Nadene Goldfoot
It was in 721 BCE that the Assyrians had attacked the northern part of Israel and had taken away captives. Later on, about 200 years later in 597 and 586 BCE, the Babylonians took over the lands held by the Assyrians along with the people. Notice that Levi , son of Leah, was not given any land. They were scattered throughout the 12 tribes, as teachers. They have retained many cultural clues of Judaism. What did they retain of our teachings? I think you will find that some overlap and others have been added.
The 10 Lost Tribes were named Asher, Dan, Ephraim, Gad, Issachar, Manasseh, Naphtali, Reuben, Simeon, and Zebulun—all sons or grandsons of Jacob. In 930 BCE the 10 tribes had formed the independent Kingdom of Israel in the north and the two other tribes, Judah and Benjamin, set up the Kingdom of Judah in the south.
Asher; son of Zilpah, Dan, son of Bilhah, Ephraim, grandson of Rachel, Gad, son of Zilpah, Issachar, son of Leah, Manasseh, Grandson of Rachel, Naphtali, son of Bilhah, Reuben, son of Leah, Simeon, son of Leah, Zebulun, son of Leah were all the sons of Jacob, grandson of Abraham.
What the Pashtuns have developed is Pashtunwali, their ethics. This certainly fits the situation they found themselves in. They have lived since 921 BCE without any written forms of what they learned as followers of Moses: and then in 632 were initiated into Islam. They have kept the culture in bits and pieces according to what was handed down from generation to generation.
Melmastia (hospitality) one of the most important rules of the Pashtunwali, is to be hospitable to every person who comes to your home. At the beginning of the Torah, there is a story about three foreigners coming to Abraham’s house. Within a few minutes, he is letting them in, serving them with cakes, butter, milk and meat [Genesis (“Bereshit”), 10: 1-8]. from Yasmin Eliaz, Bar Ilan University
The three primary principles of Pashtunwali: Developed sometime after 721 BCE
- Hospitality – Showing hospitality and profound respect to all visitors, regardless of race, religion, national affiliation or economic status and doing so without any hope of remuneration or favour. Pashtuns will go to great lengths to show their hospitality.
- Asylum – Derived from the verb meaning to go in, this refers to the protection given to a person against his enemies. People are protected at all costs; even those running from the law must be given refuge until the situation can be clarified. It can also be used when the vanquished party in a dispute is prepared to go into the house of the victors and ask for their forgiveness: this is a peculiar form of "chivalrous" surrender, in which an enemy seeks "sanctuary" at the house of their foe. A notable example is that of Navy Petty Officer First Class Marcus Luttrell, the sole survivor of a US Navy SEAL team ambushed by Taliban fighters. Wounded, he evaded the enemy and was aided by members of the Sabray tribe who took him to their village. The tribal chief protected him, fending off attacking tribes until word was sent to nearby US forces.
- Justice and revenge – To seek justice or take revenge against the wrongdoer. No time limit restricts the period in which revenge can be taken. Justice in Pashtun lore needs elaborating: even a mere taunt counts as an insult. Monetary compensation can be an alternative to this, for example in murder cases.
The other main principles:
- Bravery A Pashtun must defend his land, property, and family from incursions. Death can follow if anyone offends this principle.
- Loyalty A Pashtun owes loyalty to family, friends and tribe members.
- Kindness Pashtuns should act in the welfare of others.
- Arbitration Disputes are resolved through the Jirga. A jirga is a traditional assembly of leaders that supposed to make decisions by consensus and according to the teachings of Pashtunwali.
- Faith contains a wider notion of trust or faith in Allah. The notion of trusting in one Creator generally comports to Islamic monotheism or tawhid.
- Respect and pride A Pashtun's pride, has great importance in society and must be preserved. Pashtuns must respect themselves and others in order to be able to do so, especially those they do not know. Respect begins at home, among family members and relatives. Someone who lacks these qualities is not considered worthy of being a Pashtun. As per the poetry of Khushal Khattak “The loss of life and wealth should not matter, what matters is respect.
- Female honour A Pashtun must defend the honour of women at all costs and must protect them from vocal and physical harm. The killing of women is forbidden in Pashtun culture.
- Honour A Pashtun must defend the weak around him.
- Courage, manhood, or chivalry . A Pashtun must demonstrate courage. A turban is considered a symbol of a Pashtun's chivalry.
- Country . A Pashtun is obliged to protect the land of the Pashtuns. Defense of the nation means the protection of Pashtun custom.
| T | R | LXX | P | L | S | A | C | Main article | Exodus 20:1–17 | Deuteronomy 5:4–21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | (1) | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | I am the Lord thy God | 2[28] | 6[28] |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Thou shalt have no other gods before me | 3[29] | 7[29] |
| 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image | 4–6[30] | 8–10[30] |
| 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain | 7[31] | 11[31] |
| 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy | 8–11[32] | 12–15[33] |
| 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | Honour thy father and thy mother | 12[34] | 16[35] |
| 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | Thou shalt not murder | 13[36] | 17[36] |
| 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | Thou shalt not commit adultery | 14[37] | 18[38] |
| 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | Thou shalt not steal | 15[39] | 19[40] |
| 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour | 16[41] | 20[42] |
| 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house | 17a[43] | 21b[44] |
| 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife | 17b[45] | 21a[46] |
| 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | or his slaves, or his animals, or anything of thy neighbour | 17c[47] | 21c[48] |
| — | — | — | — | — | 10 | — | — | You shall set up these stones, which I command you today, on Mount Gerizim. | 14c[49][50] | 18c[49][51] |
- All scripture quotes above are from the King James Version unless otherwise stated.
