Final Exam Format

Terms (mostly Modern Jewish History)

Define three (what or who does the term refer to, and why is it significant?)
14 points

Short Answer Questions (taken from all sections)

Answer two (on the final exam itself, you will have five to choose from)
14 points

1.    What does it mean that the Jewish calendar is "lunar-solar"?
2.    Was there always a separation between men and women in prayer? When did this change?
3.    What are the two most important parts of the daily morning and evening services?
4.    What is a "rite of passage"? What are the stages of a rite of passage?
5.    What labors are forbidden on the Sabbath, according to the Bible? According to the rabbis?
6.    What are the forbidden land animals, sea animals, birds, and insects? Why is each one forbidden – is any reason given?
7.    What are the different types of war that Maimonides derives from biblical laws and stories about war?

Modern Jewish History questions

Answer one (on the final exam itself, you will have three to choose from)
12 points

1.    What changes did the Haskalah bring to Judaism?
2.    What changes did the German Reform rabbinical conferences mandate for the Reform movement?
3.    What has been the influence of Christianity upon modern Judaism, especially the Reform movement?
4.    How does the role of the contemporary rabbi differ from his medieval predecessor?

Jewish Practice Questions

Answer three (on the final exam itself, you will have six to choose from)
12 points each = 36

1.    Circumcision: What occurs in a brit milah? Why do some Jews challenge this traditional practice? How is the ritual of circumcision a "rite of passage"?

2.    Baby-naming ceremonies for girls: Why have some Jews created baby-naming ceremonies for girls? What occurs in a baby-naming ceremony? Is it also an effective "rite of passage"?

3.    Homosexuality: What are traditional Jewish attitudes towards homosexuality and how have these attitudes been challenged in the contemporary world? What are the differing views of the Jewish movements about homosexuality and whether gay and lesbian people should be accepted into congregations, ordained as rabbis, and be able to celebrate a Jewish wedding?

4.    Bar and Bat Mitzvah: What is the bar mitzvah is and why it is celebrated? How did it develop historically and what has it become in contemporary Jewish American life? When did the bat mitzvah develop and why has it also become important for American Jews?

5.    Marriage: What is the traditional Jewish view of marriage? What are the purposes of marriage? How is a traditional Jewish wedding conducted – what are the most important parts of the ceremony?

6.    Niddah and Mikveh: What are the laws of menstrual impurity (niddah) and how are they practiced today among traditional Jews? What is a mikveh and what role does it play in the observance of the laws of niddah?

7.    Conversion: What is the process that a person undergoes who wants to convert to Judaism? How does the process differ between the Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox movements? What attitudes might other Jews have towards those who convert?

8.    Tattooing: Is tattooing permitted by Jewish law? What are the consequences if a Jew gets a tattoo – does it bar full participation in Jewish life or prevent a person from being buried in a Jewish cemetery?

9.    Death, mourning, and the afterlife: How does Judaism deal with death what rituals and customs are associated with death and mourning? What are classical Jewish beliefs about the afterlife?

Jewish Ethics Questions

Answer question 1 and one of questions 2-4 (total - two questions) (all of these will be on the final exam)
12 points each = 24

1.    Introduction to justice in the Jewish tradition: What are the difference senses of justice? How do distributive justice, retributive justice, and procedural justice differ from each other, and how is each manifested in the Jewish tradition (Bible and rabbinic literature)?
2.    Kashrut and ethics: What sort of ethical judgment should be applied to the issues raised by the Agriprocessors case? Would the ethical violations found at the plant make the food produced there not kosher?
3.    Jewish business ethics: What are the basic principles of business ethics in Judaism? How can they be applied to the case of Bernard Madoff? Why do some Jews feel a special responsibility when someone like Bernard Madoff so visibly breaks the rules of ethics and American law?
4.    Ethics of war: How do contemporary Jewish thinkers deal with the ethical issues raised by war? (see Norman Solomon's article on this issue). Is the Jewish tradition of thinking about war relevant or helpful in thinking about contemporary wars, for example, the recent fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza in December 2008-January 2009? Or, on the other hand, should Jews principally engage with modern secular ideas about just wars and the proper conduct of warfare (as embodied, for example, in the Geneva Conventions)?

Study Format

Topic 1: Modern Jewish History

Topic 2: Jewish Daily Life – Cycle of the Year, Worship and Prayer

Topic 3: Jewish Daily Life - the Cycle of Life

Topic 4: Justice and Morality in Judaism