Eldad

Eldad, also known as Eldad the Danite, was a Jewish religious figure in the 9th century CE. According to tradition, he was a member of the tribe of Dan, which was believed to have been lost in the Assyrian exile of the northern kingdom of Israel. Eldad claimed to have been raised in a hidden community of these lost tribes and to possess knowledge of their customs and teachings.

His teachings were documented by his student, a certain Yehudai. Eldad's teachings emphasized certain aspects of Jewish law and tradition that differed from the prevailing rabbinic interpretations of his time. He is known to have introduced specific interpretations of biblical texts and to have transmitted unique traditions, particularly regarding the laws of ritual purity and the sabbatical year.

Eldad's claims and teachings were controversial. While some scholars and communities found his purported knowledge of the lost tribes intriguing and his interpretations valuable, others were skeptical. The existence of the lost tribes was a matter of ongoing speculation, and Eldad's accounts were met with both acceptance and doubt. His influence is primarily seen through the writings of his student, which preserved his teachings and sparked debate within Jewish intellectual circles for centuries. The exact historical reliability of Eldad's claims remains a subject of scholarly discussion.