Rel 189 - Abrahamic Religions A

Rel 189 - Abrahamic Religions A. Porter Exam 1 (Judaism) Review

1. Identification (20 pts): In this section, you will be given a number of terms and asked to identify them and explain their significance to Judaism. Terms will be drawn from the following list:

13 principles of faith kippah Rosh Chodesh Abraham mishnah Rosh Hashannah Baal Shem Tov mezuzah Seder bar/bat mitzvah Midrash Aggadah Shabbat b'rachah Midrash Halakhah Shema bris minyan Shofar Conservative mitzvah/mitzvot Sukkot Decalogue mohel synagogue gemara mourner’s kaddish tallit Hasidic Orthodox Talmud Kabbalah Pesach tefillin/phylacteries Kashrut/Kosher Reform Tzaddik ketubah Yom Kippur

2. Current Events (30 pts, 15 each) I will give you two questions drawn from our current events readings. Here are some samples of the sort of questions you might need to answer:

Discuss the creation of the state of Israel and its relationship to the ending of the Colonial period in the Middle East. What is the Muslim Brotherhood and why is it important in Egypt and in other Arab countries? What is significant about the recent Israeli elections? Why is the situation in Egypt difficult for the American administration?

3. Discussion Questions (50 pts, 20 each)

I will give you three questions, similar to the following. You need to write a short essay answering them, using examples from the materials we’ve studied thus far, including web articles, current events, field observation, and The Chosen.

Explain how the Jewish tradition has continually reinterpreted Biblical Law to deal with new situations / conditions and give some examples. Traditionally, Jews maintained a separation from non-Jewish society. Discuss how the laws of kashrut and shabbat helped maintain these identity boundaries. What is the effect of these boundaries diminishing in the United States? Discuss how Kabbalah reinterpreted Jewish tradition to provide a new rational for observing Mitzvot. What is the relationship between Kabbalah and Hasidic Judaism? Do you think Judaism discriminates against women? Why or why not? Discuss the differences between the different sects in modern Judaism. Within each branch, there is a diversity of practices / options. Use examples from The Chosen to illustrate the latter point.