found with the inscription "Tribute of Jehu, son of Omri," English
investigators, seeking to connect it with the Cimbric Chersonese in
Jutland, at once took it for "Yehu ibn Umry." An Irish legend has it
that Princess Tephi came to Ireland from the East, and married King
Heremon, or Fergus, of Scotland. In her suite was the prophet Ollam
Folla, and his scribe Bereg. The princess was the daughter of Zedekiah,
the prophet none other than Jeremiah, and the scribe, as a matter of
course, Baruch. The usefulness of this fine-spun analogy becomes
apparent when we recall that Queen Victoria boasts descent from Fergus
of Scotland, and so is furnished with a line of descent which would
justify pride if it rested on fact instead of fancy. On the other hand,
imagine the dismay of Heinrich von Treitschke, Saxon _par excellence_,
were it proved that he is a son of the ten lost tribes!
"Salvation is of the Jews!" is the motto of a considerable movement
connected with the lost tribes in England and America. More than thirty
weekly and monthly journals are discharging a volley of eloquence in the
propaganda of the new doctrine, and lecturers and societies keep
interest in it alive. An apostolic believer in the Israelitish descent
of the British has recently turned up in the person of a bishop, and the
identity of the ancient and the modern people has been raised to the
dignity of a dogma of the Christian Church by a sect which, according to
a recent utterance of an Indianapolis preacher, holds the close advent
of Judgment Day. Yet the ten lost tribes may be a myth!
One thing seems certain: If scattered remnants do exist here and there,
they must be sought in Africa, in that part, moreover, most accessible
to travellers, that is to say, Abyssinia, situated in the central
portion of the great, high tableland of eastern Africa between the basin
of the Nile and the shores of the Red and the Arabian Sea--a tremendous,
rocky, fortress-like plateau, intersected closely with a network of
river-beds, the Switzerland of Africa, as many please to call it.
Alexander the Great colonized many thousands of Jews in Egypt on the
southern and northern coasts of the Mediterranean, and in south-eastern
Africa. Thence they penetrated into the interior of Abyssinia, where
they founded a mighty kingdom extending to the river Sobat. Abyssinian
legends have another version of the history of this realm. It is said
that the Queen of Sheba bore King Solomon a son, named Menelek, whom he
sent to Abyssinia with a numerous retinue to found an independent
kingdom. In point of fact, Judaism seems to have been the dominant
religion in Abyssinia until 340 of the Christian era, and the _Golah_ of
Cush (the exiles in Abyssinia) is frequently referred to in mediaeval
Hebrew literature.
The Jewish kingdom flourished until a great revolution broke out in the
ninth century under Queen Judith (Sague), who conquered Axum, and
reigned over Abyssinia for forty years. The Jewish ascendancy lasted
three hundred and fifty years. Rueppell,[68] a noted African explorer,
gives the names of Jewish dynasties from the ninth to the thirteenth
century. In the wars of the latter and the following century, the Jews
lost their kingdom, keeping only the province of Semen, guarded by
inaccessible mountains. Benjamin of Tudela describes it as "a land full
of mountains, upon whose rocky summits they have perched their towns and
castles, holding independent sway to the mortal terror of their
neighbors." Combats, persecutions, and banishments lasted until the end
of the eighteenth century. Anarchy reigned, overwhelming Gideon and
Judith, the last of the Jewish dynasty, and proving equally fatal to the
Christian empire, whose Negus Theodore likewise traced his descent from
Solomon. So, after a thousand years of mutual hostility, the two ancient
native dynasties, claiming descent from David and Solomon, perished
together, but the memory of the Jewish princes has not died out in the
land.
The Abyssinian Jews are called Falashas, the exiled.[69] They live
secluded in the province west of Takazzeh, and their number is estimated
by some travellers to be two hundred and fifty thousand, while my friend
Dr. Edward Glaser judges them to be only twenty-five thousand strong.
Into the dreary wastes inhabited by these people, German and English
missionaries have found their way to spread among them the blessings of
Christianity. The purity of these blessings may be inferred from the
names of the missionaries: Flad, Schiller, Brandeis, Stern, and
Rosenbaum.
