THE SAMARITANS
DO YOU KNOW WHO THEY ARE?
The common answer to this question by most people who have been asked about the Samaritans is of an organisation which provides confidential and emotional support 24/7 to those experiencing distress or suicidal feelings. There are not the Samaritans we are going to present to you. Very few people around the world know of the Samaritans - a group of an ethno-religious nature whose unique line goes back to Biblical times.
SO WHO REALLY ARE THEY?
AN INTRODUCTION BY BENYAMIM TSEDAKA TO HIS LECTURE ON THE SAMARITANS
The Samaritans of today are believed to be the authentic followers of the ancient Israelites. As such they follow only the religious rites as prescribed by Moses and as detailed in the Torah (the five book of Moses). These laws have of course preceded the Jewish Oral Law which was developed when Jews were later in exile in Babylon.
It is now well established, by historians that not all the population living in ancient Israel were taken into captivity by the Assyrian conquerors. The Israelites who had settled in the land of Canaan were dwelling in two parts of the country: the Southern Kingdom of Judah and the Northern Kingdom of Samaria. The expulsion affected only the inhabitants of Judah, the Israelites of Samaria remained on the land adhering to and practicing the Torah as they had done since receiving the law on Mount Sinai.
It was in Babylon away from the Promised Land that the Judean exiles felt that they had to denote the laws in addition to the Pentateuch (the written law as received by Moses directly from G-d).
The Oral law (known as Torah Sh' b' Al-Pe) was debated and conclusions deduced from the written law by the sages of the time. They believed that the interpretations were already contained in the Mosaic law. Those Israelites who were left on the land in Samaria were given the name Samaritan. They were not part of this development of the oral law.
The Samaritans of today have kept their identity throughout the centuries, marrying only members of their own people. They therefore claim that they are the descendants of the ancient Israelites having kept the religious customs, the melodies of the prayers and the ancient Hebrew script which all give us a window to our own historical beginnings since we settled in the land of Israel.
Since the Samaritans have never left the land and have followed their own traditions within their own community there is reason to believe that they have kept their customs as prescribed from the beginning.
The territory of Samaria was given to the descendants of the two sons of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh, the same territory was also given to some of the Levites who were distributed amongst all the tribes.
The name Samaritans was not only given to them because of the geographical territory of residence allocated to them - Samaria, but also because they consider themselves as the Hebrew name indicates; Shomronim which derives from the Hewbrew root Shomer meaning a guard. The Shomronim perceive themselves as the guardians of the Torah.
In the Talmud, the oral Law, however, they are called Cutim, disregarding their claim that they are the most authentic Israelites. In Roman times the Samaritans were a large community of over one million people. Very many of them were killed when they revolted and again by the Byzantine Christian rulers. A number of them also converted to Islam. A recent census of January 2012 shows that today their number has been reduced to 751.
Many people know about the term "The Good Samaritan" from the New Testament, this term might point out that they are not respected by the Jews as authentic Israelites but even amongst them one can actually find a good Samaritan!
The present Samaritan community is divided into two parts; one section lives in the Israeli town Holon (south of Tel Aviv) and the other in Nablus (Palestine). The Arab-Palestinians call them the Jews of Palestine.
There are two mountain peaks just outside Nablus (Sh'khem): Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal. Mount Gerizim is according to the Bible the mountain of blessing, whereas Ebal is the mountain of curse.
Archaeological excavations led by Y.Magen have revealed ancient dwellings and the Samaritans' ancient temple. From the top of mount Gerizim the blessings were given to the Israelites when they entered the promised land. One of the most beautiful parables in the bible was delivered by Yotam from Mount Gerizim (Judges Chapter 9).
Relevant to our upcoming lecture is the connection of Moses to mount Gerizim. When Moses blessed Gerizim it was far before Jerusalem or the Temple Mount were even mentioned. It is believed that many of the vessels that Moses prepared for the tabernacle, are hidden in one of the caves of Mount Gerizim (Josephus Antiquities.... Chapter 18:85)
When Antiochus Epiphanes passed decrees against the Jews he also converted the Samaritan Temple on Mount Gerizim to a Temple dedicated to Zeus. This temple was destroyed later on by John Hyrcanus in 129 BCE. The Samaritans continue worshiping according to Biblical traditions on Mount Gerizim.
