Judaism: Living the Jewish Life | Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies B (1RB0)
Judaism: Living the Jewish Life
- 105 questions
- 8 subtopics
- Judaism, one religion of seven
- Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 3
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.
Sample questions from Judaism: Living the Jewish Life
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Jewish public worship and synagogue services
What do Orthodox Jewish men wear for morning prayer?
Show the answer
Men wear a tallit, a prayer shawl with fringes called tzitzit. Men also wear tefillin on weekdays, small boxes containing Torah verses. -
The Tenakh, the Talmud and kashrut
What is Perkei Avot?
Show the answer
Perkei Avot, also spelled Pirkei Avot, means “Ethics of the Fathers”. The book is a section of the Mishnah collecting the rabbis' moral sayings. -
Jewish prayer three times a day and in the home
What does Psalm 55:22 teach about prayer?
Show the answer
Psalm 55:22 tells believers to cast their burden on the Lord, who will sustain them. Private prayer lets a Jew hand worries over to God. -
The Shema, the Amidah and the mezuzah
What is the Amidah?
Show the answer
The Amidah, “the standing prayer”, is the central prayer of every Jewish service. The prayer is also called the Shemoneh Esreh, meaning eighteen, after its original blessings. -
Jewish rituals of birth, coming of age, marriage and mourning
What does Leviticus 12 teach about a mother after childbirth, and how is it applied today?
Show the answer
Leviticus 12 sets a period of ritual impurity for a mother after birth, ended by an offering. Orthodox women today mark its end by immersing in a mikveh. -
Shabbat in the home and the synagogue
Why is Shabbat law linked to building the Tabernacle in Exodus 31?
Show the answer
Exodus 31 places the Shabbat command straight after instructions for building the Tabernacle. The rabbis derived the 39 forbidden kinds of work, the melachot, from that construction. -
Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot
What is Yom Kippur?
Show the answer
Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement, ten days after Rosh Hashanah. Jews believe God seals each person's judgement for the coming year. -
The design and objects of the synagogue
Why do Orthodox synagogues seat men and women separately?
Show the answer
Separate seating helps worshippers concentrate on prayer without distraction. Women sit in a gallery upstairs or behind a screen called a mechitzah.
The 8 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Jewish public worship and synagogue services | The 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. | 12 |
| The Tenakh, the Talmud and kashrut | The 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. | 14 |
| Jewish prayer three times a day and in the home | The 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. | 13 |
| The Shema, the Amidah and the mezuzah | The 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. | 13 |
| Jewish rituals of birth, coming of age, marriage and mourning | Brit 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. | 14 |
| Shabbat in the home and the synagogue | The 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. | 13 |
| Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot | Leviticus 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. | 13 |
| The design and objects of the synagogue | Its 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. | 13 |
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Nearby topics
Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies B Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 5,266 questions with their answers.