SUKKOT & SHARAD PURNIMA

Is it strange that in 2 religions that absolutly not connected the same festival?

This year The Jewish festival Sukkot and the Hindu festival Sharad Purnima were on the same day.

The Hindu festival is a harvest festival celebrated on the full moon day.

The Jewish festival is also a harvest festival celebrated on the full moon day:

and the feast of ingathering, at the end of the year, when thou gatherest in thy labours out of the field.

(Exodus 23:16)

Thou shalt keep the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gathered in from thy threshing-floor and from thy
winepress.

And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy
son, and thy daughter, and thy man-servant, and thy maid-servant, and the
Levite, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy
gates.

Seven days shalt thou keep a feast unto the LORD thy God in the
place which the LORD shall choose; because the LORD thy God shall bless
thee in all thine increase, and in all the work of thy hands, and thou
shalt be altogether joyful.

(Deuteronomy 16:13-15)

Howbeit on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when
ye have gathered in the fruits of the land, ye shall keep the feast of
the LORD seven days; on the first day shall be a solemn rest, and on the eighth
day shall be a solemn rest.

(Leviticus 23:39)

So it isn't strange that we find 2 religions that celebrate a Universal phenomenon such as Harvest.

Is there a fundamental diffrance between the 2 religions in the way the celebrate it?

The Harvest is an event that repeat itslef every year.
It's an event that have nothing to do with the historical timeline so basicaly it's timeless.

Judaism take this timeless event and connect it with the historical timeline:

Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are home-born in Israel shall dwell in booths;

that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

(Leviticus 23:42-43).

Bible & Quran on Pregnancy

As I familair with Biblical text when i read this quranic verse,it sound very familar to me:

We have enjoined on man kindness to his parents; in pain did his mother bear him, and in pain did she give him birth
(Quran 46:15)

Well the context is a little bit diffrent but the style is much similar to one of the famous verses in Genesis:

Unto the woman He said: 'I will greatly multiply thy pain and
thy travail; in pain thou shalt bring forth children;
(Genesis 3:16)

once agian we can see the influence of Judaism on Islam.

Was Abel a Muslim?

The story of Cain and Abel is very famous both in Bible and Quran.

According to Quran,when Abel understood that Cain intend to kill him he said:

Even if thou stretch out thy hand against me to kill me, I shall not stretch out
my hand against thee to kill thee, lo! I fear Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.

(5:28)

Is that Islamic atitued? sound more like the christian atitued of the other cheek:

But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the
right cheek, turn to him the other also.

(Matthew 5:39)

I wonder if muslims take it as Islamic way and if so,who exactly follow this way?

Josephus point of view about Hindus

The context of this qoute is a speech of Eleazar ben Ya'ir who was the commander of Masada and just before they lost to the Romans they all commited suiced cause they didn't want to fall into Roman's hands.

This is a part of a speech:

Yet, if we do stand in need of foreigners to support us in this matter, let us
regard those Indians who profess the exercise of philosophy;
for these good men do but unwillingly undergo the time of life, and look upon it as a necessary servitude, and make haste to let their souls loose from their bodies;

nay, when no misfortune presses them to it, nor drives them upon it, these have such a desire of a life of immortality, that they tell other men beforehand that they are about to depart;

and nobody hinders them, but every one thinks them
happy men, and gives them letters to be carried to their familiar friends [that are dead], so firmly and certainly do they believe that souls converse with one another [in the other world].

So when these men have heard all such commands
that were to be given them, they deliver their body to the fire; and, in order
to their getting their soul a separation from the body in the greatest purity,
they die in the midst of hymns of commendations made to them;

for their dearest friends conduct them to their death more readily than do any of the rest of mankind conduct their fellow-citizens when they are going a very long journey, who at the same time weep on their own account, but look upon the others as happy persons, as so soon to be made partakers of the immortal order of beings. Are not we, therefore, ashamed to have lower notions than the
Indians?

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2850/2850-h/book7.htm#2HCH0008

remember my friends,this was written 2000 years ago!

Who was Haman?

3 biggest enemies of the jews

Ask a jewish child who were the 3 biggest enemies of the jews in jewish history and they will give you 2 names from ancient era and 1 from modern era.

Those 3 are of course - Pharaoh,Haman & Hitler.

They all wanted the elimination of the jewish nation.

Pharaoh,king of Egypt(~13th century BC):

And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying: 'Every son that is
born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.'
(exodus 1:22)

The salvation from him is celebrated in Passover.

Haman,was the advaisor of Ahasuerus,king of Persia(~5th century BC):

After these things did king Ahasuerus promote Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him.

(Ester 3:1)

wherefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole
kingdom of Ahasuerus, even the people of Mordecai.

