It is written [Sheda"k 39]: I saw in a work on slaughter and examination that the elder Aldad HaDani brought from the ten tribes these matters, which the son of Elkiroan from Bergeriah asked Mar Tzemach who was in Mata Mechasia (meaning Sura), etc. And after they brought before the Gaon many details from the words of Aldad HaDani regarding the laws of slaughter and examination, it was known that there were twelve tribes, and they say that this man told them other things, and they ask the Gaon whether it is fitting to believe his words.
And these are his words.
Furthermore, the aforementioned elder told us that when the Temple was destroyed the first time, Israel went up to Babylon, and the Chaldeans stood against the sons of Moshe and said to them: Sing to us from the song of Zion. The sons of Moshe stood and cried out before the Holy One, Blessed be He, and cut off their fingers with which they used to play music in the Temple, for they did not wish to play.
And the cloud and the pillar of fire departed from them and led them to a sandy desert at night. That same night there was a great earthquake, and in the morning they saw a great army, and HaShem surrounded them with a river wrapped in stones and sand in a place where there had never been a river before. And still it rolls stones and sand without water with noise and sounds - even if there were an iron mountain, it would shatter.
This is on weekdays, but on Shabbat it rests; therefore it is called the Sambatyon River. And there are places on that river that are sixty cubits wide; therefore, no one can enter there or leave from there. And among them there are only pure animals and cattle, and they study the oral Torah that was transmitted to them. And their descendants did not know about the destruction of the First Temple.
But Naftali, Gad, and Asher, who lived with Yissachar and used to quarrel and call them sons of the handmaidens, feared that strife would fall among them, so they went to the tribe of Dan and settled together - thus ends part of the question. And Mar Tzemach answered: Know that we have it in tradition from our teacher Yitzchak Gaon that in approximately the year 4640, they saw the aforementioned elder and were amazed at his words, for some of them were like the words of our sages and some were exaggerated.
And know that when Sancherev exiled Zevulun and Naftali in the eighth year of King Achaz of Yehuda, they went to the land of Cush and dwelt there, for it was a spacious land full of all goodness, and they gave themselves wholeheartedly to the service of HaShem, and it benefited them that they were crowned with Torah and commandments. And our Sages said: Israel went into twelve exiles, but the tribe of Dan was not mentioned in any of the exiles, because of their own accord they went to Cush 134 years before the destruction.
And perhaps Dan did not travel until the peace was made. And what Aldad HaDani said, that the five types of death penalty are practiced by the court, and that the sons of Moshe are near us and that the Sambatyon River surrounds them - he truly spoke, for so I saw in tractate Sanhedrin regarding the exile of the sons of Moshe [end of quote. And since it has come to hand, I will copy for you what Yuchsin wrote in chapter 2 before the Order of the Kabbalah of the Rame"a, may his memory be blessed.] I bring new things that I found in the book Orchot Olam that Rabbi Avraham Peritzol (commentary on Iyov) (son of Mordechai of Avignon) composed, to embrace and revive the heart of the afflicted in this bitter and long exile of 1512 years (which is the year 340) when the enemies of our Torah and our enemies mock us saying: your hope has already been lost, we have been cut off for ourselves and we have no more prophets, etc. - there is indeed for us our brothers, our redeemers, the twelve tribes, and there kings and princes and a great multitude, etc.
And behold before you (II Kings 18:18): And he placed them in Chalach and in Chavor, the Gozan River, and the cities of the Medes, etc. Then they will add sin and speak old things, saying one who wishes to lie distances his witnesses, etc. He wrote in his aforementioned book, chapter 9: And the kingdom of Prester John, the great one and the wonderful one, is a land of deserts and great forests with spices, animals, and strange birds, with two regions of the Jordan to the north.
It is called Scythia and South Australia, amidst the distance of many and long mountains, and Jews are known there according to the writers. He also wrote in chapter 4: When he spoke about the matter of David the Reuveni who came in our time and in our days, about forty-five years ago [(thus he wrote this in 4538 (see note), for David the Reuveni was in 4282).] And this Jew spoke of the two tribes, according to what was heard from his words, that he was from those who dwell in the deserts - they ride on their camels and found in the desert a settlement [Asia] from there and below, from there the rest of all twelve tribes are complete, and they are close to the deserts going to America and Goa which is by the Sea of Suf, and they and all of them have kings and princes and many peoples like the sand of the sea.
