Holidays and Special Events
Celebrated over eight nights, this holiday commemorates the rededication of the second temple by the Maccabees after their recapture of it from the Assyrians.
What is Hanukkah?
This is specifically the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. Tradition says that God dictated the Torah to Moses on Mount Sinai 50 days after the exodus from Egyptian slavery. It contains 613 commandments and Jews refer to the ten best known of these as the ten 10 statements.
What is Torah?
This is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jews are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law.
What is Kosher or Kashrut?
Built an ark and saved all the animals and his family from a horrible flood.
Who was Noah?
This is the second book of the Torah. Starting with the deliverance of Moses by Pharaoh's daughter, it recounts the revelation at the Burning bush where he was called to deliver the Israelites from Egyptian slavery. After Pharaoh rejected his and Aaron's demands, according to the book, the Almighty inflicted ten Plagues on Egypt resulting in this.
What is "Exodus"?
Celebrated over seven or eight nights (depending on practice), this spring holiday commemorates the Hebrew liberation from slavery in Egypt. The first night of the holiday involves a ritual dinner called a Seder.
What is Passover?
This is a small metal container affixed to the doorframe of a home. A small paper containing the Shema prayer from the Torah is kept inside.
What is a Mezuzah?
A movement and ideology that supports a Jewish state in the Holy Land.
What is Zionism
After Adam and Eve ate from this, they were expelled from the Garden. (Hint: The ___ of ____)
What is the Tree of Knowledge?
This is the is the dispersion of Israelites or Jews out of their ancestral homeland (the Land of Israel) and their subsequent settlement in other parts of the globe.
What is the Jewish Diaspora?
This is the day of rest from sundown on Friday evening through after sundown on Saturday evening. Weekly services in synagogues are often attended at this time.
Shabbat
This brimless hat is worn traditionally by Jewish males as a sign of respect to the divine. Orthodox men always wear some sort of covering, while other Jews often only do so during prayer or in synagogue.
What is a kippah or yarmulke?
This refers to a commandment commanded by God to be performed as a religious duty. Good deeds are often referred to as this.
What is "Mitzvah"?
Two twin boys, one brawny one brainy, one preferred by dad and the other preferred by mom. One so hungry he's willing to sell his brother his birthright for a bowl of soup, the other willing to trick his dying father to get the blessing meant for his brother.
Who are Jacob and Esau?
This (also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism) is a major Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of the faith, the superiority of its ethical aspects to the ceremonial ones. A liberal strand of Judaism, it is characterized by lessened stress on ritual and personal observance, regarding Jewish Law as non-binding and the individual Jew as autonomous, and great openness to external influences and progressive values.
What is "Reform Judaism"?
This is the two-day New Year celebration. It often involves blowing of the shofar and eating fruit dipped in honey to mark a "sweet new year."
What is Rosh Hashanah?
This is a set of small black leather boxes containing scrolls of parchment inscribed with verses from the Torah. These are worn by observant adult Jews during weekday morning prayers. In Orthodox communities, they are worn solely by men, while in liberal Jewish communities, they may be worn by both men and women.
What is Tefillin?
Literally it means "Listen." This is the first word of the central prayer is the Judaism and is an integral part of daily worship.
What is "Shema"?
His 10 older brothers get tired of his arrogance and sell him into slavery, pretending that he was killed by a wild animal.
Who is Joseph?
This is the collective term for the traditionalist branches of contemporary Judaism. This branch Judaism therefore advocates a strict observance of the Jewish law, or Halakha, which is to be interpreted and determined only according to traditional methods and in adherence to the continuum of received precedent through the ages.
What is "Orthodox Judaism"?
This is the most holy day in the Jewish calendar. It involves a fasting, prayer, repentance for one's sins, and charitable gifts.
What is Yom Kippur?
This is the week-long mourning period in Judaism for first-degree relatives. The period lasts for seven days following the burial. Following the initial period of despair and lamentation immediately after the death, this embraces a time when individuals discuss their loss and accept the comfort of others.
What is Shiva?
This is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (halakha) and Jewish theology. In nearly all Jewish communities, this has been the centerpiece of Jewish cultural life and was foundational to "all Jewish thought and aspirations," serving also as "the guide for the daily life" of Jews. This set of books was written over the course of centuries.
What is "Talmud"?
He grows up in the Pharaoh's house even though he's actually an Israelite.
Who is Moses?
This branch of Judaism (known as Masorti Judaism outside North America) is a Jewish religious movement that regards the authority of Jewish law and tradition as emanating primarily from the assent of the people and the community through the generations, more than from divine revelation. It therefore views Jewish law, or halakha, as both binding and subject to historical development. The rabbinate employs modern historical-critical research, rather than only traditional methods and sources.
What is "Conservative Judaism"?