Rabbi Menachem Posner serves as managing editor at Chabad.org, the world’s largest Jewish informational website. He has been writing, researching, and editing for Chabad.org since 2006, when he received his rabbinic degree from Central Yeshiva Tomchei Temimim Lubavitch. He lives in Chicago, Ill., with his family.
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Raymond
West Hollywood
March 27, 2025
I am shocked. I scored only a 4/10!!! This is by far the lowest score I have ever received on these quizzes. What makes it even more horrifying than that, is that I had thought that this was an area in Jewish history that I knew a fair amount about. After all, everybody has heard of people such as Sa'adia Gaon, Rabbi Yehuda HaLevi, Rashi, the RambaM, the RambaN, the Abarbanel, Rabbi Joseph Cairo, the Arizal, the Holy Ba'al Shem Tov, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berdichev, Rav Hirsch, and so on. Clearly I am not nearly as knowledgeable in Judaism as I had supposed myself to be Reply
Tzveeble
Australia
January 29, 2025
Question #4 is unclear, as the "2nd half of the middle ages" would be after 1200CE. 1st half would be the period of the Geonim, am I wrong? Reply
Lorraine Diamond
Montreal
January 23, 2025
Rabbi Menahem Posner, for me the Medieval Rabbis Quiz was a real tough one. Thank you for all the work you put into these quizes, and in such an uplifting way, and for the ability to make one not feel too bad about how little they know. Thank you. I know I have a lot of learning to do. Reply
Uriel Ben-Itzhak
Deland Florida
January 22, 2025
Great quiz, 8/10 it was tough, but I'm learning. So glad Chabad is around to help me. Reply
VelVel (Beau) William BeauJean
Springfield, Ohio
September 18, 2024
This was a little difficult quiz. Number 10 was WHAT? I read they were Jewish fighters who traveled Japan. Maybe I need to go back a reread. There were Rabbis in Japan. Reply
Chris Chemuku
Kitale
September 15, 2024
Hard but good Reply
Jack
Harpers Ferry
September 13, 2024
this felt like a 'yeshiva' quiz! I was doing so well, too! (8/10). I actually answered one question thinking that the answers belonged to a different question (focusing too hard), but I'd only ever heard of the term 'Rishonim' once or twice in the 5 years I've been studying/learning so I was caught off guard with that one... Great quiz! Reply
Margaret Harold
Dublin 7
September 13, 2024
5/10. Not Jewish but I love you all. Reply
Shalom Kline
Houston
September 13, 2024
The first Rabbi who wrote the code of the Jewish law was Rav in Eruvin 21b:8. "My son, be careful to fulfill the words of the Sages [soferim] even more than the words of the Torah. For the words of the Torah include positive and negative commandments, and even with regard to the negative commandments, the violation of many of them is punishable only by lashes. Whereas with respect to the words of the Sages, anyone who transgresses the words of the Sages is liable to receive the death penalty."
How did this man choose to place G-d subservient to His dust-formed folks?
Reply
Raad Jawad
Auckland
September 12, 2024
9/10 Reply
Jim Krämer
Pittsburgh, PA
September 12, 2024
6/10 I wasn't Chassidic, back when I was Jewish. I actually did a bissl better than I thought I would! Maybe the Pintele hasn't gone out. Reply
Shloimy Finkelshteyn
Brooklyn
September 23, 2024
in response to Jim Krämer:
Once a Jew, always a Jew, my friend! The Pintele never goes out. Reply
Angela Wilder
Brooklyn
September 12, 2024
7/10 thank you Rabbi Reply
FY
Sunnyvale CA
September 12, 2024
I got worked over by this quiz: 6/10. If there were rabbis in medieval England, who were they? Rebbe Dov Ber of Dover? Reply
Rowena Rosenfeld
Bromley
September 12, 2024
very hard questions Reply
Angela Leach
Long Island, New York
September 12, 2024
8/10
I surprised myself.
From what I recall, Rabbi Berel Wein's tetralogy on Jewish history covers many of these questions.
Reply
Inus Pretorius
South Africa
September 12, 2024
If it was not for the Roach Hakodesh helping I would have fared much worse than 6/10 this was an excellent shiur. Thank you and Moshiach now, may the Lord G-d makes His face shine upon Jacov and give Israel peace. Reply
Lorraine Diamond
Montreal
September 12, 2024
Challenging quiz. Makes one realize how much we do not know and how much we need to study. And not to be lazy. To enjoy learning Torah it takes effort. Thank you for putting together these wonderful quizes. A happy Rosh Hashanah to everyone at chabad and a happy and healthy and safe new year ahead. Thank you for all that you all do at chabad. Reply
Léna
September 12, 2024
בס"ד
that was fun, thanks !
7/10
2 possible suggestions:
8/10 answer says "Jewish ["Jews" or 'culture' or other word missing?] flourished...."
re: comment that Meshulam ben Kalonymus wasn't from Rome, may refer to the question of his birth place in Lucca (Tuscany), although he is, in any case, known as "The Roman" ... which may either mean the city or the entire geographical region/ 'country' (also, maybe, this was due to his reputation as a "foreigner" from the epistolary relations he maintained with ashkenazi Geonim: rabbeinu Gershom and shimon haGadol, as recorded in sefarim, etc)
Reply
Matel Rena Tobin
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
September 11, 2024
Rabbi Judah the prince was of Judea? What did you mean by Judea? Was he in the time of the second bais hamikdash? Reply
In Response to Raymond from West Hollywood. This was a tricky quiz. Very few who are taking this quiz are thrilled with their score. I think Rabbi Menachem Posner made this quiz hard because he wants us to see our limitations, but also at the same time to believe in ourselves. We can all definitely learn more. Do it for the love of G-d. Not to be hard on ourselves and not to judge ourselves. Learn for the love of learning. And there is an endless amount to learn. Why be hard on ourselves? Also consider maybe a study partner, "A Chaver". You can ask at Chabad and they will guide you. Happy Chol Hamoed, Passover 2025.
Thank you for your kind words, which I am only seeing now. You make some valid points. It had not occurred to me that the various quizzes on here have varying levels of difficulty to them. On most of these quizzes, I tend to score a 9 or 10, but I can see the questions being so challenging that I have the potential of scoring a complete zero. However, instead of feeling discouraged by such a possibility, I can use it to motivate me to learn more about our religion. There is so much to learn on that score. Just think, for example, of the many Torah commentaries in existence that have already been translated or written in English. Even one single classic commentary, say by the Ohr HaChayim, can take many, many years to fully comprehend. It sure renders the notion of empty time to be utterly meaningless