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Hinduism and Judaism

Hinduism and Judaism are among the oldest existing religions in the world. The two share some similarities and
interactions throughout both the ancient and modern worlds.

Contents
Theological similarities
Scriptures
Relations
Historical
Modern
See also
References
Further reading

Theological similarities
Scholarly efforts to compare Hinduism and Judaism were popular during the Enlightenment era, in the process of arguing
the deistic worldview.[1] Hananya Goodman states that Hinduism and Judaism have played an important role in European
discussions of idolatry, spirituality, primitive, theories of race, language, mythologies, etc.[2]

Both religions were regarded by some scholars to be ethnic religions, and not promoting conversions. Adherents of both
religions, however, are found across the world.[3] Both religions share common elements in regard to a complicated
system of laws, purity codes, and dietary restrictions, for defining their communities.[4]

Judaism has been compared with Brahminism by Osho Rajneesh[5] and Steven Rosen in their books. They cite the
similarities between Brahmins and Jews who viewed themselves as "God's chosen people." Rosen adds that Brahmins had
a "community of priests" while Jews had a "Kingdom of Priests".[6]

David Flusser says that the tale of Abraham has many similarities with a certain story from the Upanishads, stating that
"One can easily discover parallels in the Upanishads to the Abraham legend".[7][8]

American biologist Constantine Samuel Rafinesque (1783-1840) in his book The American Nations discusses linguistic
and traditional similarities between the two religions. In one chapter he writes:

"Our Noah- is thus NH (pr NOE) which the Jews since pronounced NUH, and even Mnuh! Exactly the same
name as given him by the Hindus! And all meaning repose, with many collateral meanings, lawgiver,
collecting people, assembly humanity & c. The laws of M'nu are preserved by the Hindus : to him is also
ascribed the substance of the Vedas, and the whole Mosaic history till near his own death. But the Hindus
have many- M'nus ; Adam and Seth were such, by the names of Adimo and Satya."[9]

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Scriptures
Barbara Holdrege analyzed the comparative analysis in her writing, about the role of scriptures in Brahmanical, Rabbinic,
and Kabbalistic traditions, and noted that cosmological conceptions of sacred scripture in which Veda and Torah are
portrayed not merely as restricted corpus of texts, but as a multileveled cosmic reality that encircle both historical and
transmundane dimensions. She adds further that sacred status, authority, and function of scripture in these traditions are
to a certain extent shaped by these conceptions and thus such a study is essential for understanding the role of Veda and
Torah as the paradigmatic signs of their respective traditions.[10]

Judaism, notable for its monotheistic conception of god, has some similarities with those Hindu scriptures that are
monotheistic, such as the Vedas.[11] In Judaism God is transcendent, while in Hinduism God is both immanent and
transcendent.[12]

In Judaism, god is called Yahweh, Deuteronomy regard Yahweh as "God of gods and Lord of lords".[13]

Different Hindu sects have a variety of beliefs about the nature and identity of god, believing variously in monotheism,
polytheism, pantheism, and panentheism. According to the Upanishads, the Mahabharata, and some Puranas, Narayana
is the supreme deity.[14] Today, the Vaishnavite sect considers Vishnu to be the supreme god,[15] while Shaivites consider
Shiva to be the supreme god.[16]

In Judaism, God is an absolute one, indivisible and incomparable being who is the ultimate cause of all existence. In
Hinduism, gods are considered to have a similar status to another when distinct,[17] but may also be seen as "aspects or
manifestations of a single, transcendent god",[17] or an "impersonal absolute".[17]

Bernard Jackson points out the extent to which legal regulations, customs, and royal ordinances in Halakha in the Jewish
tradition and Dharmaśāstra among Hindus are binding on members of their respective societies. Jackson adds that both
Jewish and Hindu law evidence a great sensitivity to the interplay of local custom and authoritative law. He says that in
both religions, the writing down of a collection of norms did not necessarily mean that all or even most norms were
intended to be enforced, and that the laws connected with royal authority were not necessarily statutory. Wendy Doniger
states that Hinduism and Judaism are alike in their tendency toward orthopraxy rather than orthodoxy.[18]

Relations

Historical
Ancient trade and cultural communication between India and the Levant is documented in the Periplus of the Erythraean
Sea and the accounts surrounding Queen of Sheba in the Hebrew Bible.

