Judaism Questions

1. It is a house of assembly, a study house, and a house of prayer.

2. In a synagogue, there is an eastern wall where the holy ark is located. Th ark is the place for the Torah and the place for Jews to pray. The ark is above the ner tamid (the eternal light). The parokhet is the curtain that is the central part of the ark. It is designed in numerous ways. When you open the doors to the ark, there is a cabinet that is covered in velvet. This cabinet holds the Sifrei Torah. The Torah Scrolls are covered in cloth mantles. They are considered to be holy objects therefore they can not be thrown out even if they are old and worn out.

3. A rabbi is a teacher of the Torah. He is a religious person who has enough authority to be involved in the issues of Jewish law. There are different approaches to becoming a rabbi depending on which sect a man belongs to. The person must be Jewish. Most rabbis have a college degree and took classes in post-graduate rabbinical studies through a seminary. Unlike a priest, a rabbi has no more power than anyone else to perform certain rituals. The rabbi is the teacher of the Jewish faith.

4. It is a precious gift from G-d when Jews are able to push aside their worries and dedicate their lives to "higher pursuits" (Jewish Virtual Library).

5. The Torah refers to the Five Books of the Moses. But is can also refer to the whole Jewish bible. It includes all Jewish law and tradition. The Talmud contains the oral parts.

6. Orthodox Jews believe that the Torah G-d presented to Moses on Mt. Sinai stayed the same. They abide by laws of the Torah. Reform Judaism upholds the idea that the Torah was compiled over centuries, rather than being delivered at one time. It also states that individuals are supposed to change and grow, making them free to decide what to believe. Their worship services are in English rather than Hebrew. Conservative Jews believe humans had an influence in the writings of the Bible. They believe that it cam from G-d, but they also believe that humans have some impact on the Bible's writings.  that there was a human part in addition to the writings written by G-d. Some Conservative worship services are similar to Reform and others are close to Orthodox. Zionist Jews believe that their homeland resides back in Palestine.

7. Hebrew is the language of the early Jews. It is spoken by 5 million people in Israel.

8. Yiddish was the main language of Ashkenazic Jes in the shtetl. Mostly ordinary spoke this language, instead of scholars so it weak in describing items and abstractions. But it does contain numerous amounts of words and expressions that can be used to describe people and relationships.

9. Mazal Tov means "Congratulations". Shalom means "Hello" or "Peace" or "Goodbye". Mitzvah means "commandment" or "son of commandment".

10. Bris is the ceremony of circumcision. It is when the baby boy enters the Covenant of Israel on his eighth day. A Bar Mitzvah  is when a boy becomes the "age of responsibility for the commandments". A girl becomes a Bat Mitvah at the age of twelve. Jewish marriage is confirmed through the Kiddushin (betrothal) and Nisu'in (marriage). Te'naim (conditions for the marriage) are assembled and signed at a ceremony before the wedding. Jewish weddings are not held on the Shabbat because two celebratory occasions should not be celebrated simultaneously. The wedding is held under a chupah (a canopy). During the ceremony, the couple signs a ketucah. It is a certification that ensures the woman's well being if her husband dies or if she goes through divorce.

11. Rosh Hashanah means "head of the year" in Hebrew. It is considered to be the Jewish New Year. Yom Kippur takes place on the 10th day of Tishri. It means "Day of Atonement". It is the day when people's deeds and names are saved. In response to this occurrence, it is the last day to change one's judgement and ask for mercy. Hanukah is known as the festival of lights. It is the Jewish festival of re-dedication. Passover commemorates the Exodus from Egypt. It means to "pass through" or "pass over".

12. I knew that Jews celebrated Passover to honor the Israelites' triumphs over their trials on Egypt.

13. I was surprised to learn that Hanukah was not as big as I thought it was. I guess since it is one of the more widely known holidays, I presumed to think that it was a very important holiday.

15.  In my life, Rosh Hashanah is similar to New Year's Day. Like Rosh Hashanah, New Year's symbolizes a day of new beginnings and prosperity in the new year.