Jewish Trivia - Holidays Flashcards
Name the three-cornered pastry we eat on Purim.
Hamentaschen
What does the salt water used at the Pesach (Passover) seders remind us of?
The tears of the Jewish people (when they were slaves in Egypt)
On which holiday do we dip apples in honey?
Rosh HaShanah
Towards the end of the Pesach (Passover) seder we say, “Next year in _____.”
Jerusalem
Who told Queen Esther about Haman’s plot to kill the Jews?
Mordecai
The “helper” candle in the Chanukah menorah is called the _____.”
Shamash
Which holiiday is celebrated with picnics, hikes and bonfires?
Lag B’Omer
On which holiday do we fast and pray for forgiveness?
Yom Kippur
Who led the Jewish people to victory in the Chanukah story?
Judah the Maccabee
For how many days do we celebrate Chanukah?
Eight days
Which woman is associated with the holiday of Shavuot? Ruth, Sarah, Yehudit?
Ruth
On which holiday do we wish each other a “Shana Tova U’Metuka” (a “good sweet year”)?
Rosh HaShanah
How many times do we march around with the Torah on Simchat Torah?
Seven times
When we hear Haman’s name during the reading of the Megillat Esther, we do what?
Make noise
How many plagues were brought upon the Egyptians before Pharoah let the Jews leave Egypt?
10 plagues
What book do we read at the seder meal on Pesach (Passover)?
The Haggadah
Name the prophet who visits each home during the Pesach (Passover) seder.
Eliyahu (Elijah) the Prophet
How many cups of wine do we drink at the Pesach (Passover) seder?
Four cups
In which country does the story of Purim take place: Egypt or Persia?
Persia
What holiday do we celebrate on the 33rd day of Omer?
Lag B’Omer
What do we celebrate on Simchat Torah?
Completion of the annual cycle of reading of the Torah and the beginning of the next annual cycle.
On which holiday is it a custom to stay up all night and learn Torah?
Shavuot
Who did G-d send to ask Pharoah to free the Jews from slavery?
Moshe (Moses) and his brother Aharon (Aaron)
Name the villain in the Purim story.
Haman
On which holiday is Kol Nidre recited?
Yom Kippur
On which day were both the first and second Beit Hamikdash (Holy Temple) destroyed?
Tisha B’Av
Name a special food fried in oil on Chanukah.
Latkes (potato pancakes) and/or sufganiyot (doughnuts).
Which holiday comes five days after Yom Kippur?
Sukkot
What scroll do we read on Purim?
Megillat Esther
(The Book of Esther)
Name the four Hebrew letters on the dreidel.
Nun, Gimmel, Hey, Shin – in the Diaspora
Nun, Gimmel, Hey, Peh – in Israel
The Hebrew words for the Jewish New Year which also mean “Head of the Year” are _____.”
Rosh HaShanah
On which holiday were bikkurim (first fruits) brought to the
Temple in Jerusalem?
Shavuot
On which holiday do we read about the prophet Jonah who was swallowed by the whale?
Yom Kippur
What do we plant on the holiday of Tu B’Shevat?
Trees
In the story of Purim, who wanted to destroy the Jewish people?
Haman
What does Yom Yerushalayim celebrate?
The reunification of Jerusalem in 1967
On Pesach (Passover) how many covered Matzot are on the seder table?
Three
Who became King Ahashverosh’s chief minister after Haman?
Mordechai
On the holiday of Sukot, why do we shake the lulav in all directions?
To remind us that G-d is everywhere
What two queens were married to King Ahashverosh?
Queen Vashti and Queen Esther
On which holiday do we use arba’ah minim: aravot (willow), hadassim (myrtle), lulav (palm) and etrog (citron)?
Sukkot
Which holiday is called the Festival of Lights?
Chanukah
On what holiday do we hide and then find the “afikomen”?
Pesach (Passover)
How many blasts do we hear from the shofar on Rosh Hashanah: 50, 100, 125?
100
For how many minutes after sundown must Chanukah candles burn: 15, 30, 60?
30 minutes
What do the four letters on the Chanukah dreidel stand for?
Nes Gadol Haya Sham (A great miracle happened there)
or
Nes Gadol Haya Po (A great miracle happened here)
From what kind of a tree does a lulav come?
Palm tree
Name two of the four mitzvot we perform on Purim.
Matanot L’evyonim (gifts to the poor),
Mishloach Manot (gifts of food to friends),
Seudah (festive meal),
Megillat Esther (hearing the megillah read)
What oil do we use to light the Chnaukah menorah?
Olive oil
Chag Ha’Aviv - the Festival of Spring - is another name for which holiday?
Pesach (Passover)
What do we call searching for the chometz the night before Pesach (Passover)?
Bedikat Chometz
What is the Hebrew name for the Day of Atonement?
Yom Kippur
Name the King of Persia in the Purim story?
King Ahashverosh
What are two of the miracles of Chanukah?
The oil burned for eight days and the military victory of the Jews over the Syrian-Greeks
The second Holy Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by which nation?