Information about the misery of the Falashas penetrated to Europe, and
induced the _Alliance Israelite Universelle_ to despatch a Jewish
messenger to Abyssinia. Choice fell upon Joseph Halevy, professor of
Oriental languages at Paris, one of the most thorough of Jewish
scholars, than whom none could be better qualified for the mission. It
was a memorable moment when Halevy, returned from his great journey to
Abyssinia, addressed the meeting of the _Alliance_ on July 30, 1868, as
follows:[70] "The ancient land of Ethiopia has at last disclosed the
secret concerning the people of whom we hitherto knew naught but the
name. In the midst of the most varied fortunes they clung to the Law
proclaimed on Sinai, and constant misery has not drained them of the
vitality which enables nations to fulfil the best requirements of modern
society."
Adverse circumstances robbed Halevy of a great part of the material
gathered on his trip. What he rescued and published is enough to give us
a more detailed and accurate account of the Falashas than we have
hitherto possessed. He reports that they address their prayers to one
God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; that they feel pride in
belonging to the old, yet ever young tribe which has exercised dominant
influence upon the fate of men; that love for the Holy Land fills their
hearts; and that the memory of Israel's glorious past is their
spiritual stay. One of the articles of their faith is the restoration of
Jewish nationality.
The Falashas speak two languages, that of the land, the Amharic, a
branch of the ancient Geez, and the Agau, a not yet classified dialect.
Their names are chiefly biblical. While in dress they are like their
neighbors, the widest difference prevails between their manners and
customs and those of the other inhabitants of the land. In the midst of
a slothful, debauched people, they are distinguished for simplicity,
diligence, and ambition. Their houses for the most part are situated
near running water; hence, their cleanly habits. At the head of each
village is a synagogue called _Mesgid_, whose Holy of holies may be
entered only by the priest on the Day of Atonement, while the people
pray in the court without. Next to the synagogue live the monks
(_Nesirim_). The priests offer up sacrifices, as in ancient times, daily
except on the Day of Atonement, the most important being that for the
repose of the dead. On the space surrounding the synagogue stand the
houses of the priests, who, in addition to their religious functions,
fill the office of teachers of the young. The Falashas are well
acquainted with the Bible, but wholly ignorant of the Hebrew language.
Their ritual has been published by Joseph Halevy, who has added a Hebrew
translation, showing its almost perfect identity with the traditional
form of Jewish prayer. About their devotional exercises Halevy says:
"From the holy precincts the prayers of the faithful rise aloft to
heaven. From midnight on, we hear the clear, rhythmical, melancholy
intonation of the precentor, the congregation responding in a monotonous
recitative. Praise of the Eternal, salvation of Israel, love of Zion,
hope of a happy future for all mankind--these form the burden of their
prayers, calling forth sighs and tears, exclamations of hope and joy.
Break of day still finds the worshippers assembled, and every evening
without fail, as the sun sinks to rest, their loud prayer (beginning
with _Abba! Abba!_ Lord! Lord!) twice wakes the echoes."[71]
Their well kept houses are presided over by their women, diligent and
modest. Polygamy is unknown. There are agriculturists and artisans,
representatives of every handicraft: smiths, tailors, potters, weavers,
and builders. Commerce is not esteemed, trading with slaves being held
in special abhorrence. Their laws permit the keeping of a slave for only
six years. If at the expiration of that period he embraces their
religion, he is free. They are brave warriors, thousands of them having
fought in the army of Negus Theodore.
It must be confessed that intellectually they are undeveloped. They have
a sort of Midrash, which apparently has been handed down from generation
to generation by word of mouth. The misfortunes they have endured have
predisposed them to mysticism, and magicians and soothsayers are
numerous and active among them. But they are eager for information.
King Theodore protected them, until missionaries poisoned his mind
against the Falashas. In 1868 he summoned a deputation of their elders,
and commanded them to accept Christianity. Upon their refusal the king
ordered his soldiers to fire on the rebels. Hundreds of heads were
raised, and the men, baring their breasts, cried out: "Strike, O our
King, but ask us not to perjure ourselves." Moved to admiration by their
intrepidity, the king loaded the deputies with presents, and dismissed
them in peace.
