MICHAEL FREUND: Ezekiel is commanded by God to take two sticks. On one, he is to write "For Judah," and on the other "For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim." Then comes the crucial instruction: "Bring them together into one stick so that they become one in your hand" (37:17). Ezekiel's vision is not one of uniformity. The two sticks do not cease to be what they are. Judah remains Judah; Joseph remains Joseph. Unity does not erase difference – it sanctifies and elevates it by placing it within a larger shared destiny.


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Ketriel Blad: In other words, in order for a total restoration to take place, the restored Ephraimites from among the nations will have to become Jewish, in the legal sense of the word, thus accepting the Jewish authorities and becoming obedient to Jewish halachah. In the prophecy of Ezekiel 37:19 the Hebrew text can be understood as HaShem giving Yehuda's stick the function of being over Ephraim's stick and this way both sticks will become one. This teaches us that the Ephraimite movement that comes from heaven cannot rise apart from the Jewish people without submission to the Jewish leaders' authority. This is not for all the gentiles.

วันอาทิตย์, มีนาคม 29, 2558

וַיֹּאמֶר משֶׁה אֶל אַהֲרֹן הוּא אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר יְהֹוָה | לֵאמֹר בִּקְרֹבַי אֶקָּדֵשׁ וְעַל פְּנֵי כָל הָעָם אֶכָּבֵד וַיִּדֹּם אַהֲרֹן

Yechiel Spero: The Al-mighty wants to get our attention. He is demanding it. He has our ear.
Mere sadness will not do the trick. Some sort of improvement is in order. In thought and in deed. But let’s not just read the books. How about sharing the inspiration with our families? Through knowledge, song, and meaningful discussion. Let’s love our children a little bit more. Tell them how proud we are of who they are. Our children are not perfect. But they are our children. And we must love them. If the lines of communication are down, then let’s try to repair them. Perhaps our children are in pain for some reason or another. Maybe they feel like no one is listening and no one understands them. But their stifled shrieking and bone-chilling cries for help must be heard before it is too late. 
We must love them. 
Unconditionally. 
We need to heal. 
Fire warms and feeds, and at times consumes and destroys. Although a father may feel the need to punish, his love never wanes. 
And then he broke down and cried. 
The One Who gives also takes. 
Dust cannot be destroyed, but ashes can. Ashes symbolize the past, while the dust symbolizes the future. 
In His infinite wisdom, the Al-mighty determined that He will rebuild in the same manner He has destroyed. 
Until then, we cry.

Neil Asher Silberman, Israel Finkelstein, David Ussishkin, and Baruch Halpern: The Book of Joshua (12:21) specifically mentions the defeat of the king of Megiddo and the allotment of his territory to the tribe of Manasseh;

JACQUELINE SCHAALJE: Beit Shean is mentioned as belonging to the conquered area of the Israelite tribe of Manasseh

NETANYA MUNICIPALITY: thanks to the Lord for giving them {Netan~ya, lot. "gift of God"} the ability to continue the legacy of the 12 tribes who settled in the Land of Israel, and particularly of the half~tribe of Manasseh, which settled in the region.

Stephen Epstein: Some went down the Mekong River into Vietnam, the Philippines, Siam, Thailand and Malaysia, while some of the Israelites moved to Burma and west to India.

אֵלִיָּ֨הוּ הַתִּשְׁבִּ֜י מִתֹּשָׁבֵ֣י גִלְעָד֮