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Shem son of the Biblical Patriarch Noah

 

Also Sem. Literal meanings are named or renown (father of the Semitic races - Shemites). The sons of Shem were:

Elam "eternity" (sons were Shushan, Machul and Harmon) - (Elamites, Persians); 

 

Arphaxad "I shall fail" (sons were Shelach, Anar and Ashcol) - (Chaldeans/Southern Iraqis, Hebrews/Israelis/Jews, Arabians/Bedouins, Moabites/Jordanians/Palestinians, and related groups); 

 

Hebrews descended from Eber (Heber), a great-grandsons of Shem. Both Sunnite Arabs and Jews are Semites and Hebrews. Six generations after Heber, Abram (Abraham) was born, so Abraham was both a Hebrew and a Semite, born of the line of Heber and Shem. Ishmael and Isaac were born of Abraham. Sunnite Arabs (specifically Arabian Muslims) consider themselves to be descendants of Ishmael, often calling themselves Ishmaelites, and thus are both Semitic and Hebrews. Isaac had twin sons named Esau and Jacob. Esau was firstborn, and thus had the right to inheritance (as was custom), but instead sold his birthright to Jacob during a time of hunger. Esau's name was changed to Edom, and Jacob's name was changed to Israel.

 

The descendants of Esau (Edom) became known as Edomites, and the descendants of Jacob (Israel) became known as Israelites. Jacob fathered 12 sons which became the twelve tribes of Israel. Those who interchange the words "Jew" and Israelite, call Abraham a Jew, though Abraham was not an Israelite or a Jew. The word "Jew" is not used in the Bible until nearly 1,000 years after Abraham. One of Jacob's (Israel's) children was Judah (Hebrew "Yehudah"). His descendants were called Yehudim ("Judahites"). In Greek the name is Ioudaioi ("Judeans"). Most all Bible translations use the word "Jew," which is a modern, shortened form of the word "Judahite." A "Jew" in the Old Testament would be a "Judahite;" and a "Jew" in the New Testament would be a "Judean."

 

The first Hebrews were a nomadic tribe of pastorialists who lived almost entirely off their herds of goats, sheep and cattle. They were Semitic pagan nature worshippers that wandered the deserts between Mesopotamia and Egypt. Some scholars state that Jews embraced monotheism because when they settled in Israel---a lush place before the time of Christ---where their survival was less dependant on the whims of nature, allowing them to focus their attention more on creating a unified civilization.

 

The Tribes of Israel are historically the descendants of the twelve sons of the Patriarch Jacob, who was also known as Israel. Each of Jacob's twelve sons was the father of the Tribe bearing his name. Joseph, Jacob's firstborn son of Rachel, was given a double portion through his two sons, Ephraim and Menashe, becoming independent Tribes.

 

When the Hebrews left Egypt, they left as Tribes. When they camped at Mt. Sinai, they camped as Tribes. When they entered and settled the Land of Israel (approx. 1300 BCE), they settled as Tribes.

 

Each Tribe had its allotted portion of the Land and for many generations there was little "intermarriage" among them. Each Tribe had its flag, its colors, its particular tasks, and even its unique personality traits. Zevulunwas on the seashore and engaged in commerce. Yissachar concentrated on full-time Torah scholarship. Members of the Tribe of Dan were known to be quick to seek judgement in court. Menashe had cattle; Asher produced oil. The Tribe of Yehuda (Judah) provided the kingship and national leadership. The Tribe of Levi was responsible for the Temple Service and spiritual instruction.

 

Historical Overview

 

The nation of Israel, from their earliest history as a people, were organized as Tribes.

The word for tribe in Hebrew is shevet. Another often-used term for an Israelite Tribe is matteh. These words have a similar primary meaning of a "staff" or "rod," for example as a shepherd's staff or as the scepter of a ruler. The term indicates a united, cohesive social organization.

 

The Jewish Nation can be considered an association of Tribes, bound by ties of kinship and origin, with a common purpose and destiny maintained over generations.

 

 

A Tribe is basically endogamous - that is, its members marry and have children with partners from within the group

In Biblical times there was a specific hierarchy of the Tribe's subdivisions.

