This document provides a comparative study of Judaism and Hinduism. It summarizes the key beliefs and practices of each religion, noting their striking commonalities, including sacred texts, dietary restrictions, daily rituals, emphasis on morality, scholarly traditions, and social stratification. It theorizes that the similarities between the two religions can be attributed to theological cross-pollination occurring thousands of years ago through trade relationships between ancient Jews and Hindus, as documented in biblical and other early textual sources.

1. THE TORAH
AND
THE VEDAS
A Comparative study of
judaism & hinduism
by John Slifko
© JOHN SLIFKO, 2016
CIVILSPHERE.NET

2. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF
STRIKING COMMONALITIES
BETWEEN JUDAISM AND HINDUISM.
JUDAISM HINDUISM
SHARED
IDEAS &
PRACTICES
© John Slifko, 2016

3. 1. JUDAISM
BEFORE WE START DISCUSSING THESE
SIMILARITIES, 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, an
emphasis on the godliness of rituals (i.e. daily prayers, traditions, and rites of
passage), and participation in an ongoing discussion about the messages and
various interpretations of Judaism's sacred text, The Torah. The record of this
discussion, which has been a fundamental component of the religion for
thousands of years, is known as The Talmud. So, whereas The Torah, which is
commonly 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 through
generations. The existence of the Talmud demonstrates Judaism's strong focuses
on education, morality, and intellectualism. Finally, Judaism also teaches that all
Jews descend from the twelve original tribes of Israel, and are thus sorted into
twelve separate groups.
© John Slifko, 2016

4. 2. HINDUISM
KEEP THIS INFORMATION IN MIND
AS WE NOW MOVE ON TO HINDUISM.
Hinduism is an ancient religion that began in the region of the world that is today
known as the countries of India and Nepal. Observant Hindus believe that there
are four fundamental goals that humans must strive to accomplish in this earthly
life. These pursuits, known collectively as the Puruṣārthas, consist of Dharma (the
pursuit of ethics), Artha (the pursuit of work and prosperity), Kama (the pursuit of
pleasure of the senses), and Moksha (the pursuit of liberation, both physical and
intellectual). To this end, Hindus value adherence to rituals (including meditation,
yoga, and rites of passage), intellectual discourse with the intention of disproving
or shedding new light on commonly-held beliefs, and hard work. The sacred texts
of 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 consist
of 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

5. 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

6. BASED ON THIS CONTEXT, IT IS
CLEAR THAT THE VALUES,
OBSERVANCE, AND
FUNDAMENTAL TENETS OF THE
TWO RELIGIONS ARE
STARTLINGLY SIMILAR.
THE QUESTION, THEN, IS THIS:
WHY?
© John Slifko, 2016

7. THIS QUESTION HAS BEEN A
TOPIC OF DISCUSSION FOR
SCHOLARS OF COMPARATIVE
RELIGION SINCE THE
ENLIGHTENMENT.
AFTER ALL, HOW COULD TWO
RELIGIONS, EACH
DEVELOPING
AT THE SAME TIME BUT IN
DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE
WORLD, COME TO RESEMBLE
EACH OTHER SO MUCH?
© John Slifko, 2016

8. INTERESTINGLY, THE RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN ISRAELITES AND HINDUS
CAN ACTUALLY BE TRACED ALL THE
WAY BACK TO ANCIENT TIMES.
THEIR CONNECTION IS ALLUDED TO IN
RECORDS DATING TO THE 10TH
CENTURY BCE, WHEN KING SOLOMON
REIGNED OVER THE ISRAELITES.
IT EVEN APPEARS IN THE BIBLE:
"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."
- 1 Kings 10.22
© John Slifko, 2016

9. THIS TEXTUAL DOCUMENTATION OF A TRADE-BASED
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ANCIENT JEWS AND HINDUS,
IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE MANY SIMILARITIES
BETWEEN THE TWO RELIGIONS THAT WE'VE DISCUSSED,
LENDS ITSELF TO THE THEORY THAT THE TWO FAITHS
WERE NOT DEVELOPING IN A VACUUM.
IN ALL LIKELIHOOD, THE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN
JUDAISM AND HINDUISM CAN LIKELY BE ATTRIBUTED TO
THEOLOGICAL CROSS-POLLINATION THAT OCCURRED
THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO IN THE COURSE OF
COMMODITIES TRADING.
FASCINATING, ISN'T IT?
© John Slifko, 2016

10. HTTPS://WWW.QUORA.COM/WHAT-IS-THE-DIFFERENCE-BETWEEN-THE-TALMUD-
AND-THE-TORAH
HTTPS://WWW.BRITANNICA.COM/TOPIC/HINDUISM
HTTP://BIBLEHUB.COM/COMMENTARIES/1_KINGS/10-11.HTM
HTTP://NEWVOICES.ORG/2013/04/24/INTERFAITH-GATHERING-HIGHLIGHTS-HINDU-
JEWISH-RELATIONSHIP/
SOURCES:
© John Slifko, 2016

11. And if you enjoyed this presentation,
please visit my website at:
www.civilsphere.net
© John Slifko, 2016