(Ester 3:6)

The salvation from him is celebrated in Purim.

Hitler - well,i think everyone knows his story...

Haman in Islam

To establish a firm place for them in the land, and to show
Pharaoh, Haman, and their hosts, at their hands, the very things against which they were taking precautions.

(Quran 28:6)

Then the people of Pharaoh picked him up (from the river): (It was intended)
that (Moses) should be to them an adversary and a cause of sorrow: for Pharaoh and Haman and (all) their hosts were men of sin.

(Quran 28:8)

Pharaoh said: "O Chiefs! no god do I know for you but myself: therefore, O Haman! light me a (kiln to bake bricks) out of clay, and build me a lofty
palace, that I may mount up to the god of Moses: but as far as I am concerned, I think (Moses) is a liar!"

(Quran 28:38)

(Remember also) Qarun, Pharaoh, and Haman: there came to them Moses with Clear
Signs, but they behaved with insolence on the earth; yet they could not
overreach (Us).

(Quran 29:39)

To Pharaoh, Haman, and Qarun; but they called
(him)" a sorcerer telling lies!"...

(Quran 40:24)

So Muhammad took Haman the advaisor and placed him in Pharaoh palace 1000 years before his time.

Not the first time that muhammad take 2 jewish Motifs and mix them together.

i don't think that muhammad did it consciously,but heard those stories long time before and they mixed in his memory.

Muslism don't understand why jews didn't followed Muhammad,it's a puzzle for them.

I think that Muhmmad was a great,impresive & idealist man but only jews who are familaiar with jewish tradition can sence muhammad errors.

Jewish holidays in a nutshell

They tried to kill us,we were saved,now let's eat!

The migration of pig from Judaism to Islam

Forbidden animals in Judaism

And the LORD spoke unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them:

Speak unto the children of Israel, saying: These are the living things which ye may eat among all the beasts that are on the earth.

Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is wholly cloven-footed, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that may ye eat.

(Leviticus 11:1-3)

So God give a criterion for a "Kosher" animal:

1. parteth the hoof
2. wholly cloven-footed
3. cheweth the cud

The animal who fit to those 3 conditions can be eaten and those who not are forbidden.

What's the reason?

Not specified,only God will.

later on so there won't be any mistakes,there's example for each exception:

Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that only chew the cud, or of them that only part the hoof:

the camel, because he cheweth the cud but parteth not the hoof, he is unclean unto you.

And the rock-badger, because he cheweth the cud but parteth not the hoof, he is unclean unto you.

And the hare, because she cheweth the cud but parteth not the hoof, she is unclean unto you.

And the swine, because he parteth the hoof, and is cloven-footed, but cheweth not the cud, he is unclean unto you.

(Leviticus 11:4-7)

So all those animals are forbidden cause they don't fit the criterion of "Kosher" animals.

Are those animals evil? bad?

No,they are just forbidden from eating.

Is pig diffrent than all other animals?

No,he's just an example for animal who don't cheweth the cud

Forbidden animals in Islam

He hath only forbidden you dead meat, and blood, and the flesh of swine, and that on which any other name hath been invoked besides that of Allah.

(quran 2:173)

Forbidden to you (for food) are: dead meat, blood, the flesh of swine, and that on which hath been invoked the name of other than Allah;

(quran 5:3)

So we see that pig was forbidden in Islam like in Judaism,but why all other forbidden animals in Judaism not?

Is Pig diffrent than other animals?

We can find a clue in similar verse:

Say: "I find not in the message received by me by inspiration any (meat) forbidden to be eaten by one who wishes to eat it, unless it be dead meat, or blood poured forth, or the flesh of swine,- for it is an abomination - or, what is impious, (meat) on which a name has been invoked, other than Allah's". But (even so), if a person is forced by necessity, without wilful disobedience, nor transgressing due limits,- thy Lord is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.

(quran 6:145)

So eating pig is abomination,but why - what so special in that animal?

I think we can find the answer for that in jewish tradition.

The evolution of pig in Judaism

Pigs in Greek Rituals

The ancient greeks had a special ritual related to Demeter Godess which called Thesmophoria.