 

The family is the most basic unit of the Tribe. The unit above the individual family is the beit av - the father's house. Many fathers' houses comprised the mishpacha - the extended family. These served as a mishmar orma'amad - the Temple service divisions, which were comprised of thousands of men. The total of the extended families made up the Tribe, and the Tribes made up the Nation.

 

The genealogical principle of origin from a common ancestor constitutes the basis of the Tribes' cohesiveness and its system of authority. Communal living and communal wandering are characteristic of a Tribe, as are common customs, dress, foods, language or dialect and shared symbols.

 

Beyond the physical dimension of the Tribes of Israel is a metaphysical level of the Tribes. Each Tribe represented and manifested a unique spiritual quality and power. Together, the twelve individual units created a transcendental whole.  The 12 Tribes match to the twelve months of the year, to the 12 signs of the Zodiac, and to the Kabbalistic sefirot.  The names of the Tribes were arranged on the jeweled breastplate of theKohen Gadol, the High Priest, as he performed the Temple service, symbolizing unity from diversity - and thereby accessing the Divine Presence.

 

In the Bible, the Jewish People are referred to as "the Tribes of God." Among non-Jews, Jews are seen as "the Biblical Tribe."

 

With the construction and dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem by King Solomon, son of King David, the nation was united. However, this unity was short-lived. The generation after Solomon saw the division of the nation into two sovereign entities. The Southern Kingdom consisted mainly of the Tribe of Judah, with Benjamin and the Levi'im. Jerusalem was its center. In the North - the breakaway kingdom of Yisrael, later called Samaria - consisted of the ten remaining Tribes, including two and a half tribes on the east bank of the Jordan.

 

This situation of civil conflict and closed borders lasted until the attack by the Assyrian invaders from the north, who first conquered the Tribes of Gad,Reuven and half the Tribe of Menashe. They then conquered the other Northern Tribes and exiled them to the north and east, and in what historians believe to be 721 BCE.

 

Besides the Biblical statements describing the exile of the Ten Northern Tribes by the Assyrians (Chronicles 5:26, Kings II 18), there is significant historical and archeological evidence of such a forced migration. Hebrew references were found in the Nimrod Palace in northern Syria, as well as in Mede - ancient Persia - and in northeastern Iraq from that period, approx. 700 BCE. Assyrian wall-reliefs show Israelites being marched into captivity. Josephus, the Jewish-Roman historian of the first century CE, describes Israelite Tribes living beyond the Euphrates river in inaccessible lands to the East.

 

 The formation of the Jewish people is usually traced back to Exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt, possible under Moses, in about 1200 B.C. The word Hebrew is derived from the Egyptian word Habiru . It was the name given to a serving class of people who had been in Egypt for many generations. Sometimes the word Israelite is used to describe the early Hebrews.

 

 The Near East at the time of the first Jews was a time of chaos. The Bronze Age was ending and the Iron Age was emerging and the Near East was a patchwork of rival kingdoms that included the Israelites, Jebusites, Amorites, Ammonsites, Hittites, Horvites and Philistines. The Assyrians and Phoenicians were rising, Egypt was in a temporary state of decline, and the Mycenaeans were fighting the Trojans in the Trojan War.

 

 Present-day Israel at the time of the first Hebrews boasted fertile valleys with active trade routes and cultural communications with neighboring Phoenicians, Arameans, Philistines and Moabites. The Roman historian Tacitus thought Crete was homeland of the Jews. He based his assertion on the that Judeans sounded liked Ideans, the inhabitants of Mt. Ida, Crete's highest mountain.

 

Semitic tribes probably arrived in Palestine, known in the early days as Canaan (modern-day Syria. Lebanon, the West Bank, Jordan and Israel) at a very early date. Some scholars believe that Hebrews arrived in Canaan around 2000 B.C. Other scholars believe they arrived around 1200 B.C.

 

 The name Hebrew (Irvi) is believed by some to be derived from the root meaning “to cross” and refers to people who came to Canaan from the eastern side of the Euphrates. It is also associated with the name Ever, grandson of Shem. 'Shem' is the root of the word 'Semite.'