The missionaries--Europe does not yet know how often the path of these
pious men is marked by tears and blood--must be held guilty of many of
the bitter trials of the Falashas. In the sixties they succeeded in
exciting Messianic expectations. Suddenly, from district to district,
leapt the news that the Messiah was approaching to lead Israel back to
Palestine. A touching letter addressed by the elders of the Falashas to
the representatives of the Jewish community at Jerusalem, whom it never
reached, was found by a traveller, and deserves to be quoted:
"Has the time not yet come when we must return to the Holy Land and Holy
City? For, we are poor and miserable. We have neither judges nor
prophets. If the time has arrived, we pray you send us the glad tidings.
Great fear has fallen upon us that we may miss the opportunity to
return. Many say that the time is here for us to be reunited with you in
the Holy City, to bring sacrifices in the Temple of our Holy Land. For
the sake of the love we bear you, send us a message. Peace with you and
all dwelling in the land given by the Lord to Moses on Sinai!"
Filled with the hope of redemption, large numbers of the Falashas, at
their head venerable old men holding aloft banners and singing pious
songs, at that time left their homes. Ignorant of the road to be taken,
they set their faces eastward, hoping to reach the shores of the Red
Sea. The distance was greater than they could travel. At Axum they came
to a stop disabled, and after three years the last man had succumbed to
misery and privation.
The distress of the Falashas is extreme, but they count it sweet
alleviation if their sight is not troubled by missionaries. At a time
when the attention of the civilized world is directed to Africa,
European Jews should not be found wanting in care for their unfortunate
brethren in faith in the "Dark Continent." Abundant reasons recommend
them to our loving-kindness. They are Jews--they would suffer a thousand
deaths rather than renounce the covenant sealed on Sinai. They are
unfortunate; since the civil war, they have suffered severely under all
manner of persecution. Mysticism and ignorance prevail among them--the
whole community possesses a single copy of the Pentateuch. Finally, they
show eager desire for spiritual regeneration. When Halevy took leave of
them, a handsome youth threw himself at his feet, and said: "My lord,
take me with you to the land of the Franks. Gladly will I undergo the
hardships of the journey. I want neither silver nor gold--all I crave
is knowledge!" Halevy brought the young Falasha to Paris, and he proved
an indefatigable student, who acquired a wealth of knowledge before his
early death.
Despite the incubus of African barbarism, this little Jewish tribe on
the banks of the legend-famed Sabbath stream has survived with Jewish
vitality unbroken and purity uncontaminated. With longing the Falashas
are awaiting a future when they will be permitted to join the councils
of their Israelitish brethren in all quarters of the globe, and confess,
in unison with them and all redeemed, enlightened men, that "the Lord is
one, and His name one."
The steadfastness of their faith imposes upon us the obligation to bring
them redemption. We must unbar for them not only Jerusalem, but the
whole world, that they may recognize, as we do, the eternal truth
preached by prophet and extolled by psalmist, that on the glad day when
the unity of God is acknowledged, all the nations of the earth will form
a single confederacy, banded together for love and peace.
The open-eyed student of Jewish history, in which the Falashas form a
very small chapter, cannot fail to note with reverence the power and
sacredness of its genius. The race, the faith, the confession, all is
unparalleled. Everything about it is wonderful--from Abraham at Ur of
the Chaldees shattering his father's idols and proclaiming the unity of
God, down to Moses teaching awed mankind the highest ethical lessons
from the midst of the thunders and flames of Sinai; to the heroes and
seers, whose radiant visions are mankind's solace; to the sweet singers
of Israel extolling the virtues of men in hymns and songs; to the
Maccabean heroes struggling to throw off the Syrian yoke; to venerable
rabbis proof against the siren notes of Hellenism; to the gracious bards
and profound thinkers of Andalusia. The genius of Jewish history is
never at rest. From the edge of the wilderness it sweeps on to the lands
of civilization, where thousands of martyrs seal the confession of God's
unity with death on ruddy pyres; on through tears and blood, over
nations, across thrones, until the sun of culture, risen to its zenith,
sends its rays even into the dark Ghetto, where a drama enacts itself,
melancholy, curious, whose last act is being played under our very eyes.
Branch after branch is dropping from the timeworn, weatherbeaten trunk.
