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Jewish History Elementary II and Advanced II

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Jewish History Elementary II and Advanced II PREMIUMPREMIUM TORAHTORAH COLLEGECOLLEGE PROGRAMSPROGRAMSTaTa l l Jewish History Elementary II and Advanced II July 2018 Jewish History From Yavneh to Pumbedisa Elementary II and Advanced II —Study Pack— This Study Pack can be used to study for both the Elementary Jewish History II exam and the Advanced Jewish History II exam. Both exams are based on the ArtScroll book History of the Jewish People — From Yavneh to Pumbedisa by Meir Holder (Mesorah Publications, ltd). When preparing for these exams, please make use of the relevant sample exam to familiarize yourself with the type of questions that are asked, and for guidance on how to answer them. Note: The information in your answers must be found in the readings on the syllabus. There may be other correct answers to a question, but they do not receive credit on the exam. Elementary II To prepare for the Elementary Jewish History II exam, please refer to: • The elementary exam description and syllabus (pages 4-23 of this booklet). • The elementary sample exam and answer key (pages 24-29). Advanced II To prepare for the Advanced Jewish History exam, please refer to: • The Advanced exam description (pages 30), the Elementary exam syllabus (pages 4–23), and the Advanced exam syllabus (pages 30–62). (Note: You must refer to This Study Guide is the property of TAL and MUST be returned after you take the exam. Failure to do so is an aveirah of gezel. JewishHistoryElemIIAdvIISP v02 © 2018 by Torah Accreditation Liaison. All Rights Reserved. Jewish History both syllabi since the syllabus of the Advanced exam includes the assigned read- ings of the Elementary exam.) • The advanced sample exam and answer key (pages 63-66). • The essay-writing guidelines, to help prepare you for quality essay writing (pages 67-71). NOTE: a. Please use dark black ink for all your answers. b. Accustom yourself to outlining your answers on scrap paper and writing practice essays clearly. Illegible exams will not be graded. c. The lowest passing score on this exam is 70. You will not get credit for a score below 70, though in the case of a failed or illegible paper, you may be able to retake the examination after waiting six months. Grades for transcripts are calculated as follows: A = 90–100% B = 80–89% C = 70–79% JewishHistoryElemIIAdvIISP v02 Page 3 of 71 © 2018 by Torah Accreditation Liaison. All Rights Reserved. Jewish History Elementary Jewish History II —Examination Description— The Elementary Jewish History II exam is based on chapters 1–20 from Part I of the ArtScroll book History of the Jewish People — From Yavneh to Pumbedisa by Meir Holder (Mesorah Publications, ltd). These chapters discuss Jewish history from the establishment of Yavneh as a Torah center in the times of the Tannaim (after the destruction of the Second Beis Hamikdash), until the end of the era of the Tannaim (after the completion of the Mishnah) and the establishment of Torah in Babylonia by the early Amoraim. You do not need to be familiar with the rest of the book for the purpose of this exam. The exam contains two sections evaluating your knowledge of this period in Jewish history: I. Multiple Choice (60% of final grade) This section has 60 multiple choice questions. II. Short Answers (40% of final grade) In this section you choose 15 out of 18 short answer questions. When preparing for this exam, please make use of the sample exam found on pages 24-29 to familiarize yourself with the type of questions that are asked, and for guidance on how to answer them. JewishHistoryElemIIAdvIISP v02 Page 4 of 71 © 2018 by Torah Accreditation Liaison. All Rights Reserved. Jewish History Elementary Jewish History II —Syllabus— To prepare for the Elementary Jewish History II exam, study chapters 1–20 from the ArtScroll book History of the Jewish People — From Yavneh to Pumbedisa. Following this introduction is a list of study questions that are designed to aid your study by focusing your attention on the essential material needed for the exam. While you should complete all the readings, concentrate on these study questions. All history contains numerous facts — dates, events, names, etc. The object of this course is that you not only remember the essential facts, but that you also understand the course of events and the reasons behind them. The only facts that you need to memorize are in these study questions; however, to understand the issues you need to complete all the readings without skipping sections or paragraphs. To answer the study questions, simply refer to the left hand column which indicates the page where the answers are found in the abovementioned text. Note that the syllabus lists all the chapters and section titles that are found in chapters 