Veda and Torah: The holy Vedas and the holy Torah - A comparative study

Book Reviewed: Veda and Torah - Transcending the Textuality of Scripture, by Barbara A. Holdrege

This book is not meant for a general reader interested in studying religion. The subject matter is academically oriented, and it addresses questions regarding the sources of authority and legitimation of the two Holy Scriptures. It does not discuss specific hymns from either Vedas or Torah to determine if there are any similarities or differences among them. There is a discussion of epistemology of the two faiths but no evidence of any possible impact of each other's culture or if there is a common root for the two oldest faiths. In fact Hinduism and Judaism are vastly different.

The most fundamental difference being that the textual transmission in the brahmanical and Jewish traditions are different. The brahmanical tradition gave priority to oral-aural channels (utterances of scared words) as the most appropriate means of apprehending and transmitting the sacred knowledge; but the rabbinic (and Kabbalistic) traditions assigned special status to the written register. The Vedic texts were preserved for over three thousand years by brahmanical reciters and the Sefer Torah by the Jewish scribal tradition. The texts of these scriptures are fixed and not a sound or a syllable or word or letter is altered.

The method of worship of God in the Vedic tradition being mantra recitation and the oblations offered during the sacrificial fire to gods, but the Vedic deities are not represented by the images. The Vedic recitations during sacrifices are considered divine and the mantras are recited to regenerate the cosmos and nourish the gods. Similarly Torah is regarded as the living aspect of God, and its preservation, ornamentation, and veneration are the embodiment of God. The congregation traditionally stands when the scroll is taken as it is carried in procession around synagogue point to the Sefer Torah's status as an object of veneration of the divine Word.

Oral traditions are considered as personal and written traditions are impersonal. The personalized nature of oral transmission is due to a continuity that exists between the speaker and the listeners. The written tradition of Torah is considered as impersonal but rabbinic traditions regard that as the living Word of God with which Jewish people engage in discourse with its author, the God Himself. The two great religions of the world have different origin and different methods for the transmission of scriptures but both have a common denominator. They show the man's undying willingness to make connection with God Almighty, the Creator Himself.