Jewish Practices: Worship & Ritual (Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies A: Judaism): Flashcards

In Orthodox services men and women sit separately, but in Liberal and Reform services they may sit together.

Orthodox services mainly use Hebrew, while Liberal and Reform services include more of the language of the country.

At Simchat Torah, Jews parade the Sefer Torah around the synagogue’s congregation.

False.

On Yom Kippur, the most important Jewish festival, synagogues hold five prayer services over the course of the day.

Synagogue worship fulfils the command: "Love the Lord your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul" (Deuteronomy 11:13).

Synagogue services help Jews learn through the teachings and sermons of the rabbi and by hearing the Torah and Tenakh read aloud.

The Tenakh comprises the Torah (the books of Moses), the Nevi’im (the Prophets) and the Ketuvim (the Writings).

The Torah is the most important part because it contains the 613 mitzvot, the laws that govern every aspect of Jewish life.

The Torah consists of five books: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

False.

The Torah contains the history of the Jewish people from the creation of the first humans to the exodus from Egypt, the giving of the law and the death of Moses.

The Talmud is the Oral, or spoken, tradition, which Jews believe God passed to Moses alongside the Torah to explain how to obey the laws.

The Nevi’im teaches Jews more about the nature of the covenant, faith in one God, and God’s compassion and justice.

The Ketuvim gives advice about living a moral life and deals with death and the afterlife.

Kashrut is the name for the Jewish food laws; the word means "the state of being kosher".

False.

Jews passed these teachings down by word of mouth for centuries, then wrote them down when they moved around the Roman Empire so the teachings would not become lost or misinterpreted.

Rabbi Judah the Prince organised writing down the Oral Torah, a process completed in c200CE.

Deuteronomy 14:4-6 permits any animal that has a divided hoof and that chews the cud.

The Gemara is the rabbinical analysis: scholars’ written discussions of the Halakhah, compiled in c500CE as part of the Talmud.

False.

Deuteronomy 14:9-10 permits only creatures with fins and scales, so Jews may eat some fish but not shellfish.

The Talmud helps modern Jews interpret teachings for issues that did not exist at the time of the original Torah, such as abortion, euthanasia and weapons of mass destruction.

Treifah means "torn" and refers to foods that Jews must not eat, such as pigs, rabbits and camels.

Jews must drain the blood from every animal before eating it, because of a rule in Leviticus 17:13.

Orthodox Jews see kashrut as a necessary part of keeping the mitzvot, a way of bonding with Jews everywhere and part of their Jewish identity.

Shechitah is the Jewish method of preparing animals for eating, which includes soaking the meat in salt water, draining it and washing it in cold water.

Reform and Liberal Jews see keeping kashrut as a personal choice, because they believe the laws of Moses are guidance for living a good life, not direct commands.

False.

Some keep all of kashrut, some keep a selection of the laws and some keep it only at home; only some reject it completely.

Orthodox Jews look for foods labelled hechsher, which shows the food is kosher.

Jewish prayer divides into formal, set prayers, which use pre-written words, and informal prayers, where a person makes up their own words.

The Siddur is the book that contains the Jewish set prayers.

The set times are shacharit (morning), minchah (afternoon) and arvit (evening).

Psalm 55:17 says: "Evening, morning and noon, I supplicate and moan, and He has heard my voice".

False.

Jews say prayers before and after meals to thank God for his blessings.

Each set prayer includes the Shema, the Amidah and readings from the Torah and Nevi’im.

The Modeh Ani is a morning prayer that thanks God for the gift of another day before Jews do anything else.

True.

Jews often pray as soon as they wake, using water to purify themselves for the day ahead, and they thank God for waking them.

The mezuzah reminds Jews of God and their blessings, because the Torah says: "You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out" (Deuteronomy 28:6).

Many Jews cannot attend the synagogue every day, so prayer at home lets them praise and communicate with God regularly.

Set prayers make people feel secure because the words and rituals are familiar to them.

Prayer in the home brings family members together in faith, and Jews see the family as the heart of Jewish life.

False.

Set prayers stop people being selfish in what they pray about and thinking only of their own concerns.

By repeating words that people have said for centuries, Jews become part of the ongoing history of their faith.

Set prayers make prayer easier because people do not have to think about what words to say or when to pray.

In private prayer, Jews can unburden themselves of troubles and share emotions and thoughts they may not want to share with others.

The Shema is the most important prayer because it is the Jewish declaration of faith and states the most fundamental beliefs of the faith.