Bhavishya Purana is regarded by a number of scholars to have predicted Judaism's prophet Moses, and similar parallels
are found in Vedas.[19]

The trade relations of both communities can be traced back to 1,000 BCE and earlier to the time of the Indus Valley
Civilisation of the Indian subcontinent and the Babylonian culture of Middle East. A Buddhist story describes Indian
merchants visiting Baveru (Babylonia)[20] and selling peacocks for public display. Similar, earlier accounts describe
monkeys exhibited to the public.[21] According to Chaim Menachem Rabin, the connection between ancient Israel and the
Indian subcontinent, was recorded during the reign of King Solomon (10th century BCE) in I Kings 10.22. It reads:

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"For the king had Tarshish ships in the sea together with the ships of Hiram; once every three years the
Tarshish ships arrived, carrying gold and silver, elephant tusks, monkeys and peacocks."[22]

Studies of Old Testament continue to be useful for tracing the history and culture of the Middle East. The Old Testament
has also been helpful for understanding relations between these two traditions.[23] Geographical analysis of Israel suggests
that the authors of Old Testament were talking about India, where the selling of animals such as monkeys and peacocks
existed.[24] Trade connections between India and Palestine and Mediterranean Jewish communities continued, and later,
the languages of these cultures started to share linguistic similarities.[25]

Modern
Jews never faced persecution by Hindus, neither are there any records of Hindus facing persecution at the hands of Jews.
The creation of Israel as a Jewish state was supported by Hindu nationalists, most notably M. S. Golwalkar, who said:

The Jews had maintained their race, religion, culture and language; and all they wanted was their natural
territory to complete their Nationality.[26]

The world's first Jewish-Hindu interfaith leadership summit, led by the World Council of Religious Leaders, Hindu
organisations in India and Jewish organisations in Israel, as well as the American Jewish Committee, was held in New
Delhi on February 2007.[27] The summit included the then Chief Rabbi of Israel Yona Metzger, the American Jewish
Committee's International Director of Interreligious Affairs David Rosen, a delegation of chief rabbis from around the
world, and Hindu leaders from India.[28][29][30] During the summit, Rabbi Metzger stated:

“Jews have lived in India for over 2,000 years and have never been discriminated against. This is something
unparalleled in human history."[28]

Swami Dayananda recognized the similarities of both religions and pointed to the belief in One supreme being, non-
conversion, oral recitation of the Veda and the Torah, and the special importance of peace and non-violence.
Savarupananda Saraswatiji explained that "Both the Hindu and Jewish communities have a lot in common, we need to
discover and nurture these areas for the benefit of millions of people."[31] This meeting included Rabbis such as Daniel
Sperber, Yona Metzger, and others. They affirmed a number of points, one of which was:

Their respective traditions teach that there is one supreme being who is the ultimate reality, who has created
this world in its blessed diversity and who has communicated Divine ways of action for humanity, for
different people in different times and places.[32]

In 2008, a second Hindu-Jewish summit took place in Jerusalem.[33][34] Included in the summit was a meeting between
Hindu groups and then Israeli President Shimon Peres, where the importance of a strong Israeli-Indian relationship was
discussed.[34] The Hindu delegation also met with Israeli politicians Isaac Herzog and Majalli Whbee.[34] Hindu groups
visited and said their prayers at the Western Wall, and also paid their respects to Holocaust victims.[34] In 2009, a smaller
Hindu-Jewish interfaith meeting organized by the World council of Religious Leaders, Hindu American Foundation and
the American Jewish Committee was held in New York and Washington.[33] Hindu and Jewish representatives gave
presentations, and participants wore lapel pins combining the Israeli, Indian, and American flags.[33]

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About 5,000 Jews reside in India today.[35] The Bnei Menashe are a group of more than 9,000 Jews from the Indian states
Manipur and Mizoram who have resided in India since as early as 8th century BC.[36] On 31 March 2005, Sephardi Rabbi,
Shlomo Amar, one of Israel's two chief rabbis, accepted the Bnei Menashe's claim of being one of the ten lost tribes
considering their devotion to Judaism. His decision was significant because it paved the way for all members of Bnei
Menashe to enter Israel under Israel's Law of Return.[37] In the past two decades, some 1,700 Bnei Menashe members
have moved to Israel. Israel has reversed the policy of immigration for the remaining 7,200 Bnei Menashe.

