THE TORAH ANDTHE VEDAS

A Comparative study of judaism & hinduism

by John Slifko

© JOHN SLIFKO, 2016 CIVILSPHERE.NET

THERE ARE A NUMBER OFSTRIKING COMMONALITIES

BETWEEN JUDAISM AND HINDUISM .

JUDAISM HINDUISMSHAREDIDEAS &

PRACTICES

© John Slifko, 2016

1 . JUDAISM

BEFORE WE START DISCUSSING THESESIMILARITIES , THOUGH , LET 'S TAKE A LOOK AT

EACH RELIGION SEPARATELY FIRST .

Judaism is an ancient Semitic religion that pre-dates both Christianity and Islam.Fundamentals of observant Judaism include adherence to a kosher diet, anemphasis on the godliness of rituals (i.e. daily prayers, traditions, and rites ofpassage), and participation in an ongoing discussion about the messages andvarious interpretations of Judaism's sacred text, The Torah. The record of thisdiscussion, which has been a fundamental component of the religion for

thousands of years, is known as The Talmud. So, whereas The Torah, which iscommonly referred to as The Old Testament, consists of the written word of God,The Talmud consists of the oral word of God as it has been passed down throughgenerations. The existence of the Talmud demonstrates Judaism's strong focuseson education, morality, and intellectualism. Finally, Judaism also teaches that allJews descend from the twelve original tribes of Israel, and are thus sorted into

twelve separate groups.

© John Slifko, 2016

2 . HINDUISM

KEEP THIS INFORMATION IN MINDAS WE NOW MOVE ON TO HINDUISM .

Hinduism is an ancient religion that began in the region of the world that is todayknown as the countries of India and Nepal. Observant Hindus believe that thereare four fundamental goals that humans must strive to accomplish in this earthlylife. These pursuits, known collectively as the Puruṣārthas, consist of Dharma (thepursuit of ethics), Artha (the pursuit of work and prosperity), Kama (the pursuit ofpleasure of the senses), and Moksha (the pursuit of liberation, both physical andintellectual). To this end, Hindus value adherence to rituals (including meditation,yoga, and rites of passage), intellectual discourse with the intention of disprovingor shedding new light on commonly-held beliefs, and hard work. The sacred textsof Hinduism are divided into two groups: Shruti (which translates into English as

'heard') and Smriti ('remembered'). These texts mostly concern philosophy,theology, history, and lessons on morality. The major scriptures of Hinduism consistof the Vedas and Upanishads, as well as the Bhagavad Gita. Observant Hindus do

not eat beef, eggs, poultry, fish, caffeine, alcohol or spicy foods.

© John Slifko, 2016

JUDAISM HINDUISM

SACRED TEXT

DIETARY RESTRICTIONS

DAILY RITUALS

FOCUS ON MORALITY

SCHOLARLY TRADITION

SOCIAL STRATIFICATION

SO , TO RECAP . . .

BOTH RELIGIONS TICK ALL OF THESE BOXES .

© John Slifko, 2016

BASED ON THIS CONTEXT , IT ISCLEAR THAT THE VALUES ,

OBSERVANCE , ANDFUNDAMENTAL TENETS OF THE

TWO RELIGIONS ARESTARTLINGLY SIMILAR .

THE QUESTION , THEN , IS THIS :

WHY?

© John Slifko, 2016

THIS QUESTION HAS BEEN ATOPIC OF DISCUSSION FORSCHOLARS OF COMPARATIVE

RELIGION SINCE THEENLIGHTENMENT.

AFTER ALL, HOW COULD TWORELIGIONS, EACHDEVELOPING

AT THE SAME TIME BUT INDIFFERENT PARTS OF THE

WORLD, COME TO RESEMBLEEACH OTHER SO MUCH?

© John Slifko, 2016

INTERESTINGLY, THE RELATIONSHIPBETWEEN ISRAELITES AND HINDUSCAN ACTUALLY BE TRACED ALL THEWAY BACK TO ANCIENT TIMES.

THEIR CONNECTION IS ALLUDED TO INRECORDS DATING TO THE 10TH

CENTURY BCE, WHEN KING SOLOMONREIGNED OVER THE ISRAELITES.

IT EVEN APPEARS IN THE BIBLE:

"FOR THE KING HAD TARSHISHSHIPS IN THE SEA TOGETHER

WITH THE SHIPS OF HIRAM; ONCEEVERY THREE YEARS THETARSHISH SHIPS ARRIVED,CARRYING GOLD AND SILVER,

ELEPHANT TUSKS, MONKEYS ANDPEACOCKS." - 1 Kings 10.22

© John Slifko, 2016

THIS TEXTUAL DOCUMENTATION OF A TRADE-BASEDRELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ANCIENT JEWS AND HINDUS,

IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE MANY SIMILARITIESBETWEEN THE TWO RELIGIONS THAT WE'VE DISCUSSED,

LENDS ITSELF TO THE THEORY THAT THE TWO FAITHSWERE NOT DEVELOPING IN A VACUUM.

IN ALL LIKELIHOOD, THE SIMILARITIES BETWEENJUDAISM AND HINDUISM CAN LIKELY BE ATTRIBUTED TOTHEOLOGICAL CROSS-POLLINATION THAT OCCURRED

THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO IN THE COURSE OFCOMMODITIES TRADING.

FASCINATING, ISN'T IT?

© John Slifko, 2016

HTTPS://WWW.QUORA.COM/WHAT-IS-THE-DIFFERENCE-BETWEEN-THE-TALMUD-AND-THE-TORAH

HTTPS://WWW.BRITANNICA.COM/TOPIC/HINDUISMHTTP://BIBLEHUB.COM/COMMENTARIES/1_KINGS/10-11.HTM

HTTP://NEWVOICES.ORG/2013/04/24/INTERFAITH-GATHERING-HIGHLIGHTS-HINDU-JEWISH-RELATIONSHIP/

SOURCES:

© John Slifko, 2016

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© John Slifko, 2016