Parashot Bereisheet and Noach (last 2 weeks) have revealed great new insights to us regarding the identity of “The Light to the Nations.” Contrary to the general concept that it refers to ‘the Jews’, it has now become clear that it refers on a wider basis to the combined body of Jews and returning Ten Tribers (refer ‘The REAL Truth regarding the Jews as The Light unto the Nations’). Hence it is a yet future event preceding the Geulah (Final Redemption).
This week’s Parasha Lech Lecha (the 3rd of the year) sheds further Light on this topic. We are using our commentary written 2 years ago. Amazingly, though we did not have this latest insight, this in-depth old commentary now sheds even more light on the topic when considered with the latest insights in mind. This proves that understanding of Truth is progressive. All else will be toppled with Time.
Summarized Conclusion of this fresh Insight
The nation of Israel and their claims on the Land of Israel is greatly contested. There are those who challenge that the Term ‘The Land of Israel’ does not appear in the Jewish Scriptures (the Tanach, ‘Old Testament’).
Following up on this claim, when we trace the usage in the Bible of the term ‘Israel’ we even see an amazing development in Scripture with the use of this term. Throughout the Book of Genesis it always refers to Jacob, whose name was changed by HaShem to ‘Israel’. In Exodus it develops into a usage for the Family of Jacob and the growing nation that developed from them and then addressed as ‘Israel’, ‘the children of Israel’, ‘the nation of Israel.’ As such it applied to the Hebrews in Egypt who stemmed from Jacob (12 Tribes). The book of Joshua (in the Time of the entering of the Exodus into the Promised Land, generally uses the term “the people or nation of Israel” throughout.
The term “The Land of Israel” only appears for the first time in book of the Prophet Ezekiel who lived in the time of the destruction of the 1st temple and the Babylonian exile of the Jews. By that time, the 10 Tribes of the Northern ‘House of Israel’ had already been exiled for more than 2 centuries.
This opens an entire facet of Prophetic Scripture regarding the re-identification and Return of the Lost 10 Tribes of Israel to ‘The Land of Israel’ – as Eekiel’s Prophecies specify. This links with our recent realization that ‘The Light to the Nations’ will only occur at the Time of the Return of both Houses of Israel to the Land of Israel.
Read > Parashat Lech Lecha (Get yourself going) – Weekly Parashah
Independent research scholar. He works tirelessly as an activist promoting Israel and settlement of the Land of Israel, and as Webmaster and co-ordinator of Kol HaTor. Read More.