There are some who profess a belief in both religions: they regard themselves as Hinjew.[38][39][40]

Many Jews take vipassana and yoga as a supplement to traditional Hasidic musical meditation and dynamic
meditation.[41]

According to a report by the Pew Research Center conducted in the US, of all religious groups, Hindus and Jews remain
the most successful at retaining their adherents and are the two most educated groups.[42]

See also
India–Israel relations
History of the Jews in India
Indian Jews in Israel
Jewish Buddhist

References
1. Hananya Goodman. Between Jerusalem and Benares: Comparative Studies in Judaism and Hinduism. SUNY Press.
p. 3. ISBN 9780791417157.
2. Kathryn McClymond. Beyond Sacred Violence: A Comparative Study of Sacrifice. JHU Press. p. 33.
ISBN 9780801896293.
3. Emma Tomalin. Religions and Development. Routledge. p. 109.
4. Sushil Mittal, Gene Thursby. Religions of South Asia: An Introduction. Routledge. p. 181. ISBN 9781134593224.
5. I Say Unto You (Vol -I), p. 259 - 260
6. "Essential Hinduism", by Steven Rosen, page. 13
7. David Flusser (1988). Judaism and the origins of Christianity. Magnes Press, Hebrew University. p. 650.
8. "Between Jerusalem and Benares: Comparative Studies in Judaism and Hinduism", page 35- 40
9. Constantine Samuel Rafinesque. The American nations; or, Outlines of their general history, ancient and modern (htt
p://www02.us.archive.org/stream/americannations01rafigoog/americannations01rafigoog_djvu.txt). Oxford University.
p. 104.
10. Hananya Goodman. Between Jerusalem and Benares: Comparative Studies in Judaism and Hinduism. SUNY Press.
p. 13. ISBN 9780791417157.
11. Manfred Hutter (2013). Between Mumbai and Manila: Judaism in Asia Since the Founding of the State of Israel
(Proceedings of the International Conference, Held at the Department of Comparative Religion. V&R unipress GmbH.
p. 241. ISBN 9783847101581.
12. Sitansu S. Chakravarti (1991). Hinduism, a Way of Life (https://books.google.com/books?id=J_-rASTgw8wC). p. 84.
ISBN 9788120808997.
13. Jack R. Lundbom. Deuteronomy: A Commentary. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. 60.
14. Gavin Flood. An Introduction to Hinduism. pp. 120–121.
15. Kedar Nath Tiwari. Comparative Religion. Motilal. p. 38.
16. "Shaivism" (http://www.religionfacts.com/shaivism). ReligionFacts.
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17. Flood 1996, p. 14.