The ground is thickly strewn with dry leaves. Vitality that resisted
rain and storm seems to be blasted by sunshine. Yet we need not despair.
The genius of Jewish history has the balsam of consolation to offer. It
bids us read in the old documents of Israel's spiritual struggles, and
calls to our attention particularly a parable in the Midrash, written
when the need for its telling was as sore as to-day: A wagon loaded with
glistening axes was driven through the woods. Plaintive cries arose from
the trees: "Woe, woe, there is no escape for us, we are doomed to swift
destruction." A solitary oak towering high above the other trees stood
calm, motionless. Many a spring had decked its twigs with tender,
succulent green. At last it speaks; all are silent, and listen
respectfully: "Possess yourselves in peace. All the axes in the world
cannot harm you, if you do not provide them with handles."
So every weapon shaped to the injury of the ancient tree of Judaism will
recoil ineffectual, unless her sons and adherents themselves furnish the
haft. There is consolation in the thought. Even in sad days it feeds the
hope that the time will come, whereof the prophet spoke, when "all thy
children shall be disciples of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of
thy children."
A JEWISH KING IN POLAND
There is a legend that a Jewish king once reigned in Poland. It never
occurs to my mind without at the same time conjuring before me two
figures. The one is that charming creation of Ghetto fancy, old Malkoh
"with the stout heart," in Aaron Bernstein's _Mendel Gibbor_, who
introduces herself with the proud boast: _Wir sennen von koeniglichein
Gebluet_ ("We are of royal descent"). The other is a less ideal, less
attractive Jew, whom I overheard in the Casimir, the Jewish quarter at
Cracow, in altercation with another Jew. The matter seemed of vital
interest to the disputants. The one affirmed, the other denied as
vigorously, and finally silenced his opponent with the contemptuous
argument: "Well, and if it comes about, it will last just as long as
Saul Wahl's _Malchus_ (reign)."
Legend has always been the companion of history. For each age it creates
a typical figure, in which are fixed, for the information of future
times, the fleeting, subtle emotions as well as the permanent effects
produced by historical events, and this constitutes the value of
legendary lore in tracing the development and characteristics of a
people. At the same time its magic charms connect the links in the chain
of generations.
The legend about Saul Wahl to be known and appreciated must first be
told as it exists, then traced through its successive stages, its
historical kernel disentangled from the accretions of legend-makers,
Saul, the man of flesh and blood discovered, and the ethical lessons it
has to teach derived.
In 1734, more than a century after Saul's supposed reign, his
great-grandson, Rabbi Pinchas, resident successively in Leitnik,
Boskowitz, Wallerstein, Schwarzburg, Marktbreit, and Anspach, related
the story of his ancestor: "Rabbi Samuel Judah's son was the great Saul
Wahl of blessed memory. All learned in such matters well know that his
surname _Wahl_ (choice) was given him, because he was chosen king in
Poland by the unanimous vote of the noble electors of the land. I was
told by my father and teacher, of blessed memory, that the choice fell
upon him in this wise: Saul Wahl was a favorite with Polish noblemen,
and highly esteemed for his shrewdness and ability. The king of Poland
had died. Now it was customary for the great nobles of Poland to
assemble for the election of a new king on a given day, on which it was
imperative that a valid decision be reached. When the day came, many
opinions were found to prevail among the electors, which could not be
reconciled. Evening fell, and they realized the impossibility of
electing a king on the legally appointed day. Loth to transgress their
own rule, the nobles agreed to make Saul Wahl king for the rest of that
day and the following night, and thus conform with the letter of the
law. And so it was. Forthwith all paid him homage, crying out in their
own language: 'Long live our lord and king!' Saul, loaded with royal
honors, reigned that night. I heard from my father that they gave into
his keeping all the documents in the royal archives, to which every king
may add what commands he lists, and Wahl inscribed many laws and decrees
of import favorable to Jews. My father knew some of them; one was that
the murderer of a Jew, like the murderer of a nobleman, was to suffer
the death penalty. Life was to be taken for life, and no ransom
allowed--a law which, in Poland, had applied only to the case of
Christians of the nobility. The next day the electors came to an
agreement, and chose a ruler for Poland.--That this matter may be
remembered, I will not fail to set forth the reasons why Saul Wahl
enjoyed such respect with the noblemen of Poland, which is the more
remarkable as his father, Rabbi Samuel Judah, was rabbi first at Padua
and then at Venice, and so lived in Italy. My father told me how it came
about. In his youth, during his father's lifetime, Saul Wahl conceived a
desire to travel in foreign parts. He left his paternal home in Padua,
and journeying from town to town, from land to land, he at last reached
Brzesc in Lithuania. There he married the daughter of David Drucker, and
his pittance being small, he led but a wretched life.
