practices: tanakh, torah, talmud

Question 1

what is the tanakh?

Answer 1

it is the jewish bible

Question 2

what is the tanakh formed from its 3 parts?

Answer 2

1. torah: the five book of moses
2. nevi’im: the prophets
3. ketuvim: the writings (made up of history, wisdom and history including the psalms)

Question 3

what is the torah considered as?

Answer 3

the most sacred object in judaism

Question 4

what does the torah take the form of?

Answer 4

takes the form of a written scroll on parchment and is kept in the ark in the synagogue

Question 5

what is the torah written in?

Answer 5

hebrew

Question 6

why is the torah a great honour for?

Answer 6

it is a great honour to be asked to read it

Question 7

what do jews use when the person is reading from the torah?

Answer 7

uses a pointing stick called a yad so that the scroll is given respect and not damaged by touch

Question 8

what do orthodox jews regard the torah as? why?

Answer 8

as the literal word of god revealed to moses at mount sinai.
the torah cannot be changed!

Question 9

what is outline of the importance of the torah?

Answer 9

rambam’s thirteen principles of faith

Question 10

what are the 2 sources of authorities relating to the torah?

Answer 10

“belief in the divine origin of the torah - torah comes directly from god”
belief in the immutability of the torah - the words cannot be changed”

Question 11

what is the nevi’im?

Answer 11

it is the second part of the tanakh

Question 12

what is the main purpose of the nevi’im?

Answer 12

to teach about the history of the jewish religion

Question 13

in the nevi’im, what did jews believe?

Answer 13

that the prophets had special knowledge from god and passed on a message about how gods wants jews to live

Question 14

where are parts of the nevi’im read?

Answer 14

during the synagogue services, home, personal study

Question 15

what prophet is found in the nevi’im and what does it contain teachings of?

Answer 15

prophet isaiah
contains teachings of the messiah

Question 16

where is the ketuvium?

Answer 16

in the third section of the tanakh

Question 17

what does the ketuvim include?

Answer 17

psalms which are songs of praising to god
an overview of jewish history and tradition

Question 18

in tradition of the ketuvim, who wrote the psalms?

Answer 18

in tradition, some were written by king david and king solomon

Question 19

the psalms have been used in jewish worship for how many years?

Answer 19

thousand of years

Question 20

where are the psalms used in?

Answer 20

communal and private worships

Question 21

what is the talmud?

Answer 21

it is a record of oral tradition and means ‘instruction or learning’

Question 22

what did tradition say about the talmud?

Answer 22

that it was given to moses on mount sinai explaining how to interpret the torah

Question 23

why was the talmud written down?

Answer 23

over 1000 years later, it was written down so it did not become distorted or forgotten

Question 24

what are the names of the two parts of the talmud?

Answer 24

the mishnah -> hebrew
the gemara-> aramaic

Question 25

what does the talmud contain?

Answer 25

opinions, teachings and comments of thousands of rabbis on many topics such as law, customs and ethics

Question 26

what are the extracts from the talmud used in?

Answer 26

public and private worship
siddur -> jewish prayer book

Question 27

what is the disadvantage of the talmud?

Answer 27

it is very difficult and takes years of training to understand

Question 28

what does a jew do if they wanted to find an answer to an issue?

Answer 28

they would consult their rabbi who has trained in reading the talmud -> an expert

Question 29

what do orthodox jews encouraged?

Answer 29

to study the talmud

Question 30

what is yeshiva?

Answer 30

where many colleges throughout the world where jews srudy the torah and talmud

Question 31

what does the talmud teaches jews on how they should wear?

Answer 31

teaches jews how they should wear the torah and display it in their houses

Question 32

what does the talmud teach about food?

Answer 32

teaches on how to prepare food and giver clearer guidance on which actions are torah -> clean or fit

Question 33

what does the talmud give clear guidance on?

Answer 33

on what jews should and should not do on the sabbath
describes the 39 activities that should not take place

Question 34

what does the talmud teaches about sabbath? give a source of authority

Answer 34

they will be rewarded for observing the sabbath
“ready to bless the holy day of rest, then the good angel says: may the next sabbath and all thy sabbaths be like this”

Question 35

what are the 3 sources of authorities in the tanakh?

Answer 35

“bind them as a sign upon your arm and let them be ornaments between your eyes”
“you may slaughter from your cattle and your flocks that G-d has given you”
“respect the sabbath and keep it holy”