Judaism Flashcards
In Judaism, the Gemara combined with the Mishnah is called what?
Talmud
Which group/denomination did we say believes God is personal, revelatory, and involved in the lives of His people?
Reform
What is the literal meaning of the word “kosher”?
“clean” or “pure”
Why don’t reconstructionist Jews have any “commandments” that they are expected to obey?
Basically just a community. Very progressive. People like the traditions but do not practice or particularly believe
With specific group of Jews did we say have no theological or liturgical connection to Judaism?
Assimilated– connections are genealogical
Practicing Jews are traditionally married under what?
Chuppah– represents the idea of a new household, white/blue colors represent the Heavens and God looking down on you
Observant Jews “sit shiva” when?
Right after for up to a month
Are non-kosher animals not kosher because they are dirty/unhealthy?
No, they symbolize a behavior that is not acceptable to God
On which Jewish holiday is it considered appropriate to “mock the rabbi”?
Purim
Which specific group/denomination of Judaism did we say is caught halfway between tradition and modernity?
Conservative
In Judaism, the “shema” is what?
Prayer that expresses belief in the singularity of God, recited twice a day
According to the Jewish law of kashrut, what poultry/seafood can observant Jews eat, and which may they not eat?
They cannot eat birds of prey or scavengers. They also cannot eat seafood with shells or without fins and scales
In what century did Alexander the Great conquer Israel?
336-323 BC
What do most Jews believe about the Messiah?
God of creation, revelation, and redemption. A personal God
Which group/denominations believes in the need for a “minyan” but allows both men and women to participate in that?
Conservative
The Hebrew Kosher law deems certain animals as “unfit” for consumption because they are what?
Unpure, represent impurity
Who must be circumcised, when, and why?
Boys, eight days old, covenant with God and a religious commandment
What is a Bat Mitzvah and Bar Mitzvah, when are they performed, for what purpose, and for whom?
Bar Mitzvah– 13 year old boys
Bat Mitzvah– 12 year old girls
Son/daughter of the commandment
Which Jews are encouraged to fast on their wedding day?
Most of them, bride and groom
What two consumables are observant Jews not supposed to eat at the same time?
Milk and meat
Which specific group/denomination of Judaism did we say seeks to provide a place for Jews who love the culture of Judaism, but are not necessarily into all of the doctrines of Judaism?
Reconstructionists
The Jewish Holiday Tu Bishvat is, among other things, a commemoration of what?
Nature and trees. Eating fruit is a reminder of God’s nourishing words.
Three things that God has done or will do:
- Create the universe
- Reveal the Torah to his covenant people
- Redeem all of his creations at the end of time
What is the Jewish ritual is mourning of a loved one called?
Sitting Shiva, lasts for a week
What are “tzitzit”?
Tassel to remind of Torah commandments
In what year did King Antiochus Epiphanes force Jews (in Jerusalem) to Hellenize?
167 BC
What is the literal meaning of the term “Haredi”?
Trembling/fearing God
Which denomination did we say believes God is simply a spirit-essence power in the universe?
Reconstructionist
What are the various texts which are part of the Jewish canon?
Tanakh= The Law (Torah), Prophets (Neviim), and writings (K’tuvim)
Mishnah= The oral law/Torah received by Moses
Gemara= Analysis and commentary on the Mishnah
Talmud= Gemara + Mishnah
Midrash= commentary on any portion of the Tanakh
Which Jewish holiday as a “Mardi Gras spirit”?
Purim
What names for their canon do Jews use and which do they avoid?
Avoid term “old testament”
What do one of the two people being married typically crush with their foot at the end of a Jewish wedding? What does doing so symbolize?
Groom crushes glass under foot- remembrance of the destruction of the temple
Judaism leans in which direction: observant or progressive?
Progressive
Which Jewish denominations allow women to function as (or be ordained) as rabbis?
Conservative–>
Which group of Judaism lives in the world, but not of the world?
