judaism continue to recognize the members the nine denominations (Alawism, Alevism, Alianism, Bektashism, Druzism, Khaksarism, Shabakism, Yarsanism and Yezidism) of core Median Judaism as halakhically Jewish, including recognizing the ancient authority of the Northern Jurisdiction of Israel to perform religious conversions at its own discretion while the poskim keep absolutely silent about the nine denominations. The limited tactical syncretism with Islam to varying degrees of the nine denominations certainly does not make them Muslim since none of the denominations have mosques, read the Quran, practice Islam, follow the sharia, adhere to the five pillars of Islam, abide by the hadiths or abide by any significant aspects of Islam whatsoever. The nine denominations had historically similar tactical syncretism with previous dominant religions of earlier eras.

The Zionist approach however is to ingather the nation of Israel to the land of Israel without waiting for the Mashiach. This is the correct approach. There is a very high probability that no Zionist Poskim are aware of Median Jewry since most likely only the very leading Haredi Poskim are initiated into the secrets of Esoteric Judaism, including knowledge of Median Judaism. Median Jews remain fully Jews until this day and the reunification of the Northern Jurisdiction of Israel and the Southern Jurisdiction of Judah should therefore not be unduly delayed.