The Ten Lost Tribes: Rabbi Elyahu Kin

This lecture the ten lost tribes is part of a series titled “The Seventy Most Difficult Questions” by Rabbi Elyahu Kin. In this presentation Rabbi Kin expounds on the history of the dispersion of the Tribes of Israel and their whereabouts today. The lecture contains video footage filmed by recent researchers on this topic.

There is a recorded dispute between two great sages in the Mishnah as to whether the ten tribes are going to come back:

Rabbi Akiva says, “The ten tribes will not return, as the verse says (Deuteronomy 29:27), ‘And the L‑rd uprooted them from upon their land, with fury, anger and great wrath, and He cast them to another land, as it is this day.’1 Just as a day passes and it will never return, so too, they will be exiled never to return.”

Rabbi Eliezer says, “Just like a day is followed by darkness, and the light later returns, so too, although it will become ‘dark’ for the ten tribes, G‑d will ultimately take them out of their darkness.”2

The Talmud then goes on to cite a third opinion:

Rabbi Shimon ben Yehudah, of the town of Acco, says in the name of Rabbi Shimon: “If their deeds are as this day’s,3 they will not return; otherwise they shall.”4

So, in short, there seem to be three opinions on the matter. Rabbi Akiva holds that the ten tribes are not coming back; Rabbi Eliezer holds that they are; andRabbi Shimon says that it depends on whether they repent. (CHABAD.ORG)