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DECEMBER 2014
PRABUDDH JEEVAN
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striclty in accordance with the Law of Retribution. JUDAISM Those whose righteous deeds excel the evil ones Origin of Judaism may be attributed to a divine are sent to Heaven and they enjoy. Those whose convenant between the God of the ancient Israelies evil deeds balance heavily over the righteous and Abraham over 3500 years ago. Judaism is the reones are sent to hell, a place of fearful suffering. ligion of Jews who were the descendants of the anHowever, damnation to hell is not eternal. This cient Hebrews who called themselves the chosen religion promises an ultimate happy and good people'. The story of the origin and early development life for all.
of the religion is given in the Old Testament itself. It is 8. It is a religion of perfect ethical purity and dedica- said that God chose Abraham and revealed Himself to
tion, devoid of petty ceremonialism. The basic ethi- him many times. In due course, he communicated his cal virtues that men inculcate are good thoughts, visions and the message of God to the people. This is good words and goo deeds. Although some prayer how Judaism came into existence and is known to be or worship of Ahura Mazda is prescribed, the reli- a revealed religion. It is also based on a revelation made gious life consists in the cultivation of moral vir- to prophet Moses on the Mount Sinai. It is thus a retues. Zoroastrianism believes in the Eternal law of vealed or God-made religion. Although Judaism is asAsha', which means righteousness in our day-to- sociated with the name of Moses, Patriarch Abraham day life. It signifies truth, order, discipline and har- can be considered as its real founder and father of Jewmony and includes acts of purity, truthfulness and ish faith who lived about 1900 B.C.E. Abraham lived a beneficence.
nomadic life moving from one place to another. A ter9. Fire is regarded as very pure and is treated as a rible famine made his descendent Jacob and his people
symbol of divine purity. At times, it is equated with move to Egypt. Egyptians made them slaves and they God. Parsees have fire temples and they are known had to struggle with the Egyptians. Moses was born as fire worshippers. Thus it is said that Zoroastri- later in the 13th century B.C. Moses, led his people out ans worship through prayers and symbolic ceremo- of captivity in Egypt and received the Law from God. nies that are conducted before a sacred fire that After Moses it was Joshua who later led them into the symbolizes their God.
Promised Land where Samuel established the Israel10. Zoroastrianism believes in the existence of angelsite kingdom with Saul as its first king. King David es
to wait on God and evil spirits to accompany tablished Jerusalem and King Solomon built the first Ahriman.
temple there. After Moses there was a chain of Proph11. Zoroastrianism teaches equaility and brotherhood ets who shaped and reshaped this religion amidst variof all.
ous ups and downs that it experienced from time to 12. According to them dead body is most impure; and time. The homeland of Jews is Palestine in the Middle
fire, water and earth are sacred and pure; hence East, which was under the domination of others For neither cremation nor burial or throwing into sea is more than 20 centuries. In 70 CE the Jerusalem temple acceptable to them.
was destroyed and the Jews were scattered through13. As the Vedic Brahmin who emphasized Grahastha out the wolrd. Modern state of Israel was founded in
Ashrama Zoroastrianism prescribes life of a house- 1948. Even today friction between Jews and Palestinholder and does not favour asceticism.
ians is going on. Jerusalem is the Holy City for JudaThe Zoroastrian holy book is called the Avesta, which ism, Christrianity as well as Islam. It is said that there includes the teachings of Zarathushtra written in a se- are bout 5000 Jews in India. Out of these, 4000 reside ries of five hymns called the Gathas. They are abstract in Thane and Mumbai and especially in Alibag area. sacred poetry directed towards the worship of the One Basic Features of Judaism as a religion God, understanding of righteousness and cosmic or- Jews believe in one creator who alone is to be worder, promotion of social justice, and individual choice shipped as absolute ruler of the universe. He monitors between good and evil. The rest of the Avesta was people's activities and rewards good deeds and punwritten at a later date and deals with rituals, practice of ishes evil. The Torah was revealed to Moses by God worship, and other traditions of the faith. The oldest and cannot be changed though God does communiParsee scripture is known as Gatha. Later on, it came cate with the Jewish people through prophets. Jews to be written in Zend (commentary) and Avesta (the believe in the inherent goodness of the world and its language in which it was later written).
inhabitants as creations of God and do not require a
