Judaism Ask Me About Judaism

[xkatz]

Since I am most likely the only Jewish person here feel free to ask questions about Judaism. I will try my best to give an accurate, non-sectarian answer.

 

[Ambarsaria]

xkatz ji welcome to spn and your post.

I do not know why, but I admire Jewish culture, people and their achievements.

I have couple of questions as follows,

• Sikhism believes in one creator/God and encourages contextually understanding and living in consonance with such creation.
  • What does Judaism say or guide in this respect?
• Sikhism believes in equality of all before the creator/God and emphasizes the same where our Gurus taught us to treat them as one of all around. Yes they had and shared great wisdom. So basically we Sikhs don't have a concept of messengers of God, exclusivity of the same and the like.
  • What does Judaism say or guide in this respect?

Thanks.

Sat Sri Akal.peacesign

 

[xkatz]

Sikhism believes in one creator/God and encourages contextually understanding and living in consonance with such creation. What does Judaism say or guide in this respect?

Essentially the same thing. It is important to recognize, understand, and try to preserve G-d's creation(s).

Sikhism believes in equality of all before the creator/God and emphasizes the same where our Gurus taught us to treat them as one of all around. Yes they had and shared great wisdom. So basically we Sikhs don't have a concept of messengers of God, exclusivity of the same and the like. What does Judaism say or guide in this respect?

Jewish people believe that they were "chosen" to recieve G-d's message (via the Hebrew prophets), HOWEVER that does NOT mean we are any better than other people (and most Jews don't think so!). It also, in my opinion, does not mean that he gave similar messages to other peoples It's probable some men in 15th Punjab got the message too (though a bit later)

Sat Sri Akal.peacesign

Sat sri akal ji!

 

[spnadmin]

Welcome x-katz ji

I too appreciate your willingness to answer questions about Judaism. We try to update our interfaith dialogs as often as we can regarding the Jewish faith. There are some good articles there that challenge so many of the common stereotypes.

Enjoy your stay. welcomekaur Make it your forum too.

 

[Seeker9]

Dear x-katz Ji

Welcome to the best forum on the web and thanks for your kind offer to help us learn more about your faith

I was just wondering...it has been said that there are some instances in the Old Testament where G-d has been depicted as being a bit fearsome, a bit wrathful and vengeful

Just wondering what your views are on this?

Thanks

 

[xkatz]

Dear x-katz Ji

Welcome to the best forum on the web and thanks for your kind offer to help us learn more about your faith

I was just wondering...it has been said that there are some instances in the Old Testament where G-d has been depicted as being a bit fearsome, a bit wrathful and vengeful

Just wondering what your views are on this?

Seeker9 ji,
I'm very glad you asked this question. First let me start off by saying in Judaism, there is no dualism (ie Satan vs G-d, good vs evil), in fact, in Judaism, what Christians/Muslims call Satan is in fact, an agent of G-d! G-d, being the supreme being of the universe, is the source of everything- "good" and "bad". Anyways, He also does things that we consider strange (ie the massacre of first-borns in Egypt). However, I believe we often see these things as intrinsically good or bad, which they aren't meant to be. G-d, to an extent, is far beyond human comprehension, throughout the Tanakh (and scriptures of other faiths), people who "see" G-d are so overwhelmed by what they "see" they are overcome with fear. I think something similar applies here- while some may see G-d at times acting "wrathful", I think there is something more to it that we as humans simply cannot comprehend due to our limitations. I hope that answers your questions.

 

[findingmyway]

xkatz ji,
Thank you for allowing this exchange. I recently went to a Jewish museum and they worked through what happens in the weekly service. We were showed a Torah scroll adn told how a portion is read each week so the whole is completed over the year. My question is if its just a reading or whether the meaning is also explained?
Thanks gingerteakaur

 

[xkatz]

xkatz ji,
Thank you for allowing this exchange. I recently went to a Jewish museum and they worked through what happens in the weekly service. We were showed a Torah scroll adn told how a portion is read each week so the whole is completed over the year. My question is if its just a reading or whether the meaning is also explained?
Thanks gingerteakaur

Usually, the meaning is explained in addition to the portion. However, the explanation of a portion might differ by a synagogue's affiliation (reform, conservative, orthodox) or sometimes even by individual rabbis.