Moden Orthodox
What would most Jews say about heaven and its nature?
There is a Heaven, but not talked about as much because most of it is unknown
What articles of religious clothing do a high percentage of Haredi and Modern Orthodox Jews commonly wear?
Kippah
What is the literal meaning of the Hebrew word “Hanukkah” or “Chanukah”?
Dedication
What is the proper pronunciation of Judaism?
Judah-ism
What provoked the creation of Judaism?
Covenant with Abraham
On what Jewish holiday do parishioners encircle the entire congregation with an unrolled Torah scroll?
Simchat Torah
Who is the founder of Judaism?
Abraham
Who is the most important prophetic figure in Judaism?
Moses
Where, according to LDS theology, was Covenant Israel first organized?
Mount Sinai
Which specific group of Judaism did we say is still “in” Judaism, but only just?
Reform
How many main groupings of Judaism are there?
Ultra-Orthodox (Haredi), Modern Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionists, Assimilated
Who do the most observant Jews work for?
Work for each other
Most Jews who describe the nature of heaven draw their details about its nature from what religious texts?
Torah
How many commandments do observant Jews believe God revealed through Moses?
Total of 613 commandments
Which denominations of Judaism require that men and women sit separately during synagogue services?
Haredi, Modern Orthodox
What is the Oral Torah?
Makes up 603 commandments
What shift in doctrine took place in Judaism around the 6th century BC?
Destruction of the first temple in Jerusalem
What Jewish holiday is known as the festival of lights?
Hanukkah
What is a Jewish “minyan”?
Prayer, must wear sacred clothes, public sometimes
The Feast of Tabernacles highlights the dangers of what?
Dangers of over-reliance on material possessions and the impermanence of physical structures
During what Jewish holiday is a “spring cleaning” common?
Passover
Which denomination/group of Judaism sometimes tends to feel pretty protestant in its worship services?
Reform
When did Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan start his own group of Judaism?
Reconstructionist Judaism, early 20th century
Judaism was founded in what milieu- meaning most of its neighbors taught what about God?
Most were polytheistic
On one of the Spring holidays (judaism), fruit is eaten. What does it symbolize?
Tu Bishvat
1. the meat represents the holy things
2. the seeds/pit represent sinful or impure things to get rid of
3. the skin/rind/peel represents protecting Holy things
What is a “lulav” and what Jewish holiday is it associated with?
Bundle of branches during Sukkot
What is the three fold purpose of life in Judaism?
- Live piously
- Life as the “chosen”
- Usher in the Messiah
How many knots do the strings attached to Tallit and prayer shawl have?
13 knots, sum of all numbers is 613
When do Orthodox Jewish men feel obligated to wear Tefillin?
Weekday morning prayers
What is the “Shema”?
Central Jewish prayer, found in the Torah
What do a significant percentage of Jews refer to the synagogue as?
Shul or Shule
Why do Haredi Jewish boys not get a haircut until sometime after their second birthday?
“Don’t round off the hair on your temples”
What are two rules that Orthodox Jews follow when engaging in prayers?
Facing Jerusalem, Sacred clothing
What does the Hebrew word “mezuzah” mean?
Doorpost or doorframe
Which Jewish holiday is seldom celebrated by theologically progressive Jews?
Yom Ha’Atzmaut
What rooms of a house can you appropriately place a mezuzah on the doorpost?
Front door and bedroom door, never on a bathroom or small spaces
When was Yom Ha’atzmaut first celebrated?
1948
What does Yom Ha’atzmaut celebrate?
Israeli Independence Day
What is gematria?
Assigning numerical values to letters of the Alphabet
How does an observant Jew us or interact with a mezuzah?
Touching or kissing, reciting a blessing
When is Jewish Sabbath?
Friday night to Saturday night
What is the meaning of the Hebrew term “Rosh Hashanah”?
Commemorates New Years and repentance, “head of the year”
What Jewish holiday is considered “New Years for the Trees”?
