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Mystery of the Ten Lost Tribes
Afghanistan/Pakistan - The Pathans
by
Rabbi Marvin Tokayer |
One subject of the Lost Tribes which has generally been ignored
which I found to be personally fascinating are the tribe of the
Pathans.
The Pathans are about 15 million people living mainly in Pakistan
and Afghanistan as well as in Persia and India. They have a tradition
of being of the Lost Tribes and have Israeli customs.
The Pathans have custom of circumcision on the 8th day. This is
a known Jewish custom, and is the oldest Jewish tradition. I myself
witnessed and was present at a very joyous circumcision ceremony
on the 8th day after birth. Muslims have custom of circumcision
but it is not on the 8th day, and usually at the age of 12.
The Pathans have a sort of small Tallit called Kafan. This is a
4 cornered garment which they tie strings similar to the fringes
(Jews call them Tzitzit) and is one of the oldest Jewish traditions
going back to the Torah and it is a sign of their Israeli origin.
They also have bigger Tallit which they call Joy-Namaz. It is a
garment 2-3 meters sq., and it is made to cover the head and part
of the shoulders, and is used for prayer by spreading on the ground
in the Muslim fashion. It has no fringes.
The Pathans have custom of the Sabbath. The Sabbath is considered
a day of rest and they do not labor, cook or bake. The Pathans prepare
12 Hallot (traditional Jewish bread, Leviticus 24:5) in honor of
the Sabbath as was done in the ancient temple. One of the significant
indicators proving the Israeli origins of the Pathans is the lighting
of the candle to honor the Sabbath. After lighting, the candle is
covered usually by a large basket. The candle is lit by a woman
past her menopause.
Pathans Live in Customs of Israelites
Pathans have custom of Kosher, dietary laws same as Jews. Pathans
do not eat horse or camel meat, which is most common in their area
but of course forbidden to Jews. There is some evidence to their
not eating meat and milk together which is also an ancient Israeli
tradition. And they have a tradition regarding differentiating between
pure and impure birds which means permitted and not permitted birds
similar to the Torah.
Some still wear a small box which Jews call Tefillin (phylactery)
containing a verse of the Bible. This box resemble Japanese Tokin
of Yamabushi's forehead, too. This is an ancient custom of Israel.
In the Jewish box there is the verse of Shema Israel, that is, "Hear,
O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!" (Deuteronomy 6:4)
This custom of Tefillin came from a verse of the Scriptures, "You
shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets
between your eyes" (Deuteronomy 6:8).
It is interesting to note that the Pathans retain family names of
the Lost Tribes such as Asher, Gad, Naphtali, Reuben and Manasseh
and Ephraim. Among them there are people who are called by these
names, which are of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. There are also
people who are called Israel, Samuel, and so on, which are never
found among the Muslims. There are also many areas as locations,
neighborhoods and villages with names of places that are similar
to names in the land of Israel.
The region has archeological finds testifying to a Hebrew past,
and they also resemble Jews of the area and their language Pashtu
surprisingly has many Hebrew words. The Pathans are also called
Afghans, or sons of the Pashtu which is their language, were mostly
called "Bani-Israel" meaning children of Israel even though they
live today as devout Muslims.
The external appearance of the Pathans resemble the Jews of the
area. Together with their ancient customs and other data there is
a definite connection that can be made to the Tribes of Israel.
The Pathans number 6 to 7 million in Afghanistan and 7 to 8 million
in Pakistan. They live in the border area between these two countries
and about 2 million live as nomads. These Pathans desire for their
independence, which is supported by Afghanistan and is a cause of
constant tension in Pakistan which does not desire their independence.
Pathans' Law Resembles the Torah
Afghanistan is one of the least developed countries of Asia and
the majority of the population is illiterate. They work primarily
in farming and sheep-raising and other domesticated animals.
Most people still live in villages and some even live as nomads.
It is a country that is ruled by Islamic religious law and more
than 90 % of the population are Sunni Muslims. But whatever modernization
has taken place, it has not reached the mountainous border areas.
Here the Pathans continue their centuries old tribal life.
The legal system which is known as Pashtunwali, the law of the Pashtu,
is very similar to the Torah, which is the holiest Jewish book and
the book of ancient Jewish way of life. There are pages and even
complete books among the pathans and they honor greatly what is
called Tavrad El Sharif (the Torah of Moses), and they rise at the
mention of the name of Moses even though it is not important in
Islam.
The Pathans are very healthy, tall, and have strong light-skinned
appearance. They are warriors and carry arms from a young age, they
are hardworking, wise, truthful and extremely loyal and they also
have a worldwide reputation for exemplary hospitality.
The ethnic origin of these Pathans has puzzled people for some time
because they are different both externally and in the character
traits from the other groups around them such as the Turks, the
Mongolians, the Persians, or the Indo-Iranians. It is also difficult
to trace their past history in a region in which tens of nations
and major tribes of various origins have come and gone.
