Shomronim

Found 2 Search results

1. The Shomronim

   Rabbi Alex Israel

   The exile of the ten tribes ultimately leads to their disappearance as a distinct group. The Assyrian policy of population transfer brings in foreigners who worship idols and since the Land of Israel does not tolerate sinners they are attacked by lions. They are saved not by rejectiong the idols, but by accepting God as supreme. The strict monotheism mandated for Jews is different from the level of belief required of other nations. For Israel, icons are absolutely forbidden, even when they serve as intermediaries to God. This is the primary sin for which the inhabitants of Shomron were exiled. However, for other peoples, idolatry and other gods are tolerable as long as God is recognized as the supreme deity, even while other gods are worshipped alongside Him.

   The status of the Shomronim - Samaritans is a long historical debate spanning from the period of the rebuilding of the second Beit HaMikdash, in which they were not permitted to participate, and continuing into the time of the Sages.  

2. Confronting Anti-Semitism

   Rabbi Tzvi Sinensky

   Ezra-Nehemya is sub-divided into three major sections: Each of the three major segments evinces a similar organizational structure: (a) aliya, (b) a confrontation with antisemitism, (c) support of the Temple/Jerusalem, and (d) working toward ensuring the everyday functioning of society.

   On a local level, chapters 4-6 of Ezra neatly break down in similar fashion. The three chapters sub-divide into three sections. All three segments consist of the enemies’ efforts to stall the construction, a response from the Jews or king, and a resolution.

   The author of Ezra-Nehemya implies that although the events of Shivat Tzion transpired over the course of nearly a century, featuring varied monarchs, Jewish leaders, and gentile antagonists, fundamentally the story is the same. The major motifs in Shivat Tzion are recurring: the challenge of abandoning comfortable diaspora communities and returning to Judea; the need for proactivity in combating antisemitism and rebuilding; and the importance of confronting the social rifts in our community. By presenting the stories of Shivat Tzion in chronologically interwoven, structurally repetitious fashion, our author suggests that these challenges are universal to the era of Shivat Tzion, and possibly all eras as well.