Yair Davidiy, Hebrew Nations
Q. How did you go about using the Bible, Talmud, and various libraries in Israel to identify Lost Tribes?
A. The Bible and rabbinical commentaries speak of the Lost Ten Tribes. However you will find opinions from different pastors and professors that say the Lost Ten Tribes don’t exist or they are a very minor phenomena. The Jewish sources confirm the literal understanding that the Lost Ten Tribes do exist and are indeed supposed to return. Rashi is a major commentator on the Bible and the Jewish sources, he is the foremost commentator in the rabbinical school of thought. In the Biblical book of Obadiah, Rashi mentions a place called Zarephath in the Hebrew, in verse 1:18-20, this [says Rashi] is referring to the Lost Ten Tribes that were dispersed to a kingdom called France.
Other rabbinical commentators expanded the concept of France to include the rest of Europe including Holland and the British Isles. I was convinced by the rabbinical commentaries on this verse that the Biblical Lost Tribes were amongst the Western peoples.
After that I began reading Hebrew and Aramaic translations of the Bible and rabbinical commentaries. These sources confirmed my assertion. These findings were also confirmed by historical sources – archaeology, linguistics, mythological and so on which also point in the same direction. The historical, Biblical and rabbinical sources all intertwine with each other.
Q. Do you think the following Biblical verses (Hosea 11:10, Isaiah 49:12) that say the peoples will come from the North and West are about the Lost Tribes?
A. Yes
Q. What misconceptions about the Lost Tribes would you like to addres for those who think the Tribes are a myth?
A. I try to find a common denominator. Some people may not believe in the Bible, they believe the Bible can be interpreted to say anything we want it to say. Or they might say that we don’t understand what we are reading. Or they have other concepts on a superficial level that may give a differing impression. There is a section in the Talmud that discusses the Ten Tribes and there you would get the impression that the Ten Tribes were only small groups of people throughout the Middle East of relative insignificance, and that they were so assimilated amongst the Gentiles that the rabbis started to treat them as Gentiles in as such to dismiss them.
But then you have to take the source in context and see the commentaries on this part of the Talmud. It is saying that, but only in a limited applicability. There were some remnants of the Ten Tribes in the Middle Eastern area and the discussion is important for other reasons as it confirms our understanding of the Lost Ten Tribes that went into exile and they were considered non-Jewish. They were divorced and are no longer under the law.