The Shema begins: "Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one" (Deuteronomy 6:4).

Ethical monotheism is belief in one God who demands moral behaviour.

False.

Jews say the Shema three times every day: in the morning prayer, the evening prayer and before they go to sleep.

The Shema represents the agreement that Jews will love God and follow His laws, and in return God will take care of them.

A mezuzah is a parchment scroll with the Hebrew words of the Shema handwritten on it, kept in a small container on the doorposts of Jewish homes.

Touching the mezuzah reminds Jews of their covenant with God and that they must stay dedicated to keeping the mitzvot.

The Amidah is the second most important Jewish prayer, also called "the standing prayer" because Jews often recite it standing and facing Jerusalem.

The Shema teaches Jews to pass on the law and the covenant to future generations: "Impress them on your children".

Jews recite the opening lines of the Shema when someone takes the Torah scroll from the Ark.

The Amidah contains 19 blessings.

True.

These steps symbolise entering God’s presence.

The Amidah’s blessings praise God, ask for help and give thanks, the three requirements of prayer according to the great rabbis.

Each blessing of the Amidah ends with the words: "Blessed are you, O Lord".

HaTefillah means "the prayer", another name for the Amidah.

The Amidah asks for help with physical needs, such as food, and spiritual needs, such as forgiveness and mercy.

False.

The congregation says "Amen" after each blessing.

The Amidah’s requests include forgiveness of sins, healing of the sick and for God to bring the Messiah.

Rites of passage are rituals that mark important stages of human life, such as birth, marriage and death.

Brit Milah is the religious circumcision of boys at 8 days old, or of males converting to Judaism.

In Genesis, God commanded Abraham to circumcise himself and his offspring.

Genesis 17:10-12 says circumcision "will be the sign of the covenant between me and you".

The sandek holds the baby for the ceremony, a position of great honour; families often choose the grandfather.

False.

Some Liberal and Reform Jews interpret the covenant with Abraham spiritually, not literally, so some do not circumcise their sons.

A mohel is the circumciser who carries out Brit Milah; in some Reform communities a female mohelet does this.

At a Brit Bat, the rabbi names the baby girl in the synagogue on the Shabbat after her birth, followed by a celebratory meal.

Bar Mitzvah means "Son of the Commandments"; a boy becomes Bar Mitzvah at age 13, which marks his transition into adulthood.

After his Bar Mitzvah, a boy must live according to Jewish Law, obey the mitzvot in the Torah and set a good example for others.

At a Bar Mitzvah, the father reads: "Blessed be he who hath freed me from the responsibility for this child".

False.

In Orthodox Judaism, girls do not read the Torah in the synagogue, make up a minyan or wear the tefillin, so the ceremony cannot contain the same elements as a Bar Mitzvah.

Bat Chayil ("Daughter of Worth") is an Orthodox group ceremony where a rabbi blesses girls together and each girl reads a passage she chooses from the Tenakh.

In Liberal and Reform Judaism, the Bat Mitzvah ceremony is exactly the same as the Bar Mitzvah, and girls read from the Torah.

The huppah is the wedding canopy; it symbolises the couple united under one roof, and its open sides show they are open to the support of friends and family.

The couple fast as repentance for past sins, because the marriage is a fresh start that sanctifies them.

The rabbi recites seven blessings over a glass of wine and the couple drink from the same glass.

Breaking the glass shows that in the middle of joy, some people have sorrow, and it recalls the destruction of the Temple.

The ketubah is the marriage contract, which the couple hear read during the ceremony.

The Talmud teaches that marriage makes a person complete: "A man without a wife is incomplete. An unmarried woman is an unfinished vessel".

False.

Some Liberal and Reform synagogues have ceremonies specially designed for mixed marriages; otherwise, a non-Jew must convert to Judaism for a religious wedding.

Mourners follow the example of Jacob, who "tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days" (Genesis 37:34).

The chevra kaddisha is the synagogue’s burial society, which helps the family prepare for the funeral.

Shiva is the first seven days of mourning, a time of extreme mourning when mourners stay at home, sit on low chairs and cover mirrors.

False.

Orthodox Jews do not allow cremation because they believe the Torah teaches only burial; Liberal and Reform Jews may allow cremation.

During sheloshim, the next three weeks, the family returns to normal life but holds no celebrations, and male mourners pray kaddish at the synagogue every day.

Reform and Liberal Jews may sit shiva for only one day and may not cover the mirrors.

A simple headstone shows that all people are equal in death.