Questions about Judaism – clear answers from the sources
Common questions about Jewish belief and practice, each with a short answer first, a fuller explanation and the sources it rests on. Where Sephardi and Ashkenazi customs differ, both are given.
Jewish beliefs
God, the Torah, the Messiah, the afterlife – what Judaism teaches, from its own sources. (25 questions)
- Do Jews believe in Jesus?
- What do Jews believe?
- Who is God in Judaism?
- Do Jews believe in heaven and an afterlife?
- Do non-Jews go to heaven according to Judaism?
- What do Jews believe about the Messiah?
- Who wrote the Torah?
- What is the Talmud?
- What is Kabbalah?
- Do Jews believe in reincarnation?
- Why does God allow suffering, according to Judaism?
- What are the Ten Commandments?
- What is the tenth commandment, “You shall not covet”?
- What is the Torah?
- What was the Ark of the Covenant and what was inside it?
- Where is the Ark of the Covenant today?
- Who wrote the Book of Psalms?
- What is the Jewish Bible called? Is it the Old Testament?
- What is the Book of Enoch, and why is it not in the Jewish Bible?
- Who is Lilith in the Bible and in Jewish tradition?
- What are mitzvot? Are there really 613 commandments?
- What was the manna in the Bible?
- Who founded Judaism?
- When was the Talmud written?
- Do animals have souls in Judaism?
Who is a Jew
Jewish identity, peoplehood, conversion and the words used for Jews and non-Jews. (15 questions)
- What does “goyim” mean?
- Is Judaism a race, an ethnicity or a religion?
- Who is a Jew according to Jewish law?
- Can you convert to Judaism?
- Where do Jews come from?
- Are Israelites, Hebrews and Jews the same?
- How many Jews are there in the world?
- What is a rabbi?
- What is a Messianic Jew?
- What are the 12 tribes of Israel?
- What is Zion?
- What is the difference between Sephardi and Ashkenazi Jews?
- What do Jewish sources say about antisemitism?
- What languages did Jews speak?
- Are Jewish people white?
Kosher food
What kosher means, which foods are forbidden and why, and how meat and dairy are kept apart. (10 questions)
Shabbat
When Shabbat begins and ends, what is done and avoided, and how a Shabbat table works. (6 questions)
Holidays
Questions about the festivals and fasts of the Jewish year. (19 questions)
- Do Jews celebrate Christmas?
- Do Jews celebrate Easter?
- Do Jews celebrate Thanksgiving?
- How many days is Hanukkah, and why eight?
- How many candles do you light each night of Hanukkah?
- What do you say on Yom Kippur? Is “Happy Yom Kippur” OK?
- When does the Yom Kippur fast start and end?
- Why do Jews fast on Tisha B’Av?
- Is Passover seven or eight days?
- Why is the Jewish New Year in September or October?
- What is Passover (Pesach)?
- What is Hanukkah?
- What holiday is Yom Kippur?
- What is Rosh Hashanah?
- What is Purim?
- What is Sukkot?
- What is Shavuot?
- Can you say “Happy Passover”? What do you say on Jewish holidays?
- How do you play dreidel?
Prayer and synagogue
How, when and in what language Jews pray, and what happens in a synagogue. (7 questions)
Life events
Circumcision, bar and bat mitzvah, marriage, mourning and remembrance. (7 questions)
Customs and symbols
The kippah, the mezuzah, tzitzit, the evil eye and other everyday customs. (11 questions)
- Why do Jews wear a kippah (yarmulke)?
- What is the evil eye in Judaism?
- Why is the mezuzah slanted?
- Can Jews get tattoos?
- Should tzitzit be worn out or tucked in?
- What does shalom mean?
- What does “Shabbat shalom” mean, and when do you say it?
- What is a mensch?
- What is the Western Wall (Kotel)?
- What does the Star of David mean?
- What is a mezuzah?
A general answer by the site's editors from the sources – not a personal halachic ruling. For a practical question, ask your rabbi.