Judaism For Beginners Trivia Quiz

Answer: G-d

By choosing to replace the "o" with a hyphen, most Jews feel it is a way to avoid the risk of the sin of erasing or defacing the Name, and G-D's name should NEVER be used in vain.

Answer: Yom Kippur

According to Judaism, the Sabbath is the most sacred day to the Jewish people; it is considered the seventh day of the week, and acts as a constant reminder to observant Jews of G-d's rest after his creation of the earth. We learn about this, and are reminded by this as we congregate in Synagogue to listen to the Torah being read, as it is read aloud on every Sabbath; the scripture prohibits us from engaging in any kind of work on this special day such as driving, working and cooking; it's a day of rest.

Yom Kippur is the holiest of the holidays, and on that day Jews atone for their sins of the past year by fasting, prayer and not partaking in everyday activities. In the streets of Israel, all is silent, and you can find many Jews in their local synagogues.

Answer: Festival of lights

According to Jewish history, there was very little oil left that had not been ruined by the Greeks. Oil was needed for the menorah in the Temple, which was supposed to burn throughout the night every night. There was only enough oil to burn for one day, yet miraculously, it burned for eight days, the time needed to prepare a fresh supply of oil for the menorah. An eight day festival was then declared to commemorate this miracle.

The holiday simply commemorates the miracle of the oil and not the military victory: Jews do not glorify war.

Answer: A Bar Mitzvah is held for a boy at age 13 and Bat Mitzvah is held for a girl at age 12.

Under Jewish Law, children are not obligated to observe the commandments, although they are encouraged to do so and observe them as the adults do. At the age of 13 for boys (12 for girls), children become obligated to observe the commandments. A bar/bat mitzvah is a ceremony to signify this coming-of-age.

Answer: Pesach

Pesach refers to the fact that G-d "passed over" the houses of the Jews when he was slaying the firstborn of Egypt. Passover begins each year on the 15th day of the Jewish month Nissan and it is observed for eight days; it commemorates the freedom and exodus of the Israelites from Egypt.

The first two nights of this holiday are spent obseving the seder, with your family and friends and retelling the story by reading from the Haggadah; It is a time of celebration. Special foods, songs, prayers and customs are enjoyed by all at the Seder (the holiday meal).

Answer: Ashkenazi Jews

Starting (it is believed) during the 9th century, the Ashkenazi communities combined the High German spoken by those around them with elements of Hebrew, Aramaic, and some other languages to produce a language called "Yidish Taitsh" (Jewish German). The first written reference to their language dates from the 13th century.

Sephardic Jews were those who settled in the Iberian peninsula. Because of persecution by Islamic rulers during the 11th and 12th centuries, and again during the Christian reconquest of the peninsula in the 13th to 15th centuries, and yet again during the Spanish Inquisition (which culminated in their expulsion from Spain in the 1492 Alhambra Decree), many Sephardim moved into Europe and mingled with the Ashkenazim.

The terms Reform and Orthodox refer to contemporary religious groups within the Jewish community, who primarily disagree on how strictly Jewish Law should be applied. (This is, of course, a vast over-simplification!)

Answer: Camel

In order to be kosher, land animals must be mammals which chew their cud and have cloven hoofs (so cows are ritually clean). Camels do not have cloven hoofs. The better-known non-kosher animal, the pig, has cloven hoofs, but does not chew a cud. Sea animals must have scales and fins, so a salmon qualifies. For birds, the presence of a crop and gizzard is required, and it must not be a bird of prey.

As well as being accepted as a ritually clean animal, there are complex rules about how it is killed and its flesh treated which must be followed for the final food to be declared kosher.

Answer: Rabbi

A rabbi is simply a teacher, a person educated in Jewish law (halakhah) and tradition to instruct the community and to answer questions and resolve disputes regarding halakhah. When a person has completed the necessary course of study, he is given a written document known as a semikhah, which confirms his authority to make such decisions.

In the absence of a rabbi, any Jew sufficiently educated to know what he is doing can lead a religious service and that service is still considered valid.

Answer: Edwin Beard Budding - Inventor of the lawn mower

There were many famous Jewish inventors whose inventions include Levi Strauss - blue jeans, Reinhold Rudenberg - electron microscope, Benjamin Rubin - vaccination needle, Peter Carl Goldmark - vinyl record...

Answer: Living

18 is enumerated in letters by het and yod signifying chai. The typical Jewish toast is l'chayim (to life) which incorporates Chai. Gifts in the Jewish faith are routinely given in multiples of 18 (the numeric value of the word Chai).