 

[Seeker9]

Dear Xkatz Ji

Thanks for the explanation

I have often thought about this. How the God of the OT and the NT are so different. I guess as a parent sometimes warns a child so they do not go astray, if you put "the fear of God" into a person, that person is more likely to follow "God's path."

But I will confess some of the things I have read are still a bit unsettling.....

 

[kds1980]

Only 1 questio .Why Jews were and still are hated by muslims and Christians.From long time these 2 Religions have been persecuting Jews.

 

[xkatz]

Only 1 questio .Why Jews were and still are hated by muslims and Christians.From long time these 2 Religions have been persecuting Jews.

There are a multitude of reasons.

1) The Jewish communities of the time(s) rejected Jesus and Muhammad as Messiah and Prophet respectively
2) These groups had historical conflicts (a good example is Muhammad fighting against the Jewish tribes of Arabia)
3) Stereotypes
4) Nationalism (ie Israel vs Palestine)

That said, certainly not all Muslims or Christians hate Jews. I have some really good friends that are devout Christians and I know some good Muslim people. It's a very complex relationship between Judaism and the latter two religions. It's much like the relationship Sikhism has with Hinduism and Islam

 

[kds1980]

There are a multitude of reasons.

1) The Jewish communities of the time(s) rejected Jesus and Muhammad as Messiah and Prophet respectively
2) These groups had historical conflicts (a good example is Muhammad fighting against the Jewish tribes of Arabia)
3) Stereotypes
4) Nationalism (ie Israel vs Palestine)

That said, certainly not all Muslims or Christians hate Jews. I have some really good friends that are devout Christians and I know some good Muslim people. It's a very complex relationship between Judaism and the latter two religions. It's much like the relationship Sikhism has with Hinduism and Islam

But still Zionist conspiracy theories are everywhere.Even the Nazis which were non religious hated Jews .Is it because Jews were always capitalist businessmen so workers use to hate them?

 

[xkatz]

But still Zionist conspiracy theories are everywhere.Even the Nazis which were non religious hated Jews .Is it because Jews were always capitalist businessmen so workers use to hate them?

Not all Jews were businessmen but they were successful so your hypothesis is probable but TBH I am not completely certain.

 

[Ambarsaria]

Essentially the same thing. It is important to recognize, understand, and try to preserve G-d's creation(s).

Jewish people believe that they were "chosen" (Sikhism does not believe we are chosen but are part of all creation) to recieve G-d's message (via the Hebrew prophets), (our Gurus did not portend that they were delivering God's message and neither is it believed to be so, the emphasis is in understanding creation and God through wisdom and guidance and live in consonance with creation) HOWEVER that does NOT mean we are any better than other people (and most Jews don't think so!). It also, in my opinion, does not mean that he gave similar messages to other peoples It's probable some men in 15th Punjab got the message too (though a bit later) (the messages and means are quite different so any correlation in basis for these, the methods thereof is not likely and Sikhism does not believe in any of this)

Sat sri akal ji!

xkatz ji thanks for answering my questions. I flagged in Red my comments if you want to clarify or elaborate or otherwise response.

Shalom and Sat Sri Akal.

 

[xkatz]

xkatz ji thanks for answering my questions. I flagged in Red my comments if you want to clarify or elaborate or otherwise response.

Shalom and Sat Sri Akal.

Just to clarify the last part was mostly sarcasm I don not literally believe that Guru Nanak Dev or any of the other Gurus got a 'message' from G-d like in Judaism necessarily.