Building a Jewish Life HomepageBuilding a Jewish Life

Becoming Jewish Without Questioning Your Sanity

You are here: Home / Test

Test

Test your knowledge!

Beware: the following page is going to be intimidating and scary. Rather than posting a particular conversion “test,” I’ve posted almost every question I’ve seen on any such questionnaire or study guide. This diagnostic test/study guide combines approximately a dozen such “tests.” YOU WILL NOT BE ASKED ALL THESE QUESTIONS OR EVEN A LOT OF THEM. This is to give you an idea of the topics that are fair game and to help you plan your conversion studies. Inevitably, I’ve left out something that someone will think is necessary. If you can answer most of these questions correctly (and I mean 75% at most), then you likely know that piece of information too. I don’t even know the answers to all of these questions, and I’m still confident enough about my Jewish knowledge to write a blog about conversion. Either that makes me crazy or means we’re all human and can only hold so much information in our brains. Part of being a good Jew is acknowledging when you don’t know the answer, but knowing how to find out the answer. Sometimes, that means the answer is as simple as “I’d ask my rabbi.”

How to use these questions: One day when you have some free time, take a first run on the questions: answer every question you know with certainty, leaving the others blank. Use this as a kind of diagnostic. Check those answers to make sure they’re “right” (know that there may be several correct answers or that the answer is asking for your personal experiences). Then take time over several weeks to look up the remaining answers. If you have a guess, make a note of it before looking up the answer.

How to Get Answers: Ask your rabbi or someone in your community if you can go over any questions you didn’t understand or couldn’t find the answer to. I suggest a sit-down meeting to go over them together, face-to-face. I suggest asking your rabbi first because you’ll begin to get used to speaking to a rabbi about these kinds of halachic questions so that you’ll be less nervous for your beit din. You’ll also impress him with all you already know!

Answer Guide: People always ask for an answer guide to these tests. In my opinion, that defeats the purpose of giving you this list! This is your grad school of Judaism. You’re not preparing for a test; you’re preparing for the rest of your life as an orthodox Jew. That means you need to really learn these issues, rather than memorize an answer that might not even be right in your life. You won’t understand the factors and rationales that go into reaching these answers and how they apply to your own life. Nothing in life will be as cut-and-dry as these questions make it sound, so you need a real education in Judaism.

Halacha is so complex that just handing you an answer key may backfire:
a) the answer may not be correct for your family or community,
b) the answer may ignore the multitude of potential answers,
c) an answer fools people into thinking the issue is simpler than it is, thus they never learn what the relevant factors are that lead to the answer.
d) Also, many answers can vary significantly based on the family/roommate situation, life situation, home, and personality of the candidate.

If you’re someone who is fear-motivated, here’s another perspective: if you memorize an answer from a key, you may very well embarrass yourself in front of the beit din if they ask follow-up questions or ask for how you got to that answer. “Showing your work” isn’t just for math class anymore!

And let’s not forget that if you find an answer key, there’s no guarantee that the answer is right for any community in the first place. I know several candidates have proposed making an answer key, but that’s equivalent to the blind leading the blind. Only trust yourself to learn what is relevant to your life. You and your life are unique, and halacha recognizes that. Your answer may not be someone else’s answer.

If you’re a real overachiever (or really nervous): I suggest going back and re-taking the test as a diagnostic and repeating the process above after a few month or a year have passed. You’ll be surprised what you’ve learned!

Tikkun Olam Note: This is really long. It is 22 pages single-spaced in Word, so please don’t print it out unless you really mean to use the paper copy.

If you prefer, you can access a Word document version of this test at Google Docs.


TOPICS
Shabbat
Prayer
The Synagogue
The Jewish Calendar
Lifecycle Events
Keeping Kosher
Blessings
Other Mitzvot
Jewish Ethics and Worldview
Gender-Specific Mitzvot
Laws of Family Purity
Jewish History
Reading Hebrew
Miscellaneous Terminology