Comparing other Traditions besides the Jewish tradition of the 10 Commandments:
- T: Jewish Talmud, makes the "prologue" the first "saying" or "matter" and combines the prohibition on worshiping deities other than Yahweh with the prohibition on idolatry.
- R: Reformed Christians follow John Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion, which follows the Septuagint; this system is also used in the Anglican Book of Common Prayer.[52]
- LXX: Septuagint, generally followed by Orthodox Christians.
- P: Philo, has an extensive homily on why the order is so important, with the prohibition on adultery "the greatest of the commands dealing with persons", followed by the prohibitions against stealing and then killing last.[53]
- L: Lutherans follow Luther's Large Catechism, which follows Augustine but subordinates the prohibition of images to the sovereignty of God in the First Commandment[54] and uses the word order of Exodus 20:17 rather than Deuteronomy 5:21 for the ninth and tenth commandments.
- S: Samaritan Pentateuch, with an additional commandment about Mount Gerizim as 10th.
- A: Augustine follows the Talmud in combining verses 3–6, but omits the prologue as a commandment and divides the prohibition on coveting in two and following the word order of Deuteronomy 5:21 rather than Exodus 20:17.
- C: Catechism of the Catholic Church, largely follows Augustine. Combines the Exodus language prohibiting images of God with the command to have no other gods but the Lord, as the first commandment. Changes "the sabbath" into "the lord's day". Divides Exodus 20:17, prohibiting
- covetousness, into two commandments.
Recently (2000s), interest in the topic has been revived by Jerusalem anthropologist Shalva Weil, who was quoted in the popular press to the effect that "Taliban may be descended from Jews".
It should first be noted that Jewish tradition holds that the tribes were not 'lost', but intermingled. The idea entire tribes - such as the Tribe of Joseph - became separated from the main body is not in accordance with that tradition. It is, however, established historical fact that the early Jewish diaspora was widespread, particularly along the Silk Road, and that sizeable groups migrated, assimilated, and eventually, in some cases, took the local religion. Additionally, the presence of an early Jewish community in the area is well attested, and indeed the community survived to the modern day. It is therefore not unlikely that there is a community descended from early Jewish migrants, but difficult to plausibly call them a 'lost tribe'.
The traditions surrounding the Pashtuns being remote descendants of the "Lost Tribes of Israel" is to be distinguished from the historical presence of the Jewish community in eastern Afghanistan which flourished from about the 7th century to the early 20th century, but has essentially disappeared due to its emigration to Israel since the 1950s.
The Pashtun people who live in Afghanistan and Pakistan have common historical, linguistic and cultural similarities with Jewish people. ... There are some recognized stories of Pashtun practices virtually identical to Jews: Lighting candles on Friday night, separation of meat and dairy, and covering graves with stones are but a few of them.
Saturday in Pashtu is called Shanbay and Hebrew, Shabbat – the holy day of the week for Jews. During Shabbat, Jews are commanded to abstain from labor and reflect. Shabbat is the Jewish symbol of loyalty for God. In Pashtu, Sabat means loyalty, and on Shanbay work is also not allowed.
Furthermore, Pashtu and Hebrew prefixes originate from the ancient Semitic language Aramaic. For example, the prefix “De” which used in Hebrew and Pashtu literature means “from” or “of.” There are probably more common words, names and phrases between the Pashtu, which belongs to western Iranian language group, and Hebrew which belongs to west Semitic language group. And yet both groups still have much in common, as the Pashtuns originate from the lost tribes of Israel.
Moreover, some Pashtu names derive from Hebrew. For example, Asif, Assaf, Binyamin, Kenan, and Barak (Barak is the name of the known Barakzai tribe, which traces after Barak son of Avinoam, officer- warrior of the ancient Israeli Kingdom. Barak means glance, sparkling, flash. The other names mentioned in the Torah: Asif (harvest in Hebrew), Assaf (gather in Hebrew), also known as the compositor of the Levi’s (Liwan tribe) choir, Binyamin (fool of power), the 12th Israeli tribe, and Kenan (lamenter in Hebrew) the fourth generation of the humanity. These names are quite ordinary in Israel and in Pashtun areas.
Names that do not originate from the Torah, like Tameer (high in Hebrew/hideen in Aramaic) and Timor (carved decorating shape of palms found at the Jewish temple), are also common among the two groups, as well as Shir and Sahar. Religious names and tool share common characteristics. In Pashtu, names of God are known as Khudai; while in biblical Hebrew God is referred to as (El) Shadai.
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