REL 101 Quiz 2

What did the Temple mean to Jews during the first and second Temple periods?

A physical place of worship

What are evil and sin, according to Augustine?

Evil is a corruption of good. All sins are not equal

What is a rabbi?

In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. The basic form of the rabbi developed in the Pharisaic and Talmudic era, when learned teachers assembled to codify Judaism's written and oral laws

Where can the 631 mitzvot be found?

In the Torah

What are the functions and significance of Shabbat?

Shabbat is not specifically a day of prayer. Although we do pray on Shabbat, and spend a substantial amount of time in synagogue praying, prayer is not what distinguishes Shabbat from the rest of the week. Observant Jews pray every day, three times a day. See Jewish Liturgy. To say that Shabbat is a day of prayer is no more accurate than to say that Shabbat is a day of feasting: we eat every day, but on Shabbat, we eat more elaborately and in a more leisurely fashion. The same can be said of prayer on Shabbat.

Regarding the history of the Jewish people, what happened in 70 CE?

The dispersion of the Jewish people is traditionally dated from the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE, an event considered by the Romans to be a victory of such significance that they commemorated it by erecting the triumphal Arch of Titus

What is the main difference between Orthodox and Reform Judaism? (see their view of Halakha)

The fundamental difference is the approach to Torah and the implications of that approach. The Orthodox believe that it comes directly from God and so cannot be changed. or Reform, the Torah is the God-inspired attempt by Hebrews/Israelites/ Jews to understand their surroundings and their relationship with God. While it is a holy document, the Torah is rooted in the past, and we can even sometimes discern the circumstances under which certain sections were written down.

What is the Masoretic text of the Torah (or Tanakh), when was it written? What is the difference between the Masoretic text and a Torah scroll? Which one do you use in Jewish service (in the synagogue)?

the Jewish Scriptures comprising the books of law, the prophets, and collected writings, Torah

What is Kabbalah?

the ancient Jewish tradition of mystical interpretation of the Bible, first transmitted orally and using esoteric methods (including ciphers). It reached the height of its influence in the later Middle Ages and remains significant in Hasidism.

What is the essence and significance of Shabbat?

the centerpiece of Jewish life, and has been so since the infancy of our nation. According to the Talmud, Shabbat is equal to all the other commandments. Shabbat is so central to Jewish lifeShabbat is the centerpiece of Jewish life that the term shomer Shabbat (Shabbat observer) is synonymous with "religious Jew" in common parlance.

In regard to the Book of Job, which positions represent "moralism" and "cynicism"?

the practice of keeping various moral laws so as to please God and obtain and/or maintain one's salvation.

What does it mean that in Rabbinic Judaism, "Time became the central location of holiness"?

the time period was what is important

What is midrash, what is mishna? Does midrash offer exclusive interpretations?

Midrash: an ancient commentary on part of the Hebrew scriptures, attached to the biblical text. The earliest Midrashim come from the 2nd century AD, although much of their content is older. Mishna: an authoritative collection of exegetical material embodying the oral tradition of Jewish law and forming the first part of the Talmud.

Do rabbis agree on one answer regarding the nature of God?

No

Is Judaism a proselytizing religion? How many times does a rabbi need to reject a person before she can become a Jew?

No, not sure

What does kosher mean?

(of food, or premises in which food is sold, cooked, or eaten) satisfying the requirements of Jewish law.

What are the mitzvot? What is the purpose of the mitzvoth?

613 commandments, they are valuable for the way in which they improve our character and thereby benefit the society in which we live

Which form of Judaism is represented by the Pitsburgh Platform?

Central Conference of American Rabbis founded four years after its release, and several Rabbis who remained associated with Reform in its wake attempted to distance themselves from it, the platform exerted great influence over the movement in the next fifty years

How does Mary Douglas explain the kashrut (dietary laws)?

Douglas showed how the biblical food laws and other purity laws modified ancient Israelite

What is the relation between Talmud and mishna?

The Talmud consists of the Mishnah and the Gemara. The Mishnah refers to the oral law that, according to tradition, was given alongside the written Torah. The Gemara is rabbinic commentary on the Mishnah. Printed copies of the Talmud also often include the commentaries of later rabbis such as Rashi, Sforno, and other "Tosephot" (rabbis who commented on the Talmud), though these later commentaries are technically not actually part of the Talmud, itself.

What is the TaNaKh?

The Tanakh; also Tenakh, Tenak, Tanach), also called the Mikra or Hebrew Bible, is the canonical collection of Jewish texts, which is also a textual source for the Christian Old Testament. These texts are composed mainly in Biblical Hebrew, with some passages in Biblical Aramaic (in the books of Daniel, Ezra and a few others). The traditional Hebrew text is known as the Masoretic Text. The Tanakh consists of twenty-four books.

Prothero states: "If Tanakh and Torah are what makes Jews Jewish, Moses and Abraham were not Jews." What is the rationale behind this statement?

The torah did not exist in their time

Do Rabbis read the written Torah through the lens of the oral Torah, or the other way around?

They read the written Torah through the lens of the oral Torah because the oral Torah teaches you how to read the scripture

What does the Bar mitzvah (or today also bat mitzvah) symbolize?

Under Jewish Law, children are not obligated to observe the commandments, although they are encouraged to do so as much as possible to learn the obligations they will have as adults. At the age of 13 (12 for girls), children become obligated to observe the commandments. The bar mitzvah ceremony formally, publicly marks the assumption of that obligation, along with the corresponding right to take part in leading religious services, to count in a minyan (the minimum number of people needed to perform certain parts of religious services), to form binding contracts, to testify before religious courts and to marry.

What is Zionism?

Zionists believe Judaism is a nationality as well as a religion, and that Jews deserve their own state in their ancestral homeland, Israel, in the same way the French people deserve France or the Chinese people should have China. It's what brought Jews back to Israel in the first place, and also at the heart of what concerns Arabs and Palestinians about the Israeli state.

What is the "dual Torah"?

a creation of the rabbis during the Rabbinic Period. This belief is that God gave two Torahs at Mt. Sinai. The first one--the Written Torah--was in written form and is essentially the first five books of the Hebrew Bible.

Who is Satan in the Book of Job, according to Jewish tradition?

an angel in the divine court

What is theodicy?

dealing with the issue of evil in light of the existence of God. If God is just and holy and good, then how do evil and misery exist? That's the question theodicy wrestles with.

When did the shift from Temple- and sacrifice-focused worship to synagogues and ritual occur, and why?

following of the new testament

What does halakha mean (how is it often translated, and what is its literal translation)?

is the collective body of Jewish religious laws derived from the Written and Oral Torah. It is based on biblical laws or "commandments"