Jewish Quiz
Questions: 16 · 10 minutes
1. At a family gathering, participants retell the Exodus story, ask the Four Questions, and eat matzah. Which holiday are they observing?
Passover
Purim
Sukkot
Shavuot
2. A historian discusses Jewish communities that developed over centuries outside the Land of Israel. Which concept best fits this subject?
Kashrut
Midrash
Havdalah
The Jewish diaspora
3. What does becoming bar or bat mitzvah traditionally signify?
Beginning formal study of Hebrew for the first time
Receiving authority to serve as a rabbi
Becoming responsible for observing the commandments as a Jewish adult
Completing the entire Talmud
4. Which biblical book contains the story traditionally read during Purim?
Ruth
Jonah
Esther
Ecclesiastes
5. How many branches does a hanukkiah, the lamp used for Hanukkah, typically have?
Seven
Ten
Eight
Nine
6. Which description best captures the central religious focus of Yom Kippur?
Repentance, reflection, and atonement
Commemorating the rededication of the Temple
Rejoicing in the completion of the annual Torah-reading cycle
Celebrating the spring harvest
7. You see a small case attached to the doorpost of a Jewish home, traditionally containing parchment with Hebrew verses. What is it?
A tallit
A mezuzah
A siddur
A ketubah
8. A household that traditionally separates meat and dairy is preparing a meat meal. Which main dish most clearly follows that separation?
Chicken served in a cream sauce
Beef lasagna made with cheese
A cheeseburger on a plain bun
Roasted chicken with vegetables prepared without dairy
9. A Jewish family says it is sitting shiva after a relative's death. What are they doing?
Observing an initial seven-day period of mourning
Celebrating a wedding during a seven-day feast
Preparing for the fast of Yom Kippur
Studying through the night for Shavuot
10. Which ritual object is especially associated with Rosh Hashanah services?
A grogger
A lulav
A havdalah candle
A shofar
11. Someone opens a Hebrew prayer book. In which direction would the Hebrew text normally be read?
From top to bottom in columns
From left to right
From right to left
Alternating direction on each line
12. During a Torah reading, a reader uses a pointer rather than touching the parchment directly. What is this pointer called?
A yad
A kippah
A dreidel
A challah cover
13. A community is planning a traditional Friday evening Shabbat service. When should it expect Shabbat to begin?
At midnight on Friday
Around sunset on Friday
At sunrise on Saturday
After sunset on Saturday
14. Why do major Jewish holidays move relative to the standard Gregorian calendar while remaining in roughly the same seasons?
Their dates are recalculated from the weekly Torah portion
The Jewish calendar coordinates lunar months with the solar year
They follow a calendar based only on the solar year
Each community chooses new dates annually
15. What does the Torah refer to in its most specific traditional sense?
The entire body of rabbinic commentary
The first five books of the Hebrew Bible
The Jewish prayer book used in synagogue
The collection known specifically as the Prophets
16. Which explanation best reflects the traditional Jewish concept of tzedakah?
A form of debate used to interpret biblical grammar
A blessing recited only before eating bread
Giving rooted in justice, responsibility, and support for those in need
A celebration held at the conclusion of Shabbat