mis@spuxll.UUCP (Meyer Steinberg) (02/04/85)
Some of the possible backrounds of ethopian Jews: 1) They were of the ten tribes exiled before the destruction of the first Temple. The reason that they don't observe and don't know about rabinical ordinances (Talmud) is they were exiled to far lands and had no contact with Bnei Yehudah (rest of Israel who were exiled to Babylon) who wrote the Talmud. Regarding dark skin: either it was the climate, or they married local people (In biblical times religion went after the father), or one of Jacob's wives, the maids was dark. 2) They were of the Cushites who where servants of Israeli kings who kept the religion after they where free. In the Bible is mentioned a few times Cushite sevants. (I don't have my concordance with me, so I can't give sources although I came across the references in the past.) 3) In the Judaica Press English Mikraot Gedolot they comment on Kings I 10:13 - The Ethopian Jews have a tradition that they come from a union between King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. (See the classical jewish commentators for further insight on this verse). In Yeshiah 11:11 there is a verse stating G-d will take the remenants of His people from Ashur, Egypt, Pathros, *Cush*, and other places. Meyer Steinberg