Take the Holy Temple Quiz

At this point, Cindy Kaplan can ace any Chabad quiz thrown at her Reply

It is good to know that I learn such a lot from these quizzes Reply

Sometimes it takes more than 3 attempts to get them all right. This was twice, only because my mum often talked about King Solomon when I was very little. Reply

Dear Athalwolf Heidenmann,

What's a 'Germanic Neopagan'?
'Zionist' I understand... ;-)
I got 11/11, but I'm a G-D fearing Traditional Israeli
Jew living barely 1 km from the Temple Mount.
Best from Jerusalem Israel Reply

You live in a wonderful place. Reply

Showbread? That was in the Holy with the menorah and the incense alter.
But in the first temple, before everything was hidden in the tunnels, there was a jar of mun/mannah in the Holy of Holies, together with the staff that budded and the Ark with the 10 commandments. (They were all hidden in the secret chamber that King Solomon built, 40 years before the distruction, and remain there until the today) Reply

I had not realized that they are your quizzes Reply

Because of the centuries-long antisemitism of both the French as well as the Germans, I have no interest in visiting their countries Reply

Shalom Raymond. For many years I thought that I would never visit Germany. Then I spent a year on a kibbutz and got to know a wonderful young male volunteer from Germany.
This changed my perspective and allowed me to accept that there certainly are decent German people who do live in a besutiful country. Reply

I will admit that so much of the greatest music ever written comes from Germany as well as culturally close-related Austria such as the music of Bach, Handel, Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, Strauss, and so on. Also, there are actually more Americans of German descent than there are of British descent, and many millions of Americans of the Midwest, the very kind when we think of as being the most exemplary of kind Americans, are of German descent, the point being, of course, that there really are good and bad people in every culture, including our own Reply

On one of our holidays in Crete there was a lovely lady who was often by the swimming pool. Whenever she saw me going into, or coming out of the pool, she came to help me (I am disabled, so it was an effort for me) even though my husband was with me to help. So we talked and became friends. She is Jewish and lives in Cologne, Germany. Reply

Shalom Raymond. I'm very pleased to read your response.
Well I learned something about the number of German-Americans who outnumber Brit-Americans. Who knew ?? Reply

I know, right? It is so counter-intuitive Reply

The subject of the Holy Temple has always been for me a subject that was at once rather tedious as well as, paradoxically, so mysterious. Then Rabbi Jonathan Sacks remarked how the temple service, especially as described in the Book of Leviticus, is the climax to the entire Torah, something that made no sense to me. However, he then spelled it out, namely that it was the ancient version of our shuls. The moment I read those words he wrote, my eyes were opened on that subject, which then became so obvious that it is a wonder how I did not figure all that out on my own. But that is precisely the genius of Rabbi Sacks, how he uses language so magnificently to explain and describe phrases that we as readers may have never understood without his guidance Reply

Shalom Raymond: I truly cherish your thoughts. Thank you for bringing in Rabbi Jonathan Sacks into the conversation. He is indeed, a treasure in Jewish thought and observance, as well as keen mind that is worthy of the leadership he has attained. Some individuals have that capacity to see more than what they are observing , and make correct connections that become educational moments. I am glad he helped you,. What seems to be difficult to grasp though I know all of the sacrifices, is a modern question that is not mine "a return to the sacrifices"? The prophets themselves talked against them, chastising the people that the sacrifice do not erase behavior -because the people commit the mistakes again and again. H' doesn't need them! ! What H' wants is good behavior and true Tikkun of the self. Yes? Your thoughts on the subject? Reply

Dear Faigue Cieplinski,

Since Rabbi Jonathan Sacks ztz"l died over 5 years ago [early November 2020],
the proper terms should be in the past tense.
A great loss to the Jewish People and to all people who love learning and serving
the Almighty.
I look forward to the restoration of the sacrifices, but always pray to HaShem Yishtabach Shmo Le-Ad {השם ישתבח שמו לעד } that HE Send down an order that we can marinate our share of the meat offerings, because I love my grilled meat marinated.
I want to enjoy my share of my offering with a sweet savour to HaShem...
G-D Bless from Jerusalem Israel.
I live barely a km. from the Temple Mount.
Joey Silver Reply

Well, to be honest, the whole animal sacrificial system has always bothered me. After all, what did those poor animals do to deserve being put to death? Answer: nothing. Those animals are being sacrificed on our behalf. Basically it comes down to somebody being put to death for one's sins, and rather than we sinners dying every time we sin, G-d allows us to pass on that death sentence to animals. That hardly seems fair. On the other hand, the basic rule in Jewish law regarding this subject is this: for humans, life is what matters while for animals, pain is what matters. Thus, human life under almost all circumstances must be preserved at all costs, whereas for animals, their lives do not matter nearly as much as minimizing their pain. And when animals are sacrificed, it is done the kosher way, which means no pain. Another thought worth considering here is that according to Rav Kook, animal sacrifices will be replaced by grain sacrifices when the proper Messianic time arrives Reply

