Friday 23 December 2016

The Twin Feast of Lights

God said,"Let there be Light" (יְהִי אוֹר‎).
Light is the overarching, central, definitive metaphor for understanding of all of reality ~ Rabbi Shimon Apisdorf.
The axial tilt of our planet has given us reasons and seasons to feast, one such is the winter festival of Lights. Various civilisations across the globe celebrate the feast of lights at various seasons.The oldest civilisations of the world,the Tamils and Jews celebrate their feast of lights 'Karthikai Deepam' and 'Hanukkah',on the same season.
Karthikai Deepam
The festival of Karthikai Deepam is observed in almost every home in Tamil Nadu and Eezham, and falls in the month of Kārttikai (mid-November to mid-December) as per Tamil calendar. This occurs on the day when the moon is in conjunction with the constellation Karthigai (Pleiades) and pournami. The significance of this feast is the 'formation' or 'establishment' of the Six-faced star/Arumugam.
The feast is celebrated by lighting up rows of Agal vilakkus (Clay Oil lamps)in every house. The lighted lamp is considered an auspicious symbol. It is believed to ward off evil forces and usher in prosperity and joy. While the lighted lamp (KuthuVizhakku) is important for all Tamil rituals and festivals, it is indispensable for Karthigai.

The Jewish feast of lights 'Hanukkah',itself means 'Establishing' or 'Dedicating' commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple (the Second Temple) in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire. Hanukkah is observed for eight nights and days, starting on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar, which may occur at any time from late November to late December in the Gregorian calendar.
The Maccabees successfully rebelled against Antiochus IV Epiphanes. According to the Talmud, a late text, the Temple was purified and the wicks of the menorah miraculously burned for eight days, even though there was only enough sacred oil for one day's lighting.
It is celebrated by lighting candles each night,Singing special songs, such as Ma'oz Tzur,reciting Hallel prayer,eating foods fried in oil, such as latkes and sufganiyot, and dairy foods,playing the dreidel game, and giving Hanukkah gelt.
The semitic brethren though separated by geography and polity,stay united by the 'the Light,within'. Let brotherly love prevail among the twin brothers,Jews and Tamils.

Friday 6 February 2015

Tamils, Jews, The Fertility Cult and The Warrior God.



 “In the beginning, there were only Tamils and Jews”, says Fr.Henrique Henriques (1520-1600), the Father of Tamil press, a Jewish priest from Portuguese, in his “Flos Sanctorum”. It was not a mere statement; it was a call for their lost tribe to re-build the third temple for God.
Historia Ecclesiastica, published in 1735 identifies,the Tamil speaking Paravars with the Paravaims of Solomonic Era; and Ovari,the port city of Paravanad (Pandyas)  was identified with the Ophir port. “they traded gold with Israel to build the Temple of God”,adds the age old work.

Modern linguistic researchers have made certain correlation between Tamils and the Hebrews. Words like ‘Abba- Hebrew, Appa- Tamil’ for father,’Emma- Hebrew, Amma- Tamil’ for Mother implies both languages should have common ancestral language. And words like “Tukhi- Peacock” strengthen the claims of ‘Trade between the two kingdoms’, Peacock was found in Tamilnadu,and the name ‘Tukhi’ was of Tamil origin. Peacocks were exported from the Tamil land to Israel during,the Solomonic Era.

“In the beginning there was word” says bible.Not only words, there were symbols too. The “Star of David”,the six pointed star of the Jews and the “Murugan Chakaram” of the Tamils are to be studied carefully. The Six pointed star formation is a perfect fusion two equilateral triangles, one facing upwards and another downwards.

Tamils believe, the two triangles signify energy to create matter. The upward pointing triangle signifies “the universal male energy”- Siva,the Father. The downward facing triangle signifies ‘the universal female energy’- Sakthi,the Mother. And the fusion of both signify the consensual union in creation of ‘Matter’-Kumaran,the son (Seyon,Murugan),reminding the role of human as male and female, becoming the co-creators with god by a sexual union. Tamils revere sex as divinity and have given prime importance and respect in their daily life, the fertility cult. It also means the ascent of spirit and descent of grace.

Kumaran,the son was also called Murugan,which literally means beautiful. He was hailed as the ‘Lord of Armies’, and the wisest since he taught the meaning of “OM” to his father Siva. According to the Tamil religion,Aseevakam or the Siddha tradition, The perfect union of Male and Female energies result in a perfect creation of Beauty, Strength and Wisdom. For most Tamils, Murugan is the favourite deity (Ishta Deivam) as he is the ‘Protector of the realm’,’Warrior God’,’Vanquisher of enemies’. No wonder that, naturally adventurous and brave Tamils chose him as their ‘Ishta Deivam’.

According to few Semitic texts, there was a Father God,El. And Abraham has worshipped El, in various forms and names like El-ohim, El-Shaddai etc. Some say that, the very name of Isra-El is named after the father god. El and his consort, Ashtoreth were worshipped by Cannanites. According to Bible,King Solomon, worshipped Astoreth, though she was not a goddess of Hebrews. Early cannanites worshipped El-Astoreth, for fertility. And “Yahweh”, was the Son of El-Astoreth, say some unverifiable sources.

Bible mentions several times about, the ’Lord of armies’, who is “Yahweh”. Hebrews, thorough the history had been fighting for their Holy land or ‘the promised land’. And again, being naturally valiant and brave, no wonder they chose ‘The Warrior God- Yahweh’ as their only God.

Other similarities like ‘Korban’ and ‘Kedaa Vettuthal’, animal sacrifice rituals, breast beating and wailing intonations add more value to the researches made on tracing the ‘Lost tribes of Israel’. This particular practice of “Kedaa Vettuthal” is a famous practice all over Tamilnadu, especially in Ovari, of Paravanad, till date. And some believe that the 'Peacock Angel' of the Yezidi's is our own 'Lord Murugan'. Even more evidences may come to light,if the Tamil religion which is assimilated into the Aryan Hindu religion,liberates itself from the Hindu fold.

Despite having too many similarities in terms of language, religion and various other customs, Tamils and the Jews share the common agony and enemies in terms of politics too.
Jews suffered utter disgrace on the hands of Aryan racist, before and during the Second World War.  Jews suffered the Holocaust, concentration camps and tortures. The Nazist left Jewish children homeless. Jews fought for their ‘promised land’ and they got it.
Now, Tamils suffer the same way on the hands of the same Aryan racist. In 2009,Over 140,000 people,including women and children were killed on a single day at Mullivaikkal by the Pro-Singalese, Aryan racist government of Srilanka. Mullivaikkal is no different from Auschwitz. Tamil children were left homeless, and the Tamils are still fighting for their father’s land. Previously, Anti- Semitism meant Anti- Jewish, now it is getting re-defined as Anti- Tamils. The plight of Tamils in the Indian Sub-Continent is no different from that of Jews in the Anti-Semitic world, during the Second World War.

Being from the same Semitic stock, Tamils and Jews share an equal responsibility in fighting the growing Neo-Nazism and establishing a global Semitic alliance. The ascension of Narendra Modi, a keen Aryan Supremacist like Hitler, as the Prime Minister of India demands an attention from the Semitic World.


-Andez Raj.A