It happened at this time that the famous, wealthy prince, Radziwill, the
favorite of the king, undertook a great journey to see divers lands, as
is the custom of noblemen. They travel far and wide to become
acquainted with different fashions and governments. So this prince
journeyed in great state from land to land, until his purse was empty.
He knew not what to do, for he would not discover his plight to the
nobles of the land in which he happened to be; indeed, he did not care
to let them know who he was. Now, he chanced to be in Padua, and he
resolved to unbosom himself to the rabbi, tell him that he was a great
noble of the Polish land, and borrow somewhat to relieve his pressing
need. Such is the manner of Polish noblemen. They permit shrewd and
sensible Jews to become intimate with them that they may borrow from
them, rabbis being held in particularly high esteem and favor by the
princes and lords of Poland. So it came about that the aforesaid Prince
Radziwill sought out Rabbi Samuel Judah, and revealed his identity, at
the same time discovering to him his urgent need of money. The rabbi
lent him the sum asked for, and the prince said, 'How can I recompense
you, returning good for good?' The rabbi answered, 'First I beg that you
deal kindly with the Jews under your power, and then that you do the
good you would show me to my son Saul, who lives in Brzesc.' The prince
took down the name and place of abode of the rabbi's son, and having
arrived at his home, sent for him. He appeared before the prince, who
found him so wise and clever that he in every possible way attached the
Jew to his own person, gave him many proofs of his favor, sounded his
praises in the ears of all the nobles, and raised him to a high
position. He was so great a favorite with all the lords that on the day
when a king was to be elected, and the peers could not agree, rather
than have the day pass without the appointment of a ruler, they
unanimously resolved to invest Saul with royal power, calling him Saul
Wahl to indicate that he had been _chosen_ king.--All this my father
told me, and such new matter as I gathered from another source, I will
not fail to set down in another chapter."--
"This furthermore I heard from my pious father, when, in 1734, he lay
sick in Fuerth, where there are many physicians. I went from Marktbreit
to Fuerth, and stayed with him for three weeks. When I was alone with
him, he dictated his will to me, and then said in a low voice: 'This I
will tell you that you may know what happened to our ancestor Saul Wahl:
After the nobles had elected a king for Poland, and our ancestor had
become great in the eyes of the Jews, he unfortunately grew haughty. He
had a beautiful daughter, Haendele, famed throughout Poland for her wit
as well as her beauty. Many sought her in marriage, and among her
suitors was a young Talmudist, the son of one of the most celebrated
rabbis. (My father did not mention the name, either because he did not
know, or because he did not wish to say it, or mayhap he had forgotten
it.) The great rabbi himself came to Brzesc with his learned son to urge
the suit. They both lodged with the chief elder of the congregation.
But the pride of our ancestor was overweening. In his heart he
considered himself the greatest, and his daughter the best, in the land,
and he said that his daughter must marry one more exalted than this
suitor. Thus he showed his scorn for a sage revered in Israel and for
his son, and these two were sore offended at the discourtesy. The Jewish
community had long been murmuring against our ancestor Saul Wahl, and it
was resolved to make amends for his unkindness. One of the most
respected men in the town gave his daughter to the young Talmudist for
wife, and from that day our ancestor had enemies among his people, who
constantly sought to do him harm. It happened at that time that the wife
of the king whom the nobles had chosen died, and several Jews of Brzesc,
in favor with the powerful of the land, in order to administer
punishment to Saul Wahl, went about among the nobles praising his
daughter for her exceeding beauty and cleverness, and calling her the
worthiest to wear the queenly crown. One of the princes being kindly
disposed to Saul Wahl betrayed their evil plot, and it was
frustrated.'"[72]