Judaism Flashcards
When was Judaism founded?
1300 BCE
In what region was Judaism founded?
The Eastern Mediterranean (Mesopotamia)
What is the Tanakh?
The Hebrew Bible
What do English speaking people also call the Tanakh?
The Old Testament
What are the 3 sections of the Tanakh?
Torah, Nevi’im, and Ketuvin
What are the Five Books of Moses?
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
Which section of the Tanakh is most important to Jews?
The Torah
How many sons did Jacob/Israel have?
12
Canaan is what present day location?
Israel
Where was the Torah given to the people?
Mount Sinai
How many Mitzvahs does the Torah have?
613
What is a Mitzvah?
A commandment
Who originally built the Holy Temple in Jerusalem?
Solomon
The Holy Temple cut Jerusalem in half to form what two Kingdoms?
The Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah
When did the Assyrians conquer Israel?
722 BCE
What happened to the Jewish population after Israel was conquered?
Judah was the sole Jewish Kingdom
When did the Babylonians conquer Judah?
586 BCE
What happened when Judah was conquered?
The Holy Temple is destroyed and all Jews become enslaved
When were the Jews freed from slavery?
539 BCE
Who freed the Jewish population?
Cyrus
Who rebuilt the Holy Temple after it was destroyed by the Babylonians?
Cyrus
What was the covenant from God to the Jewish people?
That circumcision would be done to every male, and has been done to Jewish men for the last 1000 years
Who destroyed the Holy Temple again in 70 BCE?
The Romans
What happened after the Romans destroyed the Holy Temple?
The Jewish people were in an exile
Where did the Jews travel when they were in exile?
Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East
How long did the exile last?
About 2000 years - until 1947
Why did the Jewish exile end?
Palestine was converted into the State of Israel
What is monotheism?
Belief in one God
What are the common names of God in the Tanakh?
“Elohim” and “Yahweh”
What is the Tetragrammation?
YHWH
What do Orthodox Jews say instead of Yahweh?
HaShem or Adonai
What does HaShem translate to?
The Name
What does Adonai translate to?
My Lord
What will Orthodox Jews write instead of God?
G - D
What is Sheol?
The underworld
What do souls do after death?
Live on
What do Jews accept about the afterlife?
They don’t know what it is like, but that it will be related to their earthly life somehow
Why do Jews follow the commandments as closely as possible?
So that no matter what the afterlife is like, they will have created good things on Earth
What is Tzedakah?
Justice / Charity
How much of their income does the Jewish population donate?
10%
What is Masheach?
Messiah
What do the Jews think the Messiah will do when he comes?
Bring the Messianic Era, rebuild the Holy Temple, bring all Jews to the Promised Land (perfection!)
Where will the Messiah rebuild the Holy Temple?
Jerusalem
What do the Jews believe in terms of the Messiah’s coming so far?
The Messiah has not yet come because of all the current suffering
What is the Talmud?
A massive collection of books which have commentary on the Torah and how it should be interpreted
How big is the Talmud?
It has 38 volumes and over 10 million words
What topics of debate are included in the Talmud?
Legal interpretations, history, ethics, philosophy, and legends
Which of the following is Judaism not?
A people, culture, civilization, or race?
A race
Traditionally, which parental figure do children inherit (so to speak) Judaism from?
Their mother
What are the 2 major Jewish groups?
Ashkenazi and Sephardi
Where did Ashkenazi Judaism develop?
Central / East Europe
What language do the Ashkenazi speak?
Yiddish
What languages is Yiddish a combination of?
Hebrew and European languages
Sephardi Judaism was founded by descendants of which Jewish population?
Spain
What language do Sephardi Jews speak?
Ladino (which is going extinct)
What languages is Ladino a combination of?
Hebrew and Old Spanish
What are other groups of Jews?
The Jews of Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Ethiopia, China, Georgia and more
What was the Jewish population in Europe and the Americas prior to World War 2?
9 million in Europe, 6 million in the Americas
What was the Jewish population in Asia and Africa prior to World War 2?
800k in Asia, 500k in Africa
What is the Jewish term for the Holocaust?
Shoah
How many Jews were killed in the Holocaust?
6 million
What do Orthodox Jews believe regarding the Torah?
It is the direct word of God, so it and the commandments must be closely followed
What is another name for Orthodox Jews?
Hasidic Jews
What is the Jewish term for the Sabbath?
Shabbat
What day is the Jewish Sabbath?
Saturday
What are other types of Jews, apart from Orthodox?
Reform, Conservative, and Reconstructionist
What natural / plant foods are Kosher?
Vegetables, fruits, grains, and nuts
What makes an animal Kosher?
They must chew their cud and have hoofs
What animals are Kosher?
Cattle and sheep
What animals are not Kosher?
Pigs, dogs, rabbits, and technically humans
What is the term for how a Kosher animal must be killed?
Shechita
What makes birds / fish Non - Kosher?
Shellfish and fish without fins or scales, and birds of prey
What is Payot?
Long, curly hairs on the side of the head that Jewish men do not cut
What is the religious hat worn by men during prayer called?
Yarmulke
Where was Judaism founded?
Mesopotamia
Where does Judaism rank in terms of popularity?
5th most popular (least of our 5)
How many followers does Judaism have?
15 million (.2% of population)
What is the Jewish Holy City?
Jerusalem
What is the Jewish place of worship?
Synagogues / Temples
What is the spiritual leader in Judaism called?
Rabbi
What is the symbol of Judaism?
Star of David
In what area of the world is Judaism most prevalent?
North America and the Middle East
