The Falashas: The Forgotten Jews of Ethiopia, by David Kessler
Today's date is: 5/12/2025
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| 112 can we observe the Sabbath?' Alternatively, a journey by the land route across the Muslim-occupied desert, which would have permitted them to observe the day of rest, would have been a hazardous undertaking for an 'infidel'. The Torah's injunction on the subject of travel, 'abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day', (1) was reinforced by the Book of Jubilees, which, among other thirigs, forbade travel by ship on the sea on the Sabbath under pain of death. (2) It was not until Talmudic times that a way round this regulation was devised. Abba Ishaq reported that he regarded the name 'Falasha' as an insult and that he and his people called themselves by the Agau name 'Kayla', which, he said, meant 'who has not crossed the sea';(3) but, he added, the Jews of Kwara, to the south-west of Gondar, seemed content to accept the designation 'Falasha', from which it seems that the insult was not very grave and doubtless depended upon how the term was used. Over two thousand Falashas, Ishaq informed Luzzatto, had emigrated from the Semien mountains to the Azabo Galla country further east. Their descendants were still living there in his day and could be the forebears of the present communities in Lasta and Maichew. He also reported that there were Falashas living in the Guragespeaking area in Shoa province, south of modern Addis Ababa, though, despite unconfirmed reports, there is no conclusive evidence of the existence of this community at the present day. Luzzatto expressed some surprise that lshaq made no mention of Falashas living in Tigrai province though d'Abbadie had found a group of 140 Tigrinya speakers. This separation of the Jews of Tigrai from their co-religionists to the south of the river Takazze persists to the present day and, though it may be partially explained by linguistic differences, it deserves closer study since practically all attention so far has been focused on the Amharic speakers. About the same time as Filosseno Luzzatto's untimely death in 1854 two events occurred which were destined to produce a significant impact on the history of Ethiopia and on the situation of the Falashas. A new Emperor ascended the throne and the Anglican mission to the Jews resumed its operations with increased vigour. The unruly era of the rases, when petty chieftains fought one (1) Exodus 16:29. |