Tu Bishvat
What does the Hebrew term “Yom Kippur” mean?
Day of Atonement
What does Yom Kippur commemorate?
Commemorates atonement
Which sins does God readily forgive? Those against HIm or those against our fellow humans?
Forgives sins against him, we have to resolve the ones among ourselves on our own
What are the “five restrictions” placed on observers of Yom Kippur?
Bathing, perfume, makeup, no leather, no sexual relations
What did the ancient Jewish High Priests do on Yom Kippur that he could not do any other day of the year?
Entered the Holy of Holies in the temple
Which Jewish holiday commemorates the Jewish exodus from Egypt?
Passover
What is a mikveh?
Ritual bath- spiritual cleansing
What is the meaning of the Hebrew word “Sukkot”?
Booth
On what Jewish holiday is the male “hair cutting ceremony” performed? How old is the boy?
Omer, three years old
Where do Jews live during Sukkot?
In a sukkah
Which Jewish holiday commemorates the “wilderness trek” of the Jews?
Sukkot
What does the Hebrew phrase “Simchat Torah” mean?
Rejoicing of the Torah
What both concludes and begins on Simchat Torah?
Annual cycle of reading the Torah
What is the primary focus of Simchat Torah?
Celebration of the Torah
Which Jewish holiday commemorates God giving His law on Sinai?
Shavuot
What is the surname of the family at the center of the traditional story of Hanukkah?
Maccabees
What was the miracle which is central to the religious side of Hanukkah?
Miracle of the oil where one days worth lasted eight days straight
What Christian holiday has influenced Hanukkah?
Christmas
What is the difference between a hanukkiah and a menorah?
Hanukkiah- nine spikes
Menorah- seven spikes
Why do we place an illuminated candelabra near a window during Hanukkah?
Hannukkiah is lit where people can see it to show you have God’s light in your life
What do many of the traditional foods eaten during Hanukkah have in common?
Many foods are fried in oil
What is Kol Nidre?
Prayer recited on the eve of Yom Kippur
Which Jewish holiday is a 50-day placeholder holiday?
Omer
What is the meaning of the Hebrew term Tu Bishvat?
New Year for Trees
What provoked the creation of Tu BiShvat?
Tax day for tithing fruits in ancient Israel
On Tu BiShvat, what ancient location do we metaphorically return to?
Israel
What is the meaning of the Hebrew word “Purim”?
“lots” or “dice”
Who are the four central figures in the story of Purim?
Esther, Mordecai, Haman, and King Ahasuerus
How is Purim traditionally celebrated?
Giving money to the poor
What things are commonly partake of during Purim?
Making fun of the Rabbi, putting on a play, giving money
For modern Jews, what does Passover commemorate?
Liberation from slavery
What Jewish holiday is sometimes called “countdown to sinai”?
Shavuot
What is the literal meaning of the Hebrew name, “Shavuot”?
weeks
What do most Christians call Shavuot?
Pentecost
What does Shavuot commemorate?
Commemorates Moses getting the law from God
How do observant Jews commemorate Shavuot?
Stay up all nights and read from the Torah or songs
What is the literal meaning of the Hebrew name, “Bein ha-Metzarim”
“Between the straits”
What does Bein ha-metzarim commemorate?
Commemorates bad events
How is Bein ha-Metzarim commemorated?
Fasting all day, reading the book of lamentatioins
Whom do Orthodox Jews think might be born during Bein ha Metzarim?
The Messiah
What does “chew the cud” mean? And “part the hoof”?
Chew the cud– chew/pour over God’s word until it becomes a part of who they are
Part the hoof– be like those who are well entrenched in the will of God
Which Jewish denominations are patriarchal?
Orthodox Judaism
In which Jewish denominations can women be rabbis?
Conservative–>
What is the symbolic meaning of the Sabbath?
God elevates our status to return us to our former relationship with God
What is persecution a symbol of for many Jews?
Being the chosen people
What is the menorah a symbol for many Jews?
God’s glory and light