 

 Most scholars believe the Hebrews did not conquer Canaan with a sudden military campaign but rather arrived in the region through the slow infiltration of semi-nomadic people from the desert. Some believe the Hebrews originally came from Egypt, and this gave birth to the Exodus story. In Canaan they settled among other Semitic peoples. Around the time the Hebrews were thought to have arrived the forests on the slopes of the Judean and Samaritan hills were quickly cut down and converted the slopes into irrigated terraces. The people that lived in Israel at that time practiced institutionalized slavery.

 

 Other scholars believe that the first Israelites evolved out of people already with Canaan. They suggest that they were shepherd and herders who began forming their own communities in the hills outside the major towns. As they expanded they fought with other tribes in the area over water rights, which might have provided the historical kernels for the battles described in Joshua and Judges.

 

 The fight for possession of Palestine today often draws on history to stake its claims. Jews often asserts their connection Abraham who arrived around 2000 B.C. The Palestinians have asserted they are the modern-day successors the Canaanites, who lived in Palestine before Abraham arrived. The aim of both sides is to show they were there first. Neither side has any historical or archaeological evidence to back up their claims.

 

The Tribe of Judah

 

The Tribe of Judah was the leading Tribe and the most populous of the Southern Kingdom. The majority of the survivors of the destruction of the Temple were from Judea. Thus, the entire Hebrew nation came to be known as "Jews" from Judah. The patriarch of the Tribe, Judah son of Jacob, was a leader among his brothers. He was blessed by his father that "The staff and rod shall never pass from him." This indicates that Kingship and authority are his inheritance. The line of King David is the royal line of Yehuda. Kings of the Davidic line ruled during the First Temple period. Communal leaders and Torah decision-makers have been appointed from the Tribe of Yehuda throughout the generations.

 

The Kingship of Israel was promised to the line of David of the Tribe ofYehuda, and prophesized to be an inheritance forever, as written in the prophet Jeremiah 3:17: "Thus says God: I shall never cause to cease from the line of David a man to sit on the Throne of Israel … forever."

 

The longed for redeemer, the Melech HaMoshiach, the "Messianic king" is from the line of David, and he will reestablish the Davidic kingly dynasty. There are Jewish families, from both Ashkenazi and Sefardi traditions, which claim they can trace their lineage back to King David.

 

With the destruction of the First Temple and the loss of Jerusalem, the remnant of the Jews were exiled to Babylonia. There they were given much religious and cultural autonomy. They established a Torah-based society and maintained their lineage.

 

In later centuries, many of the Babylonian Jews settled in the Magreb - northern Africa. These communities, which are today the Iraqi and Moroccan Jews, show great genetic similarity, having maintained their ancient Hebrew lineage.

 

The Tribe of Levi

 

The Tribe of Levi is unique. Levi, the third son of the patriarch Jacob with his wife, Leah, was chastised for his quick anger. Yet, his descendants turned that zealousness to good, as they repeatedly stood up for values and God's honor.

 

The Tribe of Levi was chosen to perform the Temple service and to be the spiritual guides and instructors of the nation.

 

The Levites camped closest to Mt. Sinai at the receiving of the Torah and maintained that closeness to the holy precinct as the Tabernacle traveled in the midst of the Tribes through the desert and into the land of Israel. The Levites did not have an inherited portion in the land. Rather, they were allotted 42 Levitical cities, carved out of the territory of the other Tribes. The Levites received ma'aser - the tithing of grain and produce - from the populace as their income.

 

One particular family of the Tribe of Levi, the male descendants of Aharon, brother of Moses, were chosen to be the Kohanim - priests, the Temple officials of the nation.

 

The Kohanim were responsible for the daily functioning of the Temple and they themselves performed its most holy duties. The Kohen Gadol - High Priest - was the head of an extensive administration, which supervised all aspects of the service. Kohanim were sustained by 24 gifts and like the Levites received tithes from the people.

 

Numerous statements in the Torah and the Prophets promise that particularly the family of the Kohanim, the seed of Aaron, will never be lost.

 

Amazingly, recent discoveries in molecular genetics, the study of DNA patterns, indicates that most present-day Kohanim have identical genetic markers and are indeed direct descendants of a common ancestor who lived approximately 3,300 years ago, the period of Aharon HaKohen. (See:Kohanim Forever.)

 

The Talmud relates that the first Tribe to be purified in the future will be the Tribe of Levi.