Rosh Hashanah
What does Rosh Hashanah mean literally?
"Head of the year."
Does everyone have to fast on Yom Kippur? Bonus: how long does the Yom Kippur fast last?
No, people who are ill, pregnant, or under the age of bar and bat mitzvah don't have to fast, or anyone whose health would be jeopardized by fasting. It's a 25-hour fast.
What are the two objects we shake on Sukkot? Bonus: which direction do you shake them?
What does Simchat Torah mean in English?
Rejoicing in the Torah.
How many days did it take G-d to create the world?
Six. On the seventh, Shabbat, G-d rested.
What is Tashlich?
Tashlich is the ritual we do on Rosh Hashanah where we symbolically throw our sins away into a body of water.
What is the name of the prayer book we use on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur?
Machzor, מחזור.
Give one reason for why we build sukkot. Bonus: what does the word sukkah mean?
1) Because in the Torah (Leviticus 23:43) we're commanded to build them. 2) To remember the temporary dwellings that our ancestors lived in when they were wandering in the desert. 3) To commemorate the huts the Israelites used when they traveled to the temple in Jerusalem for the harvest. Sukkah means booth or hut.
What do we celebrate on Simchat Torah?
Finishing reading the Torah and beginning it all over.
What tree did G-d forbid Adam and Eve to eat from?
The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
How do you say "apples and honey" in Hebrew? Bonus: why do we eat them on Rosh Hashanah?
תַפּוּחִים וּדְבַשׁ
Tapuchim u'dvash, for a sweet new year
Does G-d forgive us for things we've done wrong to other people?
No, we must go and ask those people for forgiveness. If you ask three times and forgiveness isn't forthcoming, G-d will ultimately forgive you.
How many days is Sukkot? Bonus: when does it start?
Sukkot lasts eight days, with the first two and the last two being full holiday (i.e., we go to synagogue and are required not to work). It begins on the 15th of Tishrei.
How many walls are required for a sukkah?
Two and a half.
Why did G-d choose Noah and his family to save? Bonus: what was G-d saving them from?
Because, in his generation at least, Noah was a "righteous man." G-d saved him and his family from the flood that destroyed the earth.
What is the date of Rosh Hashanah?
The 1st of Tishrei.
What does "teshuvah" mean?
Teshuvah literally means "returning," and it's the Jewish process of asking forgiveness, changing, and making amends for things we've done wrong. Unlike the English word we usually use to represent it- "atonement"- it involves more than just feeling sorry about what you've done.
What is skakh?
Skakh is the Hebrew word for the organic material (branches, etc.) that serve as the roof for a sukkah.
Passover and Shavuot. Passover coincided with the barley harvest in Israel and Shavuot with the wheat harvest. Sukkot coincides with the fruit harvest.
What does "Bereishit" mean in English?
It means "in the beginning." It's the first book of the Torah and the first parsha, or portion.
What are the names of the three/four shofar notes? Bonus: What is a shofar made of?
Tekiah, Shevarim, T'ruah/ Tekiah G'dolah. A shofar is made of the horn of a kosher animal, usually a ram.
What is the Hebrew name for one of the Yom Kippur Services?
Kol Nidrei or "all vows," Neilah or "closing," Yizkor or "remember."
What are the names of the four species (arbah minim) in English or Hebrew?
Etrog (citron), Lulav (palm), hadas (myrtle), aravah (willow).
What is a hakafah?
It means "circle" and is one of seven we do on Simchat Torah, singing and dancing with the Torah.
How many animals was Noah required to take on the ark?
Two of every non-kosher animal and seven of every kosher one.