Set 12

Question 1

When do we sound the Shofar during the month of Elul?

Answer 1

Every morning except on the day before Rosh Hashanah.

Question 2

What does the sound of the Shofar represent?

Answer 2

A call to repentance and a reminder of the giving of the Torah at Sinai.

Question 3

Why do we use a Shofar during Rosh Hashanah?

Answer 3

To awaken the soul to repentance and to mark the beginning of the Ten Days of Repentance.

Question 4

What is the Torah reading for the first and second day of Rosh Hashanah?

Answer 4

First day: Genesis 21 (story of Isaac’s birth). Second day: Genesis 22 (Binding of Isaac).

Question 5

What does Rosh Hashanah mean?

Answer 5

Head of the Year, the Jewish New Year.

Question 6

What is Unetanei Tokef (prayer) about? (This appears in the High Holy Days Machzor)

Answer 6

A medieval piyyut (liturgical poem) describing G-d’s judgment of humanity and the hope for a good year.

Question 7

How many days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and what are they called?

Answer 7

Ten days, known as the Ten Days of Repentance or the Days of Awe.

Question 8

Why do we fast on Yom Kippur?

Answer 8

For atonement and purification, as commanded in the Torah.