18. Hananya Goodman. Between Jerusalem and Benares: Comparative Studies in Judaism and Hinduism. SUNY Press.
p. 16. ISBN 9780791417157.
19. "God-fleshed: a chronicle of the comings of Christ", p. 66, by Roy Abraham Varghese, Rachel Varghese, Mary
Varghese, url = [1] (https://books.google.com/books?ei=-5WkUuaDEoaOrQeM94HIBA&id=1iMRAQAAIAAJ&dq=mos
es&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=moses)
20. Catherine Cornille. The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Inter-Religious Dialogue. Wiley. p. 417.
21. Hananya Goodman. Between Jerusalem and Benares: Comparative Studies in Judaism and Hinduism. SUNY Press.
p. 25. ISBN 9780791417157.
22. The Bible in Basic English. Cambridge University Press. 1956. p. 349.
23. Subodh Kapoor (2002). The Indian Encyclopaedia: Hinayana-India (Central India). Genesis. p. 2939.
ISBN 9788177552676.
24. Hananya Goodman. Between Jerusalem and Benares: Comparative Studies in Judaism and Hinduism. SUNY Press.
p. 28. ISBN 9780791417157.
25. Hananya Goodman. Between Jerusalem and Benares: Comparative Studies in Judaism and Hinduism. SUNY Press.
pp. 25–30. ISBN 9780791417157.
26. Elst, Koenraad (2001). The Saffron Swastika: The Notion of "Hindu Fascism". Voice of India. ISBN 8185990697.
27. World's Jewish and Hindu Leaders Gather in New Delhi (http://www.wfn.org/2007/02/msg00073.html), wfn.org
28. Kopf, Shulfa (March 6, 2013). "The biggest show on earth" (http://www.jpost.com/Jerusalem-Report/Arts-And-Culture/
The-biggest-show-on-earth). The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
29. Banerjee, Neela (October 2, 2007). "In Jews, Indian-Americans See a Role Model in Activism" (https://www.nytimes.c
om/2007/10/02/us/02hindu.html?_r=0). The New York Times. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
30. "Indian Muslims protest peace delegation to Israel" (http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3437865,00.html).
Ynetnews. August 15, 2007. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
31. Manfred Hutter (2013). Between Mumbai and Manila: Judaism in Asia Since the Founding of the State of Israel
(Proceedings of the International Conference, Held at the Department of Comparative Religion. V&R unipress GmbH.
p. 215. ISBN 9783847101581.
32. "Declaration of Mutual Understanding and Cooperation from the First Jewish-Hindu Leadership Summit" (http://www.a
jc.org/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=7oJILSPwFfJSG&b=8451911&ct=12474841). 2007.
33. Brill, Alan (July 2, 2009). "Two ancient religions behave like old friends" (http://njjewishnews.com/njjn.com/070209/op
edTwoAncientReligions.html). New Jersey Jewish News. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
34. "Hindu American Foundation Joins in Historic Hindu-Jewish Summit Held in Israel" (http://www.hafsite.org/hindu-amer
ican-foundation-joins-historic-hindu-jewish-summit-held-israel). Hindu American Foundation. February 26, 2008.
Retrieved May 6, 2015.
35. "History of the Jews of India, Indian-Jewish Association UK" (http://www.indianjewishassociation.co.uk/jew_india/histo
ry.pdf) (PDF).
36. "Bnei Menashe Move To Israel: Indian Jews From 'Lost Tribe' Arrive In Holy Land" (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/201
2/12/24/bnei-menashe-move-to-israel-indian-jews-from-lost-tribe-arrive-in-holy-land-photos_n_2359086.html).
Huffingtonpost. 24 December 2012.
37. Rabbi backs India's 'lost Jews' (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4400957.stm), April 2005
38. Dana Evan Kaplan. Contemporary American Judaism: Transformation and Renewal (https://books.google.com/book
s?id=XlWsAgAAQBAJ). Columbia University Press. p. 89.
39. "A Harvard Hinjew" (http://www.thecrimson.com/article/1985/6/6/a-harvard-hinjew-pby-senior-year/). 6 June 1985.
40. "Jew and Hinjew" (http://www.jewishjournal.com/old_stories/item/jew_and_hinjew_19991119). 18 November 1999.
41. https://www.karnakriya.org/
42. "Jewish researchers dispute some Pew religion survey data" (http://www.jewishjournal.com/nation/item/jewish_resear
chers_dispute_some_pew_religion_survey_data_20080229). 28 February 2008.

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Further reading
Veda and Torah: Transcending the Textuality of Scripture(1996) by Barbara A. Holdrege.
Hinduism and Judaism compilation (https://web.archive.org/web/20060423090103/http://www.nhsf.org.uk/images/stori
es/HinduDharma/Interfaith/hinduzion.pdf)
Larry Yudelson, Passage to India, (http://jstandard.com/content/item/passage_to_india/31386) Jewish Standard
August 29, 2014
Alan Brill, Judaism and World Religions, (https://www.amazon.com/Judaism-World-Religions-Encountering-Christianit
y/dp/0230103693) (2012)

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