FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!

More Talmud Trivia Quiz

This quiz follows the Basic Talmud quiz which was authored years ago. Part 2 which was started (though not finished) by the same author, was placed for adoption on FT. The Talmud is an academic volume compiled between the 3rd and 6th Centuries C.E. En
This is a renovated/adopted version of an old quiz by author avromf

A multiple-choice quiz by grisham. Estimated time: 3 mins.

Author
grisham

Time
3 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
45,550

Updated
Jan 10 26

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
66

Last 3 plays: Rumpo (10/10), workisboring (3/10), wellenbrecher (10/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. After the Romans destroyed the Temple and exiled the Jews in 70 C.E., the two largest Jewish communities were in which two countries? Hint

Babylon and Judah

Turkey and India

Spain and Germany

Yemen and Morocco

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. In Jewish lore, there is a Written Tradition and an Oral Tradition. Does the Talmud belong to one of these Traditions? Hint

Oral

Neither written nor oral

Written

Both written and oral

3. After the completion of the Mishnah (circa 200 C.E.), the commentary on the Mishnah in Babylon had begun. Rav and Shmuel, scholars who led the next generation in that commentary, were in charge of Yeshivot (academies) in which two cities? Hint

Damascus and Chaleb

Sura and Naharda

Zidon and Basra

Baghdad and Damascus

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. The scholar who is generally credited with compiling the Jerusalem Talmud is Rav Yochanan.

True

False

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. Raish Lakish, who was a long-time student and colleague of Rav Yochanan, was not always a scholar. Before he became a Talmudic sage, how did he "earn" his livelihood? Hint

Spice merchant

Shepherd

Highway robber

Innkeeper

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. What is the Aramaic term for a scholar during the period of circa 200-500 C.E? Hint

Rishon

Tanna

Amora

Gaon

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. The rabbinical students in Pumpedita were known to engage in 'pilpul'. How is this exercise metaphorically described? Hint

Pulling a rope in between two boats

Chopping wood with only an axehead

Dancing angels on the head of a needle

Pulling an elephant through the eye of a needle

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. The "Daf Yomi" (daily page) is a project whereby people take upon themselves to study one Daf (page) per day. If this project takes just over seven years, approximately how many pages are in the Talmud? Hint

3000

1500

365

17,123

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. Sabbath, like many different topics, has both divine laws and rabbinic laws.

True

False

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. The Talmud discusses almost every area of life - philosophy, holidays, torts, sciences and more. Which modern day issue does it not discuss? Hint

Euthanasia

Capital punishment

Adoption

Cloning

(Optional) Create a Free FunTrivia ID to save the points you are about to earn:

Select a User ID:

Choose a Password:

Your Email:

Most Recent Scores

Jan 30 2026 : Rumpo: 10/10
Jan 26 2026 : workisboring: 3/10
Jan 25 2026 : wellenbrecher: 10/10
Jan 23 2026 : stephedm: 10/10
Jan 19 2026 : Guest 97: 6/10
Jan 16 2026 : Guest 2: 4/10
Jan 14 2026 : Guest 174: 6/10
Jan 12 2026 : Guest 203: 6/10
Jan 12 2026 : pixiecat: 5/10

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. After the Romans destroyed the Temple and exiled the Jews in 70 C.E., the two largest Jewish communities were in which two countries?

Answer: Babylon and Judah

Due to the geographic placement, the Gemara, which was a commentary on the Mishna, was developed in these two areas - Babylon and Judah. (Yes, there was still a nice-sized Jewish population still in Judah even after the exile.) Hence the two parts of the Talmud are called the Babylonian Talmud and the Jerusalem Talmud.

2. In Jewish lore, there is a Written Tradition and an Oral Tradition. Does the Talmud belong to one of these Traditions?

Answer: Oral

Though it is now written down, it is still considered Oral Tradition. The Oral Tradition, Jewish scholars taught, was received at Mount Sinai together with the Written Law. It included details not written in the Torah, such as how to build a Sukkah, what unleavened bread really is, many additional requirements of kosher food and intricacies of torts.

It was transmitted orally over 1000 years and was only allowed to be written in the 2nd century CE. The Roman victory and subsequent destruction of the Temple and the victory over the Bar Kochba rebellion had such a negative influence on the Jewish population that the rabbis were concerned that the Oral Tradition would be forgotten.

Answer: Sura and Naharda

Though Rav and Shmuel were contemporaries in the first and second generations of Gemara scholars, Rav was considered almost on an equivalent scholarly level as the previous generation. Because of that stature, he was at times allowed to rule differently than his predecessors.

4. The scholar who is generally credited with compiling the Jerusalem Talmud is Rav Yochanan.

Answer: True

Rav Yochanan lived in the Galilee area and was actually a fairly early scholar of the Jerusalem Talmud, dying around 250 CE. Nonetheless, many of the decisions were based on his learnings and although the Talmud had more addtions after his death, he is still credited with the editorship of the Jerusalem Talmud .

5. Raish Lakish, who was a long-time student and colleague of Rav Yochanan, was not always a scholar. Before he became a Talmudic sage, how did he "earn" his livelihood?

Answer: Highway robber

Raish Lakish was a robber until he met his future teacher (and brother-in-law) Rav Yochanan and reformed his ways.

Rais Lakish's teachings are included in both the Babylonian and the Jerusalem Talmud and are studied to this day.

6. What is the Aramaic term for a scholar during the period of circa 200-500 C.E?

Answer: Amora

The word means The Sayer. In other words, it refers to those who offer commentary to the Mishnah which underwent final editing circa 200 C.E. by Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi. The teachings of the Amoras can also be found in Midrashic literature.

7. The rabbinical students in Pumpedita were known to engage in 'pilpul'. How is this exercise metaphorically described?

Answer: Pulling an elephant through the eye of a needle

Pilpul is what we would describe in English as 'hairsplitting', a method of learning in which the goal is to reach a finer, more exact understanding.

Answer: 3000

There are 2,711 pages in the Babyonian Talmud. Hence it takes (2711/365=7.4) 7.4 years to finish one cycle. The idea of studying one page a day was proposed by Rabbi Meir Shapiro in 1923.

9. Sabbath, like many different topics, has both divine laws and rabbinic laws.

Answer: True

Rabbinic laws were added to the Torah-based laws to safeguard the spirit and laws of the Sabbath. One example of a rabbinic law is the forbidden use of a rake on Shabbat even in one's home as one may come to use the rake in his field. Raking one's field would be a transgression of the divine law of work being prohibited on the Sabbath.

10. The Talmud discusses almost every area of life - philosophy, holidays, torts, sciences and more. Which modern day issue does it not discuss?

Answer: Cloning

Cloning - being a relatively recent technological advancement - was not discussed at all.
Euthanasia is specifically forbidden as the Talmud forbids all acts that might hasten death. Passive euthanasia however, is looked upon more leniently, with legal opinions from the 14th century already permitting removing a hindrance to death.
On adoption the Talmud says that one who raises an orphan in their home, scripture ascribes the child's birth to him. (Sanhedrin 19b)
Capital punishment needs no introduction as it is already mentioned in Exodus and the Talmud discusses the different issues surrounding it in numerous places.

Source: Author grisham

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor looney_tunes before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.