The personal identification of the Pathan Tribes with their Israelite
origin is expressed in various ways. Besides the oral tradition
related by the elders of the tribe, there are also interesting testimonies
of keeping of scrolls of genealogy among the tribes, reaching back
to the Fathers of the Jewish nation.
These scrolls are well preserved and some are written in gold on
the skins of a doe. No less interesting and significant are the
names of the tribes which bear close resemblance to the Tribes of
Israel. The Rabbani Tribe is really Reuben, the Shinware Tribe is
Shimon, the Lewani Tribe is Levi, The Daftani Tribe is Naphtali,
and the Jaji Tribe is Gad, and the Ashuri Tribe is Asher, The Yusefsai
Tribe is sons of Joseph, and the Afridi Tribe is really Ephraim.
These are the names of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel.
The Pathans themselves point out the differences between the original
names of the tribes and their present names are because of the different
dialects of the languages so that, for instance, Jaji was actually
called Gaji for the tribe of Gad.
There are some Jews of Afghanistan today who count the Tribe of
Israel among the Pathans. The physical similarity between the Pathans
and other Jews is exemplified by the British ruled Afghanistan for
a great length of time and called the Pathans Jews. When not wearing
their traditional clothing Pathans are indistinguishable from other
Jews of the area. Among the 21 nations of Afghanistan only the Pathans
and the Jews have Semitic features, their faces are longer and lighter,
and some even have blue eyes. Like the Jews of the area, Pathans
grow beards and sidelocks which further serve to make them indistinguishable
from Jews.
Israeli Features of the Pathans
The Pathans have many other features as descendants of Israelites.
Their wedding is like Jewish. Wedding ceremony with the Pathans
includes a marriage canopy and rings similar to the Jewish custom.
Women of the Pathans keep laws similar to the Jewish laws regarding
menstruation. During this time and for 7 days after, no contact
is allowed with the husband. After this period, the woman immerses
in a river or spring or in a bathhouse if a natural spring is not
available. This is exactly the same as the Israeli tradition going
back to the days of the Bible.
Pathans have custom of levirate marriage, which is the custom when
a husband dies without children, his brother marries the widow to
keep the name of the house. This custom no longer exists today,
but was an ancient Israeli custom mentioned in the Bible (Deuteronomy
25:5-6).
The commandment to honor one's parent is kept in exemplary manner
in these tribes. The son must obey the parents in all matters. When
the father enters the room all stand and bow their heads in his
honor. This was a Israeli tradition as well.
Pathans have custom of Yom Kippur. We know of some of the members
of the Lewani Tribe who came to the Jewish synagogue on Yom Kippur
each year in Afghanistan. He would stay there until sundown without
uttering even one word. He spoke of the tradition of the Temple
on this day and of the high priest and his work there.
One year he erred in his calendar and did not come, he wept bitterly
for one week for missing the observance of this day.
The Pathans have custom of scapegoat. In ancient Israel there was
the custom to put sins of the nation onto a goat and send the goat
away to desert. This custom of scapegoat was done to atone the sins
of the nation (Leviticus chapter 16). Similar custom is found even
today among the Pathans.
The Pathans usually pray in mosque. However some pray towards Jerusalem
which is most unusual. There are some very old synagogues in their
area and Pathans come to these synagogues on special days in times
of great stress or tragedies or for special prayers. The individual
who seeks help comes there to touch the lock and to pray. There
are those who say that these places once contained scrolls of the
Torah. This is interesting because today they are actually devout
Muslims.
At the time of plague the Pathans slaughter a sheep and sprinkle
its blood on the doorpost of their homes. This is what the Israelites
did in ancient Egypt during the plagues that occurred there.
An interesting testimony relates to the placing of a wrapped book
of Psalms of the Bible under the pillow of the ill in order to heal
that person.
There are those who have said that there are Amulets written in
Hebrew. Some contain the phrase "Shema Israel" and it is secretly
written by the head of the tribe and it is forbidden to open it.
And the symbol of Shield of David (Star of David) is found in almost
every Pathan house. The wealthy make it out of expensive metals
and the poor out of simple wood. It can be seen in towers, in schools
and also in tools, bracelets, and jewelry. I saw it at least 20
times in a variety of places. In Minerajan, the center of Afghanistan,
there are even schools that have the Shield of David on the door
or in the stone above the door.
Overview
Afghanistan
Burma
Pakistan
- The Pathans
Kashmir
Japan
Ecuador
China
Reprinted
from "Nihon-Yudaya, Huuin no Kodaishi" by Rabbi Marvin Tokayer,
translated from Japanese by Arimasa
Kubo. Following his ordination, Rabbi Tokayer served as a U.S.
Air Force Chaplain in Japan, and upon his discharge from the military,
returned to Tokyo to serve for many years as rabbi of the Jewish Community
of Japan as well as Vice President and Director of Culture, Religion
and Education for the Jewish communities of the Far East.
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