The Romans
We fast on Tisha B’Av to remember what?
The destruction of the Beit Hamikdash (Holy Temple)
What do we call the unleavened bread we eat on Pesach (Passover)?
Matzah
Which holiday is called “Z’man Cheiruteinu” (Season of Our Freedom)?
Pesach (Passover)
At the seder, how many questions does the youngest person ask in the Mah Nishtanah?
Four Questions
On which holiday do we have Hakafot (marching around with the Torah)?
Simchat Torah
What is a shofar made of?
Ram’s Horn
On which holiday do we start reading the Torah from the beginning?
Simchat Torah
On what holiday do we eat blintzes, cheesecakes, and other dairy food?
Shavuot
On which holiday do we eat our meals in a booth outside the house?
Sukkot
On Yom Kippur it is a tradition to wear what color?
White
Which holiday comes during the month of Shevat?
Tu B’Shevat
What do we do with our wine while reciting the ten plagues at the seder?
Spill a drop of wine for each plague
Purim is celebrated in which month: Adar, Tishrei or Sivan?
Adar
Which Holiday is sometimes called the Jewish Thanksgiving?
Sukkot
Name the special sandwich that is made at the Pesach (Passover) seder.
Hillel Sandwich
(matzah and maror)
Which Megillah is read on Shavuot?
Megillat Ruth (The Book of Ruth)
What are the two kinds of branches that are combined with the lulav?
Hadassim (myrtle) and Aravot (willow)
In the seder song “Chad Gadya,” what did the father buy for two zuzim?
A kid (goat)
What is unusual about the first time we wash our hands at the Pesach (Passover) seder?
We do not make a beracha (blessing)
Which two holidays have a “chol ha-moed” (intermediate days)?
Sukkot (Tabernacles) and Pesach (Passover)
What do we call the Shabbat between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur?
Shabbat Shuvah
(The Sabbath of Repentance)
Chametz is forbidden on what holiday?
Pesach (Passover)
In which Hebrew month are Rosh HaShanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah holidays celebrated?
Tishrei
What do we ask in the fourth question of Mah Nishtanah?
Why do we recline at the seder?
On which holiday do we conclude the reading of the Torah?
Simchat Torah
What do we call the roof of a sukkah?
S’chach
On Yoom Kippur we say Kol Nidre prayers at the beginning, middle or end of the holday?
The beginning
In what Hebrew month do we celebrate Pesach (Passover)?
Nissan
From which direction do we light the Chanukah menorah?
From right to left
What do we call the lemon-like fruit that we hold with the lulav on Sukkot?
- *Etrog
(citron) **
On which holiday do we remember the booths the Jews lived in during their years in the desert?
Sukkot (Tabernacles)
Name four of the ten plagues that were inflicted on the Egyptians.
Blood, frogs, lice, wild beasts, pestilence, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, death of firstborn
What favorite game do we play on Chanukah?
Dreidel or Sevivon
What fast do we observe the day before Purim?
Ta’anit Esther (The Fast of Esther)
Pesach (Passover) Matzah must be baked within how many minutes: 10, 18, 30?
18 (eighteen)
In which hand is the etrog held if you are right-handed?
The Left
Name three foods on the seder plate.
Maror (bitter herbs), Karpas (parsley), Chazeret (lettuce), Charoset (apple, nut, honey mixture), Zeroa (Shankbone), Baytzah (egg)
How many times is Megillat Esther read on Purim?
Twice (once in the evening and again in the morning)
What event do we remember on Pesach (Passover)?
G-d taking the Jews out of the land of Egypt (the exodus)
What do we count from the second night of Pesach (Passover) until Shavuot?
Sefirat HaOmer (the Counting of the Omer)
Gifts of Mishloach Manot (or Shelach Manot) are given on which holiday?
Purim
On Pesach (Passover), what does the maror (bitter herbs) remind us of?
The bitterness of our slavery in Egypt
How many candles besides the Shamash do we light on the last night of Chanukah?
Eight
On what holiday do we do “Tashlich” to rid ourselves of our sins?
Rosh HaShanah
How many berachot (blessings) do we say on the first night of Chanukah when we light the Chanukah Menorah?
Three
In which Hebrew month do we celebrate Chanukah?
Kislev
How many cups of wine or grape juice do we drink at the Pesach (Passover) seder?
Four cups
Which king was married to Queen Vashti?
King Ahashverosh
On what holiday do we wear masks?
Purim
On which two fast days is it traditional not to wear leather shoes?
Yom Kippur and Tisha B’Av
What is the last food eaten at the Pesach (Passover) seder?
Matzah (Afikomen)
During the time period of which Temple did the holiday of Chanukah occur?
The Second Temple
Name the custom in which we throw away our sins on Rosh HaShanah by the river.
Tashlich
Tekiah, Shevarim and Teruah are three sounds made by what?
The Shofar
The prayer for rain is said on what holiday: Shemini Atzeret, Chanukah, Passover?
Shemini Atzeret
