People and Places
Who was Moses' mother?
Yocheved
What body of water opened for the Jews to allow safe passage?
The Red Sea
Why is this Jewish holiday called Pesach?
During the tenth and final plague, God passed through the land of Egypt and strikes down the firstborn of every household. But the Jews were told to mark their doors with the blood of a lamb they’d sacrificed — the Passover offering — and so God “passed over” their homes.
What Hebrew date does Pesach begin on?
15th of Nissan.
The Egyptian city where the Jews resided
Goshen
In what book of the Torah/Bible is the Story of Pesach told?
Exodus
Name all 10 plagues in English and Hebrew
Blood, frogs, lice, wild beast, sickness, boils, hail, locusts, darkness and the death of the firstborn.
Dam, tsifardeah, kinim, arov, dever, shkhin, barad, arbeh, choshech, makat b'chorot.
What item are we meant to use to clean our entire house in preparation for Pesach?
A feather
Who was Moses' spokesman to Pharaoh? Why?
Moses' brother, Aaron.
Aaron acted as Moses' spokesman to Pharaoh in Egypt, because Moses complained to God that he could not do it himself, being slow of speech. Aaron also became an instrument of God in the miracles that convinced Pharaoh to let the Hebrew people go.
How did God first appear to Moses and what was Moses doing at the time?
The "Burning Bush" and Moses was herding sheep.
Pharaoh was allowed to choose when this plague would end?
Frogs
What is a Shepardic tradition involving leeks?
Beating family members with leeks.
In some Sephardic homes, or Jews from Spain, Portugal and some parts of the Middle East, people sing (scream) a song that translates to “WE’VE HAD ENOUGH” and smack their family with leek swords as if this is their final duel.
How long were the Israelites in Egypt for?
210
Fun fact: when Jacob first instructed his sons to descend to Egypt, he said, "Go down ("רדו") there and buy [food]." The numerical value of the Hebrew letters of the word "רדו" ("redu," "go down") is exactly 210!
Whose name is mentioned in the Torah/Bible but only once in the Haggadah?
Moses
In the Torah, Moses leads the Israelites out of Egypt; but in the traditional Haggadah, Moses is only mentioned once. Instead, it stresses that God brought out the Israelites “with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.” The Haggadah teaches us that the fight for freedom is bigger than any one leader.
What is a theorised natural explanation for the first plague?
Algea or volcanic ash in the Nile River.
Which city is forbidden to enter on Pesach? HINT: this is a joke.
Beit Lechem - lechem means bread in Hebrew.
How many male Israelites between then ages of 20 and 60 left Egypt?
60,000
Why do we spill wine from our glasses 16 times?
Three drops when we say “Blood, Fire and Columns of Smoke”, ten drops when we enumerate the Ten Plagues by name, and three final drops when we say “Detzach, Adash, B’achav,” Rabbi Yehuda’s mnemonic for the Ten Plagues.
How many plagues were Pharoah's magicians able to replicate?
2 - blood and frogs.
The actor who voices Ramses in the Prince of Egypt also portrays which famous fictional villain? HINT: the actors initials are RF.
Voldemort