And the source of spices and pepper and simple medicines called in foreign language shimplitzi, and all goodness is found in their hands. Truly, between these two groups of Jews, there is a strong and mighty nation of Ishmaelites with many kings who harm some of these Jews and do not let them pass and approach each other, because for many days and years they have been trying to approach each other and it has not succeeded.
And his final words on this matter: Be what may be, whether his words are reliable or not - in our exile today and in our wanderings that we are trusted by kings, princes, and officials in the courts of Rome, there are still many evidences of the many tribes of Israel and many kings for them, etc. And Sapato wrote that in Calicut there is a source of many honest goods that come from far away from other places and from the islands of the sea that surround that great continent, which according to what is found written in the books of the sailors, there are more than 1500 islands, and there are many Jews on some of those islands.
He also wrote in chapter 25 that after crossing the Gulf, they will go and arrive at the dry land of the province of the district of America, which is near the Sea of India. And if they wish to ascend in this upper district which is on this dry land, there they will find great deserts and settlements of Jews who dwell on Mount Banyus, which is Mount Gozan. And so it is in the new books that in these districts above, from the borders of America and from the deserts of Calicut, many Jews are found there without number, and many kings for them, and these are very far from these, for there is a great distance between them.
However, among the islands that are in the Sea of India, there is no end to their number. They have islands and dry land with wealth of gold and spices. And the Christian writers write that the Ishmaelites and the blacks oppress the Jews there and plunder and pursue them.
Nevertheless, it must be said that the Jews there certainly have evidences of wealth, honor, kingdoms, and important spices in their hands. And so the Christian sage wrote in the book New World, printed many days ago in Venice, and so in his book New World, Book 2, Chapter 60, there was revealed to them evidences of many Jews and great kings over them and evidences of many spices, and most of the pepper is in their hands.
And whoever denies and makes light of his words denies the words of our Sages. Ask Turna and Sarufs about Rabbi Elazar, what day from days, etc. And he answered: Sambatyon will prove, etc. And if the lord is not satisfied with these holy writings, see what is written in their books and their printings to Josephus the great son of Gorion, and they call it Yusef Biliniyudika, meaning the Wars of the Jews.
And there in Part 2, Chapter 35: When Titus returned from Persia and Media, he went and found those Jews beyond the Sambatyon River resting on the second day of the week, and he waited for his Shabbat, and crossed beyond the Sambatyon River. And those Jews honored him and received him with honor, and he called it the Sabatinus River. And see the books that I read, written by Ben Avraham in my name. And the aforementioned Christian sage wrote that many Jews are merchants in Calicut, dealing in all kinds of spices and other things, and they are from the tribes that are above Calicut between the Gozan mountains and its rivers, and there above them is the Sambatyon River which separates between the islands of the sea.
And on the dry land of the district of America, there is a settlement of Chavor from the other side, the closest to us. And between these two groups of Jews that are found between the Gozan mountains and its rivers, and between the Jews who are in Chavor under the province of Felix, there are many settlements and scattered districts of Ishmaelites who harm and prevent these Jews from joining together.
He also wrote in chapters 24 and 25 of the book New World that from Lisbon, the capital of the kingdom of Portugal, to Calicut which is in [Asia] at the beginning of India, there are 3408 parasangs, which is about 15,002 miles, and it is a journey of sixteen months at least in good weather to go and return. And this is a true and famous proof of the Jews found there near Priti Jioani, as we heard from the mouths of the black priests who come and go every day and clearly testify to the existence of many Jews near them.
And these priests have in Rome one group of about thirty who sit in a new house established for them. And all this I heard from wise men who were in Calicut several times and brought before Duke Hercules Pope Ferara the matter of Calicut and America and Priti Jioani, and also about most of the Jews found there and their kings and their deeds. And furthermore he wrote in chapter 26 what Rubiyo Sacano and Tolomio wrote, that there are many Jews surrounded on the northeastern side.