SHABBAT
1.          Why do we celebrate Shabbat?
2.          What is the source of Shabbat?
3.          Tell me about the term “shomer Shabbat.”
4.          How do we honor Shabbat?
5.          How do we greet each other on Shabbat?
6.          How is Shabbat different from holidays?
7.          What activities are prohibited on Shabbat? How many of them are there?
8.          When are Shabbat laws suspended?
9.          When does Shabbat begin? When does it end?
10.       What do you say if you need to do a prohibited Shabbat activity between the end of Shabbat and havdalah?
11.       How many periods of prayer are there on Shabbat?
12.       Tell me about the term “oneg Shabbat.”
13.       Tell me about the term “birkat hachodesh.” When is it?
14.       Tell me about the term “eruv.”
15.       What happens if the eruv is not kosher one week?
16.       If there is no eruv, how do you get into your locked house?
17.       Tell me about the term “erev Shabbat.”
18.       Describe the candle lighting process and timing.
19.       Recite the Hebrew blessing for lighting the Shabbat candles.
20.       Why do women traditionally light the Shabbat candles?
21.       Who lights candles if a Jewish woman is not present?
22.       Do girls light Shabbat candles?
23.       What happens if you have forgotten to light the Shabbat candles on time?
24.       What can you do if you, for some reason, don’t have candles or something to light them with?
25.       Why can’t you touch or move the candles after they’re lit?
26.       How many meals are on Shabbat?
27.       What is the third meal called?
28.       What is required at each meal?
29.       Tell me about the term “kiddush.”
30.       How do you make kiddush?
31.       Can you eat before making kiddush?
32.       What do you do for kiddush if, for health reasons, you are unable to drink wine?
33.       What can you use for kiddush at Shabbat lunch?
34.       Tell me about the term “lechem mishnah.”
35.       What is the source of lechem misnah?
36.       When does challah need to be separated?
37.       How much dough until bread becomes subject to the law of separating challah?
38.       What do you do with the separated challah?
39.       Why is challah salted before eating it on Shabbat?
40.       What is a Shabbat elevator? How would you use one?
41.       How do Shabbat timers work?
42.       How do you serve hot food on Shabbat?
43.       How do you keep the food warm?
44.       Which types of food can be kept warm?
45.       How do you return a pot to the heat on Shabbat?
46.       Why is it important to have hot food on Shabbat?
47.       How do you change a baby’s diaper on Shabbat? (Probably will not be asked unless you are a parent or may be soon.)
48.       How do you mash food on Shabbat, for example, for a baby?
49.       How do you transport a baby on Shabbat?
50.       Can you kill a bee on Shabbat?
51.       Can you kill a spider on Shabbat?
52.       Can you kill an ant on Shabbat?
53.       What are some other activities that constitute “cooking” on Shabbat other than cooking itself?
54.       What is the problem with knots on Shabbat? How can you make a permissible knot?
55.       Can you wipe mud off your shoes on Shabbat?
56.       Can you take vitamins on Shabbat?
57.       Can you take aspirin on Shabbat?
58.       Can you take prescription medicine on Shabbat?
59.       Can a woman wear make-up on Shabbat?
60.       Name some things that cannot be done to hair on Shabbat.
61.       Can you use a broom on Shabbat?
62.       Can you use a lint brush on clothing on Shabbat?
63.       Can you exercise on Shabbat?
64.       Name an example of the “final hammer blow.” What does that mean?
65.       Tell me about the term “zemirot.”
66.       Where do you find zemirot?
67.       Tell me about the term “muktzeh.”
68.       Name some muktzeh.
69.       When can you move muktzeh?
70.       Can you take a shower or bath on Shabbat?
71.       Tell me about the term “parsha hashavua.”
72.       Where do you find the pasha hashavua?
73.       Tell me about the term “haftorah.”
74.       Where do you find the haftorah?
75.       Why did we create the haftorah?
76.       Tell me about the term “havdalah.”
77.       How do you make havdalah?
78.       Tell me about the term “motzei Shabbat.”
79.       How do we greet each other on motzei Shabbat?
80.       Tell me about the term “melava malkah.”
81.       When can you ask for help from a non-Jew on Shabbat? How would you ask?
82.       When is the only time we can fast on Shabbat?
83.       Are you able to leave work early for Shabbat?
84.       Describe your normal erev Shabbat.
85.       Describe your normal Shabbat plans: meals, synagogue attendance, etc.
86.       How do you prepare your home for Shabbat?
87.       How do you prepare yourself for Shabbat?
88.       Where do you find the candle lighting time?
89.       How many candles do you light on Shabbat? Why?
90.       How do you make tea with lemon on Shabbat?
91.       How do you separate items/foods on Shabbat?
92.       What do you do with the dirty dishes on Shabbat? If you do anything with them, when do you do it?
93.       What would you do if your shirt tore on Shabbat?
94.       Do you brush your teeth on Shabbat? Why or why not?
95.       Do you use an eruv on Shabbat? Why or why not?
96.       What would you do if you accidentally found yourself carrying on Shabbat?
97.       How would you add water to cholent on Shabbat?
98.       How do you deal with medical issues on Shabbat?
99.       How would you deal with a medical emergency on Shabbat?
100.    How would you remove fat from a piece of meat on Shabbat?
101.    How would you remove orange seeds on Shabbat?
102.    How would you remove grapes from a fruit salad on Shabbat if you didn’t like them?
103.    If you own a business, is it open on Shabbat? If so, what arrangements have you made?
104.    If a vegetarian, will you eat meat on Shabbat and yom tov?