Shalom Mr. Joseph B Silver:
First, how lucky you are on living so near and in Yerushalaim. may your life be blessed. I confess that is where I would love to be. The Sochnut in the 70s advised us not to make Aliyah because we were trained above of what israel offered then. SO one doesn't go with just dreams.. I still wish I was there. For me Rabbi Sacks Zichrono l'shalom, was/ is through his books and lectures ,my teacher, and I admired him. So, in my mind he is present with me. No offense at all.
Ken, I know that. my question is tied to the Nevi'im who argued that sacrifices were not needed because people stubbornly repeated their mistakes again, and again. Har h'abait shlishi is a dream but definitely Jews should be able to pray there. May H' continue to guide your life in my favorite place on earth. Reply

Shalom Raymond: Thanks ,as usual, for responding because on a dialogue we both grow.
You mention another Rabbi favorite of mine: Rav Kook. I admire him for the role he took in leading Eretz Israel ab initio. He was able to rule situations accordingly. His suggestion of replacement with grains ( which I didn't know) is a magnificent thought. The Prophets wanted changes: people analyzing their compulsions - so as not to repeat them ! We have now therapists to modify behaviors, and many are successful. Further, we had an interesting change in Babylonia: prayers - let us keep them, and not go back precisely because your argument "no animal is responsible for our misbehavior. " Furthermore, I argue that H' doesn't need either sacrifices or prayers. Actually ,the latter can also be misused as bargaining chips! Better behavior is the goal. H' wants Tikkun to be near to us again, and then we will achieve bringing the Messianic times, and those grains, Reply

Most people associate prayer with asking G-d for things, but prayer is much more than treating G-d as if He were a celestial butler. Really the purpose of prayer is for the positive effect it has on us if we do it right. During prayer, we focus on its words, which often directs our minds and our hearts to realize the almost unfathomable gap between Who G-d Really Is, and who we are with our limited perceptions. We also need to keep in mind that prayer is not the be all and end all, that really it serves as an aid to our major activities, which is to actively engage in correcting our moral behaviors. As for psychology, I think of it as being so Jewish, that often it seems indistinguishable from Judaism, that it is a kind of spiritual psychology and that neither psychology nor Judaism is fully adequate unless somehow combined into an integrated whole. The ideas of Viktor Frankl, for example, can serve as an introduction to the ideas of our Torah and our Judaism Reply

Raymond: There was a discussion why we say the Shma with eyes closed? To me it sound simple. It says HEAR, it doesn't say "see.." Concentrate in the fact that H' is one ! At any rate, just like the Shma , we must concentrate in all prayers. I am afraid that people rush because they know them by heart ( almost ) if they pray day after day after day ! I am amazed of the ties that unite us ! Viktor Frankl was the basis for my degree in Psychology in Mexico. I used his analysis of values, translated them to be used as such in teen's sex education. I have always dealt with children, as a therapist, or as Jewish teacher/ Principal (with that degree also.) I love children because they are the future, because they are young to absorb and learn. and yes, modify their behavior for the better.
How to explain being Jewish in class? I brought a blender with different types of ingredients. Each recognizable before, but not after when they are blended! Victor Frankl understood this ! Reply

When I studied psychology in my local universities, I would rate the psychologists. Among my favorites at the time were people such as Abraham Maslow and Albert Ellis. My favorite one of all by far, though, was Viktor Frankl. I am not sure why, but maybe it had something to do with a trait he shared with Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, namely how they found a way to use secular sources to support classic Jewish thought. And for so many decades, I incorrectly assumed that Viktor Frankl was a religious Jew, because he thought so much like one. Also, while his most famous and perhaps best book is of course his Man's Search for Meaning, I nevertheless strongly recommend all of his books, as they are all excellent, all definitely worth reading. Now as for how to explain what it means to be a Jew, I would simply say that we Jews are the spiritual teachers of mankind. After all, it is we Jews who brought the One True G-d into our world in the first place Reply

G-d was already in the world because He created it, and mankind. He is the One True G-d and He created the Jewish people. So He was already here. Reply

Helen; wait! It is" Naase v'nishma." Raymond is correct , when we accepted H's commandments H' stays in our world. Raymond really means we transmitted the values of the Torah to other people too, but it is ours in the first place. Think of the Shma to begin with! with a very refined morality. Mankind is far from accepting Jews as first, and that is the source, sadly so, of Jew-Hatred." Reply

Yes, while it is by defintion true that G-d was here long before we Jews ever appeared on Earth, it has been our Jewish ancestry that brought to the world the awareness of G-d. This is not a perfect analogy, but it is similar to the idea of gravity. Gravity has existed since time began, but it took Isaac Newton to bring awareness of it to the world in precisely defined ways Reply

Ha i got 15/11 you loser
they sy 3/2 people are bad at fractions afterall Reply

Rivkah is definitely no loser. In fact, Rivkah is most definitely a winner in my book Reply