Judaism: Living the Jewish Life

What Judaism: Living the Jewish Life covers

Judaism: Living the Jewish Life is examined in whichever of the three papers Judaism is studied for, because this section is the same in all three areas of study. It covers Jewish public worship and synagogue services, the Tenakh, the Talmud and kashrut, Jewish prayer three times a day and in the home, the Shema, the Amidah and the mezuzah, Jewish rituals of birth, coming of age, marriage and mourning, Shabbat in the home and the synagogue, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot and the design and objects of the synagogue.

The 8 subtopics

Each one has its own page.

• Jewish public worship and synagogue servicesThe minyan and who counts in it, an Orthodox Shabbat morning service, the chazan, what men wear for morning prayer, Psalm 116 on thanksgiving and when it is recited, and how Reform services differ.Open →
• The Tenakh, the Talmud and kashrutThe three sections of the Tenakh, written and oral law, what makes up the Talmud, Rabbi Tarfon in Perkei Avot 2, Deuteronomy 14 on kosher animals and fish, shechitah, and separating meat and dairy.Open →
• Jewish prayer three times a day and in the homeThe patriarchs and the Temple behind the daily prayers, Psalm 55 on private prayer, Modeh Ani and prayer at meals, kavanah, fixed and spontaneous prayer, and Hannah's prayer.Open →
• The Shema, the Amidah and the mezuzahThe passages that make up the Shema and when it is said, saying it before death, the Amidah's structure and its Shabbat form, how a mezuzah is used, and Jesus' use of the Shema.Open →
• Jewish rituals of birth, coming of age, marriage and mourningBrit Milah with Genesis 17, Genesis 21 and Leviticus 12, welcoming a baby girl, Bar and Bat Mitzvah, the chuppah and ketubah, the funeral, shiva, avelut and yahrzeit, and Orthodox and Reform differences.Open →
• Shabbat in the home and the synagogueThe two events it remembers, Exodus 31 on what Shabbat is called, the penalty and the Tabernacle, forbidden work, the Friday evening welcome and two challah loaves, Havdalah, and Orthodox and Reform practice.Open →
• Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Pesach, Shavuot and SukkotLeviticus 23 and the shofar with other New Year customs, fasting, Kol Nidre and Neilah on the Day of Atonement, the Pesach seder, how Shavuot and Sukkot are kept, and Orthodox and Reform practice.Open →
• The design and objects of the synagogueIts three names, facing Jerusalem, the Ark and the bimah, separate seating and Reform layouts, Proverbs 14:28, the ner tamid in Exodus 27, the yad, the Torah Scroll, the menorah, and community use.Open →

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Take Judaism: Living the Jewish Life further

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Commonly confused

Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.

• Shema vs Amidah

  Shema: the declaration from Deuteronomy 6:4 that the Lord is One. Amidah: the silent prayer of blessings said on one's feet facing Jerusalem.

• Kosher vs Treifah

  Kosher: food Jews are permitted to eat under the food laws. Treifah: food Jews are forbidden to eat, originally a torn animal.

• Tenakh vs Talmud

  Tenakh: the written Hebrew Bible of Torah, Prophets and Writings. Talmud: the oral law: Mishnah with the rabbis' Gemara discussion.

Questions from this topic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   What is a minyan, and why is it needed?

   Model answer

   A minyan is a quorum of ten adults needed for full public prayer. Certain prayers, such as the Kaddish and the Torah reading, require a minyan.

2. 2

   Who counts in a minyan in Orthodox and Reform synagogues?

   Model answer

   Orthodox synagogues count only men aged thirteen and over. Reform and Liberal synagogues count women and men equally.

3. 3

   What happens at a Shabbat morning service in an Orthodox synagogue?

   Model answer

   The congregation prays from the siddur, mostly in Hebrew, led by the chazan. The weekly portion is read from the Torah scroll and the rabbi may give a sermon.

4. 4

   What is the role of the chazan?

   Model answer

   The chazan, or cantor, leads the congregation in prayer by chanting and singing the service.

5. 5

   What do Orthodox Jewish men wear for morning prayer?

   Model answer

   Men wear a tallit, a prayer shawl with fringes called tzitzit. Men also wear tefillin on weekdays, small boxes containing Torah verses.

6. 6

   What question does Psalm 116:12–19 ask, and how does the psalmist answer it?

   Model answer

   The psalmist asks how he can repay the Almighty for all his goodness. The psalmist will lift the cup of salvation and call on God's name.

What is inside Levo

Six ways to work the same material.

Judaism: Living the Jewish Life revision questions

What does Judaism: Living the Jewish Life cover in Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies B?

8 subtopics: jewish public worship and synagogue services, the tenakh, the talmud and kashrut, jewish prayer three times a day and in the home, the shema, the amidah and the mezuzah, jewish rituals of birth, coming of age, marriage and mourning, shabbat in the home and the synagogue, rosh hashanah, yom kippur, pesach, shavuot and sukkot and the design and objects of the synagogue. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.

How is Judaism: Living the Jewish Life organised?

By the Edexcel 1RB0 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.