Pigs had major part of those rituals:

Most closely related to the Mysteries at Eleusis were the so-called "Thesmophoria" (from thesmoi, meaning "laws," and phoria, "carrying," in reference to the goddess as "law-bearer"). These rites were celebrated by women only throughout all Greece in the month of Pyanepsion (late October), their characteristic feature being a pig sacrifice, the usual sacrifice to chthonic deities. The Greeks attributed special powers to pigs on account of their fertility, the potency and abundance of their blood, and perhaps because of their uncanny ability to unearth underground tubers and shoots. It was believed that mingling their flesh with the seeds of grain would increase the abundance of next year's harvest. The ceremonies comprised fasting and purification, a ritualized descent into the underworld, and the use of sympathetic magic to bring renewed life back out of the jaws of death (Harrison 120-31; Baring and Cashford 374-77). Similarly, the Eleusinian Mysteries also revered swine and their rituals featured the washing and sacrificing of young pigs sacred to Demeter (although this took place on the beaches at Pireas near Athens rather than at Eleusis itself). The numerous correspondences suggest that the Eleusinian Mysteries were of a piece with the Thesmophoria, and perhaps shared the same historical origins.

http://users.erols.com/nbeach/eleusis.html

Pig as symbol of Greek war with the jews

The year is 167 BC :

After Jerusalem was re-conquered by Antiochus(IV Epiphanes) ,he legislated many laws against Judaism.

He wanted to Hellenization the jews.

So one of the laws was related to the pig:

And he commanded altars to be built, and temples, and idols, and swine's flesh to be immolated, and unclean beasts.

(1 Maccabees 1:50)

http://st-takla.org/pub_Deuterocanon/Deuterocanon-Apocrypha_El-Asfar_El-Kanoneya_El-Tanya__8-First-of-Maccabees.html

Greek era - The horrifying story of Eleazar

Eleazar one of the chief of the scribes, a man advanced in years, and of a comely countenance, was pressed to open his mouth to eat swine's flesh.

But he, choosing rather a most glorious death than a hateful life, went forward voluntarily to the torment.

And considering in what manner he was come to ii;, patiently bearing, he determined not to do any unlawful things for the love of life.

But they that stood by, being moved with wicked pity, for the old friendship they had with the man, taking him aside, desired that flesh might be brought, which it was lawful for him to eat, that he might make as if he had eaten, as the king had commanded of the flesh of the sacrifice:

That by so doing he might be delivered from death: and for the sake of their old friendship with the man they did him this courtesy.

But he began to consider the dignity of his age, and his ancient years, and the inbred honour of his grey head, and his good life and conversation from a child: and he answered without delay, according to the ordinances of the holy law made by God, saying, that he would rather be sent into the other world.

For it doth not become our age, said he, to dissemble: whereby many young persons might think that Eleazar, at the age of fourscore and ten years, was gone over to the life of the heathens:

And so they, through my dissimulation, and for a little time of a corruptible life, should be deceived, end hereby I should bring a stain and a curse upon my old age.

For though, for the present time, I should be delivered from the punishments of men, yet should I not escape the hand of the Almighty neither alive nor dead.

Wherefore by departing manfully out of this life, I shall shew myself worthy of my old age:

And I shall leave an example of fortitude to young men, if with a ready mind and constancy I suffer an honourable death, for the most venerable and most holy laws. And having spoken thus, he was forthwith carried to execution.

And they that led him, and had been a little before more mild, were changed to wrath for the words he had spoken, which they thought were uttered out of arrogancy.

But when he was now ready to die with the stripes, he groaned, and said: O Lord, who hast the holy knowledge, thou knowest manifestly that whereas I might be delivered from death, I suffer grevious pains in body: but in soul am well content to suffer these things be- cause I fear thee.

Thus did this man die, leaving not only to young men, but also to the whole nation, the memory of his death for an example of virtue and fortitude.

(2 Maccabees 6:18-31)

http://st-takla.org/pub_Deuterocanon/Deuterocanon-Apocrypha_El-Asfar_El-Kanoneya_El-Tanya__9-Second-of-Maccabees.html

Greek era - The horrifying story of 7 sons

To came to pass also, that seven brethren, together with their mother, were apprehended, and compelled by the king to eat swine's flesh against the law, for which end they were tormented with whips and scourges.

But one of them, who was the eldest, said thus: What wouldst thou ask, or learn of us? we are ready to die rather than to transgress the laws of God, received from our fathers.

Then the king being angry commanded fryingpans, and brazen caldrons to be made hot: which forthwith being heated,

He commanded to cut out the tongue of him that had spoken first: and the skin of his head being drawn off, to chop off also the extremities of his hands and feet, the rest of his brethren, and his mother, looking on.

And when he was now maimed in all parts, he commanded him, being yet alive, to be brought to the Are, and to be fried in the fryingpan: and while he was suffering therein long torments, the rest, together with the mother, exhorted one another to die manfully,

Saying: The Lord God will look upon the truth, and will take pleasure in us, "as Moses declared in the profession of the canticle: And In his servants he will take pleasure.

So when the first was dead after this manner, they brought the next to make him a, mocking stock: and when they had pulled off the skin of his head with the hair, they asked him if he would eat, before he were punished throughout the whole body in every limb.

