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<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" color=#000000 size=2 face=Arial>Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2010 15:53:04 -0400<BR>From: Micha Berger
<micha@aishdas.org><BR><BR> >> There are two
things odd about the south-west corner of the<BR> map. First, the
Gaza Strip is not included, and second, the tribe<BR> of Shim'on
lives in an island within Yehudah's land.<BR><BR> These two are
connected. Shim'on never succeeded in conquering its<BR> promised
portion of Israel, and therefore settled within an empty<BR> part
of the Judean desert. ...<BR><BR><BR>...In response, I was asked -- well then
how did Shim'on end up exiled and<BR>lost with the aseres hashevatim? Did Ashur
penetrate Yehudah and manage<BR>to exile the Shim'on settlement in their
midst?<BR><BR><BR>...One might be tempted to explain that some of the aseres
hashevatim were<BR>exiled by Ashur and assimilated among nachriim, but others
assimilated<BR>into Yehudah. ... Now if all Shim'on did to get lost from
history<BR>is assimilate into Yehudah, why would they be included along with
Malkhus<BR>Yisrael for such a harsh judgment? <BR>....I replied with an "I don't
know". Thoughts?<BR><BR><BR>-- <BR>Micha
Berger
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<DIV>You also asked about Ephraim and Menashe -- I deleted that part because I
have no thoughts. But re Shimon, well, Yakov's bracha (Ber.49:7) says
about Shimon and Levi: "Achalkem beYa'akov, afitzem beYisrael--I will
separate them in Yakov, I will scatter them in Yisrael." Levi we know had
no contiguous land mass, but only scattered cities. As for Shimon, Rashi
says they were poor people, sofrim and teachers of children, and therefore they
were scattered, for their work or to collect tzedakah. It is reasonable to
assume that some of them assimilated into Yehudah and that many assimilated into
all the other tribes among whom they lived for their parnassah. Therefore
most of them would have ended up going into exile with the Ten Tribes.</DIV>
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<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff><BR></FONT><B><FONT color=#0000ff>--Toby
Katz<BR>==========<BR><BR></FONT><FONT lang=0 color=#000000 size=2 face=Arial FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="10"></B>--------------------</FONT></DIV>
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