Festivals and Holidays Trivia

1. On the night of Yom Kippur - as Jewish festivals start at sundown - we start with the recitation of a text called Kol Nidre. What does 'Kol Nidre' mean?

From Quiz Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement

Answer: All vows

Kol Nidre is in Aramaic, and is not technically a prayer - it's more of a legal declaration that refers to the cancellation of all vows that a person has made, nullifying them between this Yom Kippur and the next. Vows imposed by other people or authorities do not count. It is traditional to recite it three times; depending on the type of synagogue, it is either sung by the chazan (cantor) or by the synagogue choir.

From Quiz The Seventh Day

Answer: The Sabbath has kept the Jews.

This quotation comes from Ahad Ha'am, the Jewish philosopher. He made the remark in an article in a Berlin newspaper in 1898, in reaction to a movement by Reform Judaism to move the Sabbath to Sunday. Needless to say, that idea failed and all streams of Judaism- Reform, Conservative and Orthodox- observe the Sabbath on Saturday, although the way they observe it differs greatly.

From Quiz Sukkot for Dummies

Answer: Booths

Sukkot commemorates the time when the Jews wandered in the desert after the Exodus from Egypt. It also celebrates the harvest time when people built temporary structures in the fields for shelter.

From Quiz Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur

Answer: Tishrai

From Quiz Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement

Answer: A shroud

The kittel is a simple white robe with no pockets, symbolising the idea that in death, all are equal and do not take material possessions with them. Its white colour represents purity, and many Jewish bridegrooms also wear one at their wedding. The rabbi wears one during the service, and sometimes the chazan does as well.

From Quiz Jewish Holidays

Answer: Ram

The shofar is traditionally made from a ram's horn although other animal horns are allowed. According to the biblical story of Abraham, God commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac as a test of faith. At the last minute God told Abraham to stay his hand and provided a ram nearby for Abraham to use as a sacrifice. Growing up I attended services with my grandparents and the highlight was when they blew an instrument known as the shofar. As a young child it was a fun change from hearing people chanting in a language (Hebrew) that I didn't understand.

From Quiz What Jewish Holiday Is It?

Answer: Yom Kippur

The only day considered by some Jews to be as holy as Yom Kippur is the Sabbath which is given the status of a holiday under Jewish law. Yom Kippur is indeed the holiest day of the year for most Jews around the world. It is a day of complete devotion to prayer, so much so that things such as food and drink, bathing, use of cologne, sexual relations, and a number of other things are prohibited on this day. It is said the reason for this is a person's full attention should be focused on prayer and atonement for sins before God. Fasting begins at sundown the night before and continues through the end of the holiday which concludes with the blowing of the Shofar (ram's horn) at the conclusion of the day of prayer.

From Quiz The Seventh Day

Answer: From sundown Friday until sundown on Saturday.

In the story of Creation, which appears in the book of Genesis, we are told, "it was evening, it was morning, the first day", etc. This is the reason the Jewish day, including the Sabbath day, extend from sunset to sunset. In order to avoid accidentally desecrating the Sabbath, it is ushered in shortly before sunset on Friday.

From Quiz Sukkot for Dummies

Answer: Passover and Shavuot

During the Temple Period, the festivals of Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot marked the three times each year when Israelites had to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to bring an offering to the Temple.

From Quiz A Bit of Shavuot

Answer: Omer

On the Counting of the Omer (in Hebrew, S'firat haOmer): literally, an "Omer" is a unit of measure. During the Temple period, each day beginning with the second night of Pesach and ending with Shavuot, an omer, or sheaf of barley, would be taken to the Temple as a harvest offering.

From Quiz Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur

Answer: 1st

Rosh Hashana being the first day of the new year, it would figure that it would be on the first day of the month as well.

From Quiz Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement

Answer: None - it is a fast day

On Yom Kippur, Jews are not allowed to eat, drink, wash, have sex, or wear make-up or leather. The idea is that we become like the angels, who do not need food or water. Apples and honey are traditionally eaten on Rosh Hashana, cheesecake on Shavuot and different kinds of fruit on Tu B'Shvat (the New Year for Trees).

From Quiz Jewish Holidays

Answer: Food

Yom Kippur is a day of fasting. It actually starts at sundown one day and ends at sundown the next. Thus by eating just before sundown before it starts and then again just after it ends, only two meals (breakfast and lunch) are actually missed. The way the Jewish calendar works, Yom Kippur can never start on a Monday, Thursday, or Saturday night. I'm not sure why it doesn't start on Monday, but avoiding the other two days makes sense in accordance with the rules of Sabbath. If it started on Thursday, it would end on Friday night which would mean that the big meal to end the fast would have to be prepared before Thursday in order to avoid cooking on either Yom Kippur or the Sabbath. Likewise, if it started on Saturday night, it would be difficult to cook a sizable meal to prepare for the fast due to it starting at the end of the Sabbath.

From Quiz What Jewish Holiday Is It?

Answer: Sukkot

Sukkot, or the Feast of Booths, is the correct holiday here. Jews around the world are entrusted to build small temporary houses with an open roof, to commemorate the types of dwellings the Israelites had to live in during their exodus from Egypt. During this seven-day holy period, this hut becomes a primary living quarter, with all meals being eaten there, and many will sleep there as well.

From Quiz The Seventh Day

Answer: Lighting of the candles.

Traditionally, the woman of the house lights the candles and makes the blessing over them, though a man may light candles if he is on his own. The minimum number of candles is two, though some women light more. For instance, some women light an additional candle for each child. Candle-lighting time is an excellent time for a woman to add her own, private prayer.

From Quiz A Bit of Shavuot

Answer: Passover and Sukkot

During the Temple period, the fesivals of Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot marked the three times of year that all Israelites would have to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to bring offerings to the Temple.

From Quiz Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur

Answer: 10th

From Quiz Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement

Answer: 5

The five parts are as follows: Ma'Ariv (evening), Shacharit (morning), Mussaf (additional service), Minchah (morning), and Ne'ilah (the closing service).

From Quiz Jewish Holidays

Answer: Harvest

Sukkot, which is celebrated at the end of summer or early in the fall, commemorates the harvest season. It is also known as the feast of booths and is celebrated by building small wooden buildings with a roof made of plant leaves or other vegetation. Meals are eaten inside these booths and it corresponds with the end of the annual reading of the Torah when the Jews were about to leave the desert after forty years of wandering.

From Quiz The Seventh Day

Answer: A Woman of Valor.

A Woman of Valor, which comes from Proverbs: 31, describes the ideal Jewish wife- industrious, intelligent, and generous. The song ends with "Charm is deceit and beauty is vanity, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised". "A Woman of Valor" is actually an alphabetic acrostic in the original Hebrew. The husband sings "A Woman of Valor" at the Sabbath table in order to thank his wife for her efforts in preparing the Sabbath.

From Quiz Sukkot for Dummies

Answer: Lulav

One of the mitzvot (commandments) performed in the Sukkah is shaking the lulav and etrog.

From Quiz Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur

Answer: Repentance

Called the 'Aseres Yemai Teshuvah', or ten days of repentance.

From Quiz Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement

Answer: Teshuvah

To do teshuvah means to repent. 'Tehillah' is prayer, 'tzedakah' means 'charity' or 'justice', and 'teruah' is one of the series of notes played on the shofar on Rosh Hashana.

From Quiz Jewish Holidays

Answer: 5

The Torah consists of the first five books of the bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). These are considered especially holy in the Jewish religion as they start at the creation of the world and end with the death of Moses just before the Jews enter the promised land. A portion of the Torah is read each week during the Sabbath in such portions that it takes a full year to go through all five books. The rabbi's sermon usually provides an interpretation of what was read that week.

From Quiz What Jewish Holiday Is It?

Answer: Channukah

Hanukkah, or The Festival of Lights, marks a time in Jewish history when The Holy Temple was rededicated following a series of lootings during the Maccabean revolt in the 2nd century BCE, forcing Jewish worship to be stopped. The holiday is signified by the lighting of the special Menorah called a "Chanukkiyah" or Channukah Menorah, an eight branch candle holder with an additional candle called a "Shamash". The candles signify the lighting of the temple Menorah during that time, with enough oil for one day, yet the candle miraculously burned for eight days. Special sweet foods and potato pancakes are traditional during this holiday along with gift giving and "Hanukkah Gelt" (small sums of money, usually coins) to children.

From Quiz The Seventh Day

Answer: Musaf.

Shacharit, mincha and ma'ariv are the three prayer services held daily. Musaf, which means "addition", is added on the Sabbath and holidays, and follows the morning prayer, or shacharit. The Torah is taken out of the Holy Ark and chanted during the Musaf service.

From Quiz Sukkot for Dummies

Answer: Palm, Willow, Myrtle

Each branch represents a different attribute that we bring into the Sukkah, based on the shape of their leaves. The term lulav is used to refer to the group of three, as well as to one of the constituents, the palm, which represents the strength of the backbone. The myrtle (hadas) represents our eyes, and the willow (aravah) represents our mouth. The non-joined symbol, the citron (etrog) represents the heart. In order to fulfill the mitzvot (commandments) surrounding these symbols, one must have the right kavanah (intention). It is best to enter the Sukkah with all the different parts of your body in tune like the Lulav!

From Quiz A Bit of Shavuot

Answer: Receiving the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai

Israel receiving the Ten Commandments is also the Torah portion that is read on Shavuot.

From Quiz Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur

Answer: Tzom Gedalia

There is a minor fast day observed on the third of Tishrai.

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Last Updated Apr 13 2024 5:47 AM

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