But he answered in his own language, and said: I will not do it. Wherefore Ire also in the next place, received the torments of the first:

And when he was at the last gasp, he said thus: Thou indeed, O most wicked man, destroyest us out of this present life: but the King of the world will raise us up, who die for his laws, in the resurrection of eternal life.

After him the third was made a mocking stock, and when he was required, he quickly put forth his tongue, and courageously stretched out his hands:

And said with confidence: These have from heaven, but for the laws of God I now despise them: because I hope to receive them again from him.

So that the king, and they that were with him, wondered at the young man's courage, because he esteemed the torments as nothing.

And after he was thus dead, they tormented the fourth in the like manner

And when he was now ready to die, he spoke thus: It is better, being put to death by men, to look for hope from God, to be raised up again by him: for, as to thee thou shalt have no resurrection unto life.

And when they had brought the fifth, they tormented him. But he looking upon the king,

Said: Whereas thou hast power among men, though thou art corruptible, thou dost what thou wilt: but think not that our nation is forsaken by God.

But stay patiently a while, and thou shalt see his great power, in what manner he will torment thee and thy seed.

After him they brought the sixth, and he being ready to die, spoke thus: Be not deceived without cause: for we suffer these things for ourselves, having sinned against our God, and things worthy of admiration are done to us:

But do not think that thou s escape unpunished, for that thou attempted to fight against God.

Now the mother was to be ad above measure, and worthy to be remembered by good men, who beheld seven sons slain in the space of one day, and bore it with a good courage, for the hope that she had in God:

And she bravely exhorted every o of them in her own language, being filled with wisdom: and joining a man's heart to a woman's thought,

She said to them: I know not how you were formed in my womb: for I neither gave you breath, nor soul, nor life, neither did I frame the limbs of every one of you.
But the Creator of the world, that formed the nativity of man, and that found out the origin of all, he will re- store to you again in his mercy, both breath and life, as now you despise your- selves for the sake of his laws.

(2 Maccabees 7:1-23)

So we can see that during the Greek occupation ,Pig bacame symbol to Greek attempts to convert jews to Hellenistic religion.

Pig as symbol of Roman war with the jews

100 hundred years later during the Romans occupation ,pig was again involved.

The Talmud document this story:

IT IS NOT RIGHT TO BREED PIGS IN ANY PLACE WHATEVER.
Our Rabbis taught: When the members of the Hasmonean house
were contending with one another,
Hyrcanus was within and Aristobulus without [the city wall]
[Those who were within] used to let down to the other party
every day a basket of denarii, and [in return] cattle were sent up
for the regular sacrifices.
There was, however, an old man [among the besiegers]
who had some knowledge in Grecian Wisdom
and who said to them: 'So long as the other party [are allowed to]
continue to perform the service of the sacrifices they will not be
delivered into your hands.
' On the next day when the basket of denarii was let down,
a swine was sent up.
When the swine reached the centre of the wall it stuck its claws
into the wall, and Eretz Yisrael quaked over a distance of four hundred parasangs
by four hundred parasangs.
It was proclaimed on that occasion:
Cursed be the man who would breed swine

(Baba Kamma 82:b)

http://www.come-and-hear.com/babakamma/babakamma_82.html#chapter_viii

So as we see along jewish history the pig transformed from harmless non-kosher animal into a symbol of anti-judaism.

Pig ,from Judaism to Islam

So it's no wonder that in 7th century,Muhammad perceived from the jews that pig is the most negative animal and shouldn't be eaten at all.

That's why from all jewish non-kosher animals only the pig found his way into Islam.

We can find some hadith's that show the negative staus pig has as an animal in Islam:

Muslim recorded that Buraydah bin Al-Husayb Al-Aslami said that the Messenger of Allah:

(He who plays Nardshir (a game with dice that involves gambling) is just like the one who puts his hand in the flesh and blood of swine.)

If this is the case with merely touching the flesh and blood of swine, so what about eating and feeding on it?

http://www.qtafsir.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=825&Itemid=

Buraida reported on the authority of his father that Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) said: He who played chess is like one who dyed his hand with the flesh and blood of swine.

(Sahih Muslim, Book 28, Number 5612)

Narrated Al-Mughirah ibn Shu'bah:

The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: He who sold wine should shear the flesh of swine.

(Sunan Abu-Dawud, Book 23, Number 3482)

There's even a Hadith that say that when jesus return he will kill all pigs!!!

Abu Huraira reported that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: By Him in Whose hand is my life, the son of Mary (may peace be upon him) will soon descend among you as a just judge. He will break crosses, kill swine and abolish Jizya and the wealth will pour forth to such an extent that no one will accept it.

(Sahih Muslim, Book 1, Number 0287)

looks like someone has strong feelings against this animal...