Judaism: Relationships and Families | OCR GCSE Religious Studies (J625)

Judaism: Relationships and Families

72 questions
6 subtopics
Group 2 paper
Group 2 paper

Judaism: Relationships and Families is examined in Component Group 2, religion, philosophy and ethics in the modern world from a Jewish perspective (J625/08), if this is the perspective studied.

That perspective must be one of the student's two Group 1 religions. It covers the purpose of family and marriage in Judaism, Jewish views on same-sex relationships and civil partnership, Jewish views on sex, cohabitation, celibacy and contraception, Jewish divorce, annulment and remarriage, roles of men and women in Jewish families and communities and Jewish teaching on gender equality and discrimination.

Sample questions from Judaism: Relationships and Families

Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.

The purpose of family and marriage in Judaism

What are the purposes of marriage in Judaism?

Show the answer
Marriage provides companionship, love and support between husband and wife. Marriage also allows children to be born and raised in the Jewish faith.
The purpose of family and marriage in Judaism

What does the Ketubah show about Jewish beliefs on a wife's rights?

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The Ketubah guarantees a wife support and protection within marriage. Marriage is understood as mutual obligation rather than ownership.
Jewish views on same-sex relationships and civil partnership

What do Reform and Liberal Jews teach about same-sex marriage?

Show the answer
Reform and Liberal Judaism accept same-sex relationships as equal to heterosexual ones. Reform and Liberal rabbis conduct same-sex weddings in their synagogues.
Jewish views on same-sex relationships and civil partnership

How do Reform and Liberal Jews justify accepting same-sex marriage?

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Every person is made in G-d's image and deserves love and dignity. Leviticus is read as reflecting its ancient setting rather than G-d's final word on loving relationships.
Jewish views on sex, cohabitation, celibacy and contraception

What is celibacy, and how does Judaism view it?

Show the answer
Celibacy means choosing not to have sex, often for life. Judaism does not value lifelong celibacy, because marriage and family are expected.
Jewish views on sex, cohabitation, celibacy and contraception

What do Reform and Liberal Jews teach about contraception?

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Reform and Liberal Jews leave decisions about contraception to the couple. Responsible family planning is seen as consistent with Jewish values.
Jewish divorce, annulment and remarriage

What is an agunah?

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An agunah, meaning “chained woman”, is a wife whose husband refuses to give her a get. The woman cannot remarry under Orthodox Jewish law.
Jewish divorce, annulment and remarriage

What does Judaism teach about remarriage?

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Divorced Jews may remarry once a get has been given, and remarriage is encouraged. Under Orthodox law a kohen, a descendant of the priests, may not marry a divorced woman.

The 6 subtopics

One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.

Subtopic	What it covers	Questions
The purpose of family and marriage in Judaism	The family and Jewish continuity, Proverbs 6:20, marriage as the ideal adult state, Genesis 2:24 and exclusivity, the Ketubah and a wife's rights, the Huppah, Orthodox and Reform practice, and marrying within the faith.	11
Jewish views on same-sex relationships and civil partnership	Orthodox teaching and British Orthodox responses to LGBT+ Jews, Reform and Liberal acceptance and its justification, reactions to legal same-sex marriage, civil partnerships, and Humanist and situation-ethics perspectives.	11
Jewish views on sex, cohabitation, celibacy and contraception	Sex within marriage, Orthodox and Reform views of pre-marital sex, living together, why there are no Jewish monks or nuns, the command to be fruitful and multiply, Pikuach Nefesh, and utilitarian and Humanist views.	12
Jewish divorce, annulment and remarriage	Deuteronomy 24:1, the get and why civil divorce is not enough, the agunah and efforts to help, Reform and Liberal approaches, remarriage, situation ethics, and criticism of the Orthodox process.	12
Roles of men and women in Jewish families and communities	Genesis 2:18 and 15:5, Orthodox family roles, the woman of Proverbs 31, exemptions from some mitzvot, the family purity laws, how a child's Jewish identity is decided, and who raises children in the faith.	13
Jewish teaching on gender equality and discrimination	Genesis 1:27, 3:16 and 3:20, Leviticus 19:33–34 and Micah 6:8, equality and difference, religion and culture, embedded inequalities, the first women rabbis, and Humanist and Orthodox views of gender roles.	13

Judaism: Relationships and Families is 72 of the 2,800 questions in the guide.Get the guide, £7

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.

Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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.
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.