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My name is Rabbi Steinberg. I am delighted to come here today to introduce you to the practices and beliefs of Judaism.

Let me begin by telling you about our worship. The Sabbath service is held in the ___________________ . In Orthodox services the men sit separately from the women and children who sit at the back or in a ___________________ .

In the synagogue men must cover their heads at all times usually with a skull-cap or ___________________ . Many of the men wear ___________________ or prayer shawls and use a ___________________ to help them say their prayers.

Presiding over the worship is the ___________________ rabbi, the chief official and teacher of the synagogue. He is assisted by the ___________________ who is expert in music and ritual. He leads the people in singing.

For Jews the most sacred book is the ___________________ , the Law of Moses. It contains the first ___________________ books of what Christians call the Old Testament. These books are known as ___________________ ,___________________ ,___________________ ,___________________ ,___________________ .

The language of the Torah and the prayers is ___________________ , the sacred language of the Jews. The service is conducted from a raised platform where the Torah is read from a ___________________ . From an early age children are taught special prayers and blessings for morning and evening. In particular they learn the passage in Deuteronomy 6:4-9 known as the ___________________ .

Very often when you enter a Jewish home you will find a ___________________ on the right hand doorpost. This is a small case containing a tiny scroll with the first two paragraphs of the Shema printed on it. As a Jew enters the house it is customary to touch the ___________________ to remind them that a Jewish home is a holy place.

Last weekend my son was thirteen, that meant he became ___________________ ___________________ which means Son of the __________________ . A special ceremony was held in synagogue to mark the occasion. At the age of thirteen he now assumes full adult male responsibilities.

Attendance at the synagogue service is only part of the celebration of the Sabbath. The Sabbath meal is an important ___________________ occasion. It begins with a blessing or ___________________ before the cup of wine is passed around the table. The table is set in a symbolic way. Two specially prepared ___________________ of ___________________ remind the Jews that they received a double portion of ___________________ for the Sabbath when they were being led through the wilderness by God . An empty cup is also reserved for the Prophet ___________________ whom Jews believe will return to announce the coming of the ___________________ . We eat specially prepared ___________________ food. This is the Hebrew word for ‘fit and proper’ which refers to the special preparation and rules regarding the eating of animal products. As you may know Jews do not eat ___________________ or shellfish, and meat and milk may not be served at the same meal. The meal ends with a prayer of thanksgiving.

Throughout the year we celebrate different feasts and festivals. Our New Year begins in September or October with ten days of repentance. This period ends with the feast of ___________________ ___________________ . It is considered the most ___________________ day of the Jewish year. Five days later we celebrate the feast of ___________________ or Succoth . We give thanks to God for the time he looked after our ancestors in the desert. In December we celebrate the festival of lights or ___________________ . This feast commemorates the restoration of the Temple in Jerusalem.

In spring one of the most important festivals is the Pesach or ___________________ . We celebrate the freedom of the Israelite people from Egypt and the special relationship between the Jewish people and God.

Fifty days later we celebrate Shavuot, otherwise known as the Feast of Weeks or ___________________ . This feast celebrates the time when the covenant was established at Mount ___________________ .

Thank you for your attention.

Peace be with you. ___________________ .

Answers

The words are found in this order:

synagogue

balcony

kippar

tallit

siddur

rabbi

cantor

Torah

five

Genesis

Exodus

Leviticus

Numbers

Deuteronomy

Hebