Judaism and Jewish People Trivia Quiz

Answer: 6 days

The Torah says in Genesis 2:1, "And God stopped working in the sixth day of His creation, and He rested in the seventh day from all the work of creation." Many celebrate this day, which is also known as the Sabbath or Shabat, by resting, in a similar manner to God.

The Spanish word for Saturday is "sábado," which means Shabbat, yet the day of rest is celebrated on Sunday, a precaution made by the Spanish who did not want Jews to practice the Sabbath privately.

Answer: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob

In the Amidah prayer, many orthodox and traditional Jews recite the prayer with just the Avot (fathers): Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

In Egalitarian synagogues all the Emahot (mothers) and the Avot are said. The Avot consist of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, while the Emahot consist of Sarah, Rivka, Rachel and Leah.

Many wonder why Joseph is not included in the prayer, and that is due to Joseph humbly excluding himself from the blessing of the people in the Torah.

Answer: Elijah

Elijah the prophet has a very interesting story. After many perils, he ascended from life in a "pillar of fire." His name is mentioned in Eliyahu Hanavi, after Havdallah, and during the Pesach Seder we sing the same song and open the door for him. We also have Elijah's cup of wine on the table. Elijah also has a special place in the 'brit milah', the circumcision of all male Jews.

Answer: Monotheism

Judaism is a Monotheistic religion, which means that we only believe in one god. Judaism is considered the first or one of the first Monotheistic religions. The word stems from two roots of "Mono" meaning one and "Theism" meaning belief in god.

Answer: False

There are 613 mitzvot in total that include the 10 commandments that Jews are obligated to follow. Although many follow them religiously, they were not actually stated in the Torah, rather interpreted by Rambam, a famous commentator of the Torah.

Many of the commandments cannot be completed due to differences in civilization and the fact that there is no Temple, like the First Temple or the Second Temple. Although they are consistently followed, many Rabbi also argue that these mitzvot don't exist at all. Many people mistake mitzva for good deed, but it really means "commandment."

Answer: Jeremiah, Isaiah, Ezekiel

John, Jesus, Noah, and Shmidt are not considered prophets in the Jewish religion.

John is one of the many books of the Christian Bible.
Jesus is considered the son of God in Christianity and a prophet in the Muslim religion.
Shmidt is not a character in any bible.
Noah was the man who was commanded to build an ark in the Torah; he and his family were the survivors of the flood God brought to wash away the sinful human race.

Answer: Passover

Passover does not permit eating bread that has risen and had time to rise, in order to recreate the bread of affliction the Jews ate while fleeing Egypt. The bread, during the passover story, did not have time to rise because Pharaoh had changed his mind many times. Tarza, an unfermented bread, is permitted because it does not rise.

Answer: 5

The five books of the Torah are:
Genesis (Bereshit: "In the beginning...")
Exodus (Shemot: "Names")
Leviticus (Vayyiqra: "And he called...")
Numbers (Bammidbar: "In the desert...")
Deuteronomy (Devarim: "Words", or "Discourses")

Answer: True

This phrase stems from Jewish kabbalistic sources, and has a very different meaning than the vernacular use.

The Hebrew word for sky, Shamayim, is a plural word, with no singular form. This implies that there are many skies or "heavens." Kabbalah discusses the seven heavens, and gives names to each: Shamayim, Raquia, Shechaqim, Machonon, Machon, Zebul, Araboth.

Araboth is the seventh Heaven and is the holiest of the seven Heavens, where God dwells.

Answer: No

If the current state of Israel was set to proportion in the Torah, many more people would oppose the created state. It would expand through Jordan all the way to Iraq, as well as take possession of much of Lebanon and parts of Egypt.