TEFILA
105.    Tell me about the term “siddur.”
106.    Be familiar with the priority of prayers.
107.    When is talking in synagogue prohibited?
108.    Tell me about the term “minyan.”
109.    Is it better to pray alone or with a minyan?
110.    What are the minimum prayer requirements for a man?
111.    What are the minimum prayer requirements for a woman?
112.    When must we wash our hands before prayer?
113.    Are you allowed to eat before praying?
114.    Are you allowed to drink before praying?
115.    Are you required to use the bathroom before prayer?
116.    What are the requirements for a minyan?
117.    What is a halachic hour? Why is it important?
118.    What is the Yiddish word for prayer?
119.    What is the Hebrew word for prayer?
120.    What are the names of the set prayer times?
121.    Name mitzvahs that require a minyan.
122.    Does a funeral require a minyan?
123.    Does a wedding require a minyan?
124.    Why is the Shema an important prayer?
125.    When is the Shema recited?
126.    Who is obligated in kriat Shema?
127.    What is the other name for the Amidah?
128.    When is the Amidah recited?
129.    When is the Amidah repeated by the cantor?
130.    How many blessings are in the Amidah during the week?
131.    What is different about the blessings in the Amidah on Shabbat?
132.    How many times a day do we usually say the Aleinu?
133.    What are the different kinds of kaddish?
134.    How are they different?
135.    When does the cantor recite kaddish?
136.    When does a mourner recite kaddish?
137.    When do we insert the “ya’aleh v’yavo” language into our davening?
138.    Tell me about the term “mussaf.”
139.    When do we pray mussaf?
140.    When is tachanun recited?
141.    Tell me about Avinu Malkeinu.
142.    When is Avinu Malkeinu recited?
143.    When is it not recited?
144.    Tell me about the tefila haderech.
145.    When/Where is the tefila haderech recited?
146.    Tell me about birkat hagomel.
147.    When is birkat hagomel recited?
148.    May a woman recite birkat hagomel?

SYNAGOGUE
149.    What is the word for synagogue in Yiddish?
150.    What is the word for synagogue in Hebrew?
151.    When is the Torah read in synagogue?
152.    Tell me about the term “aliyah” in the synagogue.
153.    How many aliyot are awarded on Shabbat?
154.    Name examples of when a person should be honored with an aliyah?
155.    Tell me about the term “mechitza.”
156.    Tell me about the term “ezrat nashim.”
157.    How does a man perform his aliyah?
158.    What blessing is said on the Torah reading?

JEWISH CALENDAR
159.    Is the Jewish calendar solar or lunar?
160.    How many months are in the Jewish calendar?
161.    What are the names of the months?
162.    When does the day begin and end?
163.    Tell me about the term “rosh chodesh.”
164.    For how many days is rosh chodesh celebrated?
165.    What are some of the customs of Rosh Chodesh?
166.    When does the Jewish year begin? Why?
167.    How many “new years” are celebrated in the Jewish calendar?
168.    What do those new years celebrate? Why?
169.    When does the Jewish year end?
170.    Tell me about kiddush levana.
171.    Until when can kiddush levana be recited?
172.    What is the current year on the Hebrew calendar?
173.    How does the Jewish leap year work?
174.    Tell me about the term “chag.”
175.    Tell me about the term “chol hamoed.”
176.    What is different about chol hamoed?
177.    What is not permitted on chol hamoed?
178.    Tell me about the term “seudat.”
179.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.