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Samaria & Samaritans

Commentary by Dr. Gerhard Falk

     

Samaritans

 

Samaria is a region in Israel between Galil in the north and Judea in the south. It borders on the Mediterranean Sea (middle of the earth sea, according to the Romans) . The name Samaria is derived from the Hebrew name Shomeron. Shomeron was a hill belonging to a man named Shemer who sold that hill to King Omri of Israel “for two talents of silver.” (A Talent was an ancient Greek coin used also in Israel and in Rome).

We read in the Torah, I Kings XVI:24 “And he (King Omri) bought the Mount Samaria of Shemer …………… and called the name of the city which he had built after the name of Shemer ….. Samaria.” That occurred in about 880 B.C.E. (Before the Common Era).

In the eighth century B.C.E., the king of Assyria, Sargon, invaded Israel and captured Samaria and most of the inhabitants were taken into captivity (724-721 B.C.E.). This captivity should not be confused with the victory of Nebuchadnezzar over Judah in 597 and 586 which resulted in further “captivity” and led to the establishment of a large Jewish community in Babylon. The Babylonian Empire was conquered by Cyrus, king of Persia and Media, who allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem in 538 to rebuild the Temple. This Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 C.E.

The so-called “Lost Tribes of Israel” were not lost. They assimilated with the Asian population, so that Jewish customs and ceremonies are conducted all over Asia to this day all the way to Japan.

Meanwhile, a few Samaritans remained. They built a new Temple on Mt. Gezirim and claimed that they are the true Jews and that the Jewish Pentateuch (5 Books of Moses) were altered by Ezra while they have the true Pentateuch (Greek for Five Scrolls).

Although the Samaritan Temple was destroyed in the 2nd Century, the Samaritans continue to practice animal sacrifices today. There are only a few hundred Samaritans in Israel now.  However, they appoint a High Priest and follow the sacrificial ceremonies as described in the Torah. They slaughter lambs at Pesach.

The Samaritans do not recognize the Talmud nor any other of the religious authorities of the Jews. They celebrate six Holy Days as prescribed in the Torah. These are Pesach, Shevuot, The Seventh Month or Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Succoth and Shemini Azereth.

The Samaritans believe they are the descendants of Joseph, Ephrayim and Menashe. They observe the purity laws, or Kosher, and circumcise their boys on the eighth day.

There are numerous other similarities between Jews and Samaritans, although the Samaritans are not recognized as Jews by the Jewish religious establishment.

Today, Samaria is part of Israel and together with Judea forms the West Bank of the Jordan River. The east bank of the Jordan is also part of Israel. However, in 1920, the British occupiers removed the east bank from Israel and handed the land to a tribe of Bedouins who call the land Jordan. Hate mongers now pretend that not even Judea, the land which gave us the name Jews, is part of Israel. The anti-Jewish haters want Israel to give both Samaria and Judea to the Arab immigrants who came into Israel after the establishment of Jewish colonization so as to take advantage of Jewish efforts, Jewish labor, Jewish ingenuity and Jewish work. These Arab immigrants have done nothing to improve the land, they built no cities and developed no industry. All they know is destruction and all they hope for is the organization of another European style holocaust.

The Arabs who now live in Israel, whether on the so-called West Bank or anywhere else, are immigrants from Egypt, like Yassir Arafat, who was born in Egypt, or immigrants from other surrounding Arab countries. These Arabs came solely to take advantage of Jewish developments. Alone between 1917 and 1947 over one hundred thousand Arabs migrated into Israel looking for work, for freedom and for other opportunities. In short, the Arabs have no right to live in any part of Israel and certainly are not entitled to rob the Jews of the smallest land on earth. Religious hatred and hatred of Western civilization are the only contributions Arabs have ever made to mankind. Compare that to the enormous achievement of the Jewish people in all areas of knowledge and competence.

Therefore, Samaria is Israel as is Judea as is the Negev, as is Galil. Do not be fooled by the lies of our enemies. Israel is not the oppressor. Israel is only defending itself against mass murder. Speak up. Remember our history and be proud to be a Jew.

Shalom u’vracha.

Dr. Gerhard Falk is the author of numerous publications, including Grandparents:  A New Look at the Supporting Generation (with Dr. Ursula A., Falk, 2002), & Man's Ascent to Reason (2002).

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