1-20 of the book. Sometimes more than one section title appear together, followed by the study questions. For example: Chapter 1 The Appointment of Rabban Gamliel 19–20 A. The Nature of the Sanhedrin/B. The Nasi — An Ancient Office • How many members (shoftim) sat on the Great Sanhedrin (Sanhedrin Hagadol)? What were the roles and functions of the Sanhedrin? Where this occurs it simply means that to answer the study questions (in the above example, “How many members (shoftim) sat on the Great Sanhedrin (Sanhedrin Hagadol)?” and “What were the roles and functions of the Sanhedrin?”) you need to study both sections of the book (in the above example, “The Nature of the Sanhedrin” and “The Nasi — An Ancient Office.”). To aid your understanding of the material, the syllabus divides the book into four major units each covering a period of history with related events. Each unit has a descriptive JewishHistoryElemIIAdvIISP v02 Page 5 of 71 © 2018 by Torah Accreditation Liaison. All Rights Reserved. Jewish History title, and a brief overview of the period, including a list of the major Jewish and Roman leaders of the time. It should be noted that these unit numbers and titles do not refer or correspond to any numbering or titles in the textbook. Note: Any information found in an overview, but not part of a study question, does not need to be memorized; for example, you do not need to know in which period each Emperor reigned. JewishHistoryElemIIAdvIISP v02 Page 6 of 71 © 2018 by Torah Accreditation Liaison. All Rights Reserved. Jewish History Unit 1 Chapters 1–6 Rebuilding the Jewish Nation after the Churban Overview: These chapters discuss how Chazal, under the leadership of R’ Yochanan and Rabban Gamliel, rebuilt the Jewish nation after the Churban of the Second Beis Hamikdash despite ongoing Roman repression. Period covered: 70–81 CE Jewish leaders: R’ Yochanan ben Zakkai, Rabban Gamliel II Roman Emperors: Vespasian, Titus Chapter 1: Rabban Yochanan Ben Zakkai 11-12 The Eternity of Israel • Before the Churban, why were most of the nations conquered by the Romans willing to become part of the Roman Empire, and why were the Jews unwilling to do likewise? • What was the state of the Jewish people after the Churban Beis Hamikdash? What “feature” of Judaism prevented the assimilation and disappearance of the Jewish nation? 13–15 “He Who Foresees the Future in Its infancy” • How did R’ Yochanan gain Vespasian’s goodwill? What three things did he ask from him, and why? • When was the yeshiva in Yavneh set up? What was its task following the Churban? What was the effect of the Churban on the nation? • What were R’ Yochanan’s three takanos, and what “messages” did they teach the people? JewishHistoryElemIIAdvIISP v02 Page 7 of 71 © 2018 by Torah Accreditation Liaison. All Rights Reserved. Jewish History Chapter 2: The Re-Establishment Of The Sanhedrin 16–17 Laying the Foundations • After setting up the yeshivah in Yavneh, what was R’ Yochanan’s next task? A. The Sages of Yavneh • Which qualifications were required to be a member of the Sanhedrin, and which were not? What was unique about the Jewish people’s at- titude to their leaders? 17–18 B. The Sanhedrin: The Only Surviving Institution • Why was the Sanhedrin, as opposed to the Jewish king or Kohen Gadol, the only practical instrument of leadership in the years leading up to the Churban, and in the years following the Churban? 18–19 C. Waiting • Why did R’ Yochanan delay re-establishing the Sanhedrin after the Churban? 19–20 The Appointment of Rabban Gamliel A. The Nature of the Sanhedrin / B. The Nasi — An Ancient Office • How many members (shoftim) sat on the Great Sanhedrin (Sanhedrin Hagadol)? What were the roles and functions of the Sanhedrin? • What was the role of the Nasi after the Churban? 20–21 C. The Choice of a Successor [Note: After discussing the Sanhedrin and Nasi, the text returns to the subject discussed in “C. Waiting” — Rabban Yochanan’s decision to re-establish the Sanhedrin. As such, this section should have been labeled “D”, and the following sections, “E” and “F”.] • Why did R’ Yochanan not take the position of Nasi? JewishHistoryElemIIAdvIISP v02 Page 8 of 71 © 2018 by Torah Accreditation Liaison. All Rights Reserved. Jewish History 21–22 D. The Importance of Continuity • Why did R’ Yochanan appoint Rabban Gamliel as Nasi? From whom were the Nesiim descended since the time of Hillel? • How did the Romans respond to his appointment? (See footnote on page 22. It appears that the events described in the footnote took place in the time of Domitian, and are described again briefly on page 45.) 22–24 E. The Sages Move Out • What message did R’ Yochanan send the Jewish nation by establishing a new yeshivah outside Yavneh? Chapter 3: Rabban Gamliel Of Yavneh 25–26 The New Nasi faces the future • What general task did Rabban
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