Judaism Jews And Sikhs: How Similar Can We Get?

Comments are welcomed on how Jews are similar to Sikhs in prayers, traditions, history, human right issues, up-bringing, proverbs, looks, etc.

Over the Sikh holy book was a beautifully embroidered cover much like Jews covering their Torah. On top was a canopy, which is what we use during weddings and when transferring the Torah from one place to another.

After services the Sikhs have a "lenger" - a community meal. The Jews have a "kiddush".

(Source: jerusalem wanderings: Similarities between the Sikhs and Jews)

Namjap (previous username: begum)

Respected Begum,

Please study Sikh religion and as u already know about your religion, kindly bring out more similarites. All religions teach the same thing but now I am interested to know abour Jews way of religion.

Respected Rajinder Ji,

Your comment has led me to search and find this :

"see every thing is in joon - plants, spices, stones, planets, stars etc all hv aatma which is next end of there muun. and the largest jooni (which is combination of all these joonis) is Universe. So the aatma of universe is paramaatma."

If I were to understand this statement correctly, it would reduce us to just being cells working together in clusters towards a common goal in the body called Universe. So no matter what we do, we are in fact, existing under HIS HUKAM.

hukmai ander sabh ko,
bahar hukam na koye.

It is good to respect each other's view whether it be at individual level or religions. Thank you for you comment that all religions teach the same thing.

More similarities
Their marriage ceremony used to last 7 days - similar to Jewish wedding celebrations where you would have 7 days of special festive dinners in different places after the wedding. But now the Sikhs have dwindled it down to just one day.

Their prayer book looked like a Jewish book of Psalms, only much shorter.

Video clip of Jews living in old Russia:

YouTube - Fiddler on the roof - Tradition ( with subtitles )

When Jews Wore Turbans

It would seem that most Canadian Jews were pleased with the Supreme Court of Canada decision, a few years ago, upholding the Sikhs' right to wear turbans in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police ("RCMP"). After all, many of us also have vested interests in keeping our heads covered as part of our own traditional religious observances. A skull-cap is of course easier to accommodate than a turban, as it may be discreetly placed underneath a Mountie hat.
But some of our ancestors were also turban-wearers. As with many items in Jewish history, this fact continues to affect us in some surprising ways.
To take a rather simple example: the daily prayers recited by observant Jews include a benediction praising God "Who crowns Israel with glory."

(Full article: World Sikh News - When Jews Wore Turbans)

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it has been the practice among many Jews to wear a beard and sidelocks (pe'ot). The Talmud describes the beard as an "adornment of the face" and implies that a beardless man cannot be said to be handsome.

In the kabbalah [mysticism], the beard is said to represent on earth the "beard of the Holy Ancient One" on high, that is, the stage in the unfolding of the sefirot [divine emanations] at which the divine grace, symbolized by the strands of the beard, begins to flow throughout all creation. In kabbalistic circles the beard becomes a sacred object and some kabbalists would not even remove a single hair from their beard. The statement that, according to the kabbalah, there is no need to wear a beard outside the Holy Land, is unwarranted. Hasidism follows the kabbalah and all Hasidim wear long beards and sidelocks.

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Five articles as embracing the chief tenets of Mosaism:

1. God is and rules;
2. God is one;
3. the world was created;
4. Creation is one;
5. God's providence rules Creation.

Why Sikhs ....
The Sikhism Home Page: The Khalsa

Sikhs and Jews - separated at birth?By LAUREN GELFOND FELDINGER - Jerusalem Post - Jewish World
All the Holy Land faiths found connections with the Punjabi Sikhs, but Jewish groups felt a surprise affinity.

The monotheistic Sikhs are a religious and ethnic group, a minority - like the Jews - who have suffered generations of persecution and worries about assimilation, intermarriage and keeping the religion relevant to their youth.

They revere their scriptures as the ultimate guru, teacher and source of enlightenment. Written without punctuation, numbered verses are used to track the readings and to bind those who have lived in Diaspora as a result of exile. The text mentions 1,100 names of God, an entity without gender or form. God, known as "The Ultimate Reality," may not be pictured in two or three-dimensional art. Every person, regardless of faith, is said to contain sparks of the divine and anyone can lead prayers; there are no clerics.

Marriage and having children are considered divine activities and infidelity is forbidden. Though many Sikhs avoid substances that may harm the body or mind, early Sikhs rejected ascetic self-denial and observe a commandment to rejoice in God's name. Hard and honest work is considered a good deed, as is service to the Sikh and larger community, the place of worship and the unfortunate.

Ten percent of their earnings and a portion of their time should be allotted to charity. Sikhs around the world consider each other family and in the Diaspora they have created vibrant Sikh communities worldwide.

The highest attributes are divided into acts of faith in God - as in prayer and meditation - and acts of loving kindness toward fellow humans. Despite an accent on mercy and compassion, violence is permitted in special circumstances, such as self-defense, and Sikhs are known as good warriors, aspiring to be "saint-soldiers." Sikhs don't cut their facial (or head) hair as a sign of respect to God's will and as a mark of distinction.
Nonetheless, there are marked differences between Sikhs and Jews. Sikhs emphasize karma and reincarnation, practice cremation and have outlawed fasting.

The Sikh faith was founded in the late 15th century in northern India by Guru Nanak, who preached tolerance and equality for every person, regardless of caste, religion or gender. These ideas were always on his mind as a boy growing up Hindu, but crystallized after he mysteriously disappeared in the River Bein. According to tradition, he emerged after three days, saying that God is the one being, transcendent and without form, and that "there is no Hindu; there is no Muslim."

There were 10 gurus in succession; the final one declared that the holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib, is the final and eternal guru. Today, the main body of Orthodox Sikhism upholds this belief, while divergent streams claim to have a living guru in human form.

jews, sikhs , christians, hindus, muslims, pagans....how similar are they..!!!

Homo sapiens !!

amarsanghera said:

jews, sikhs , christians, hindus, muslims, pagans....how similar are they..!!!

Homo sapiens !!

Click to expand...

Come to Ingland...many Sikhs and Muslims don't share your views to put it mildly!

veer ji

i have been there...i can see no difference in any colours or religions...

do you?

I've live here. There are major differences in attitudes, views, characteristics. Being back home wouldn't really expose you to this and nor would a short visit here.

Pretending no differences exist between communities is living a lie.

In my opinion in UK there are many groups which have very strong /rigid opinion about themselves and also abou the rest of others

Practising Muslim and BNP Whites are top among these groups who can real make you think that there is something wrong with Homo sapiens concept!

BNP is no different from Khalistan logic

bigoted people exist at all places... but still all are homo spaiens

Well BNP is gaining support quite steadily. I remember the days when their forerunners, the NF, wouldn't be allowed to show their face on a television broadcast. Today BNP wins a few seats here and there. Wonder if this is a sign of things to come?

A few more Islamist bombs here would probably swing a few more whites in that direction.

begum said:

Comments are welcomed on how Jews are similar to Sikhs in prayers, traditions, history, human right issues, up-bringing, proverbs, looks, etc.
Over the Sikh holy book was a beautifully embroidered cover much like Jews covering their Torah. On top was a canopy, which is what we use during weddings and when transferring the Torah from one place to another.

After services the Sikhs have a "lenger" - a community meal. The Jews have a "kiddush".

(Source: jerusalem wanderings: Similarities between the Sikhs and Jews)

Click to expand...

there is one major difference.

Judaism like other Semitic faiths (Islam and Christianity), believe their faith is the only faith that can lead to God/enlightenment/heaven etc.

Sikhism believe are religions are equally valid.
Page 1136, Line 11
ਨਾਹਮਹਿੰਦੂਨਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ॥नाहमहिंदूनमुसलमान
॥Nā ham hinḏū na musalmān.
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.

Guru Arjan Dev

(or J e w , or Christian, or Buddhist etc etc)

randip singh said:

there is one major difference.

Judaism like other Semitic faiths (Islam and Christianity), believe their faith is the only faith that can lead to God/enlightenment/heaven etc.

Sikhism believe are religions are equally valid.
Page 1136, Line 11
ਨਾਹਮਹਿੰਦੂਨਮੁਸਲਮਾਨ॥नाहमहिंदूनमुसलमान
॥Nā ham hinḏū na musalmān.
I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim.

Guru Arjan Dev

(or J e w , or Christian, or Buddhist etc etc)

Click to expand...

Randip veer ji

once while debating with hindu's omn other forum they pointed out verses of guru granth sahib where it is written that liberation is only possible through guru.so in the strict sense sikhism also beleive that only path of salvation is through true guru.

Kds ji

you are right !

But difference is that sikh dont have any personal True Guru so its not claimed that one has to be sikh to acess God

drkhalsa said:

Kds ji

you are right !

But difference is that sikh dont have any personal True Guru so its not claimed that one has to be sikh to acess God

Click to expand...

But in sikhism gurbani is the guru.We cannot say that all paths are valid.according to philosophy of sikhism naam japna is must and all paths do not recommend naam japna.

naam japna is a different ball game, no religion has any authority over it and neither do sikhism. As far as I know I don't know how to japo naam as yet although I can repeat paaths from my toungue many a times before I drop down fast asleep.

If a sikh can japo naam reciting guru's words or without it.
A hindu can japo naam reciting vedas or without it.
A muslim can japo naam reciting koran or without it.
A christian can japo naam reciting bible or without it.

Well I think only one path is valid and that is humanity. True sikhism just illuminates that path and so do other religions.

randip singh said:

there is one major difference.

Judaism like other Semitic faiths (Islam and Christianity), believe their faith is the only faith that can lead to God/enlightenment/heaven etc.

Click to expand...

actually, Randip veer ji, that's not exactly true. Jews believe that they have a unique "covenant" or agreement with God, and that they are bound to fulfill this. however, they believe that jewish law applies to jews only, that all others are free to worship as they choose. kind of like sikhs. they are quite unlike christianity and islam in this sense.

they also believe in the concept of ONE universal God: "God of the spirits of ALL flesh" (Numbers 27:16).

Sat nam.

In addition to believing in their exclusive validity, I believe that in the Jewish faith your shot at salvation depends to a great extent on whether you're born Jewish; ie, whether your mother is Jewish. I'm not so familiar with their conversion practises, but if it comes straight from Leviticus (the legal part of the Jewish Bible) it's very tough.