Rosh Hashanah Trivia Quiz

Answer:

Rosh Hashanah is a Jewish holiday from the Torah, celebrated today over two days, on the first and second of Tishrei (the first month in the Hebrew calendar). In Jewish tradition, it carries profound spiritual significance and marks the beginning of the "Ten Days of Repentance", which culminate on Yom Kippur. On Rosh Hashanah, G-d is enthroned as King, and a judgment is rendered determining for every creature what will unfold in all aspects of their lives throughout the coming year.

Tishrei is the Hebrew month in which Rosh Hashanah is celebrated. According to Jewish tradition, Tishrei is the month in which the first human, Adam, was created, and thus Rosh Hashanah commemorates both the creation of humanity and the coronation of G-d as Sovereign over the world. It is a sacred festival on which all forms of melakha (creative labor) are prohibited, as on Shabbat, and in the era of the Temple, special korbanot (sacrificial offerings) were brought to honor the sanctity of the day.

The central and most important commandment on Rosh Hashanah is the blowing of the shofar. There are several key reasons for this practice: to proclaim G-d's sovereignty over us; to recall the revelation at Mount Sinai, when the people of Israel received the Torah; to remember the binding of Isaac and the devotion of our forefather Abraham; and to awaken our hearts to repentance and inspire us to improve our actions. The term 'Teruah' (a trumpet-like blast or broken cry), mentioned in both Vayikra (Leviticus) and Bamidbar (Numbers), refers to the sounding of the shofar, which is commanded as a central ritual of the sacred day.

On Rosh Hashanah, it is customary to send greeting cards to relatives, family members, and friends, extending wishes of Shanah Tovah (a good and happy new year) in celebration of the beginning of the Hebrew calendar year.

During the holiday meal, many partake of symbolic foods known as Simanim ("signs"), each accompanied by a special blessing or supplication expressing hopes for a good and prosperous new year. In this quiz, we were exposed to some of them.:

- With a pomegranate, blessings are offered that we may merit as many virtues as the numerous seeds it contains.

- Over a leek, blessings are recited that our enemies, haters, and all who seek our harm may be cut down - the Aramaic word for leek, karti, resembling the hebrew verb "yikartu" ("to be cut down").

- Over an apple dipped in honey, blessings are offered for a good and sweet year.

- The custom of eating the head of a fish or sheep dates back to the period of the Geonim (late 7th to mid-11th century). The term 'Geon' (meaning 'splendor' or 'pride' in English) referred to the heads of yeshivot (places of study for rabbinic and Jewish literature) and their distinguished students in Babylon and the Land of Israel. The accompanying blessing expresses the hope that we will be 'the head and not the tail,' signifying that the people of Israel will lead among the nations rather than be subordinate or enslaved to them.

On Rosh Hashanah, it is customary to recite the "Tashlich" prayer, symbolically casting away sins. This brief prayer asks G‑d to remove all our transgressions so that we may be renewed, clean, and pure. The practice is based on the verse from the Book of Micah: "You will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea". (7,19)

On the eve of Rosh Hashanah, it is customary to perform Hatarat Nedarim - the annulment of vows, which refers to commitments a person has taken upon themselves. The ceremony is traditionally conducted before a quorum of ten people who formally release the vow, though some authorities permit it before as few as three. Those who are unable to perform Hatarat Nedarim on the eve of Rosh Hashanah may do so any time up until the eve of Yom Kippur.

The incorrect options:

Ne'ila (meaning 'locking' in English) is the final prayer recited on Yom Kippur.

Kol Nidre is the prayer that opens Yom Kippur and annuls personal vows.

Karpas is a vegetable eaten during the Passover Seder. It is dipped in salt water and eaten with a piece of celery, onion, potato, parsley, or radish. According to Halacha, there is no strict requirement regarding the type of vegetable, except for lettuce, which is used for a different blessing.

Ratchet (Gragger) is a musical instrument used as a toy on Purim. It is customary to shake it whenever Haman's name is read during the public reading of the Book of Esther.

Elijah the Prophet is not associated with Rosh Hashanah.

Adar is a month in the Hebrew calendar during which Purim is celebrated, usually at the end of winter in Israel.

Hoshana Rabbah is the seventh and final day of the holiday of Sukkot. It is considered the day on which a person's fate for the coming year is definitively inscribed.

The etrog (citron) is used in Jewish ritual practice during the holiday of Sukkot as one of the Four Species (Arba Minim) commanded by the Torah to be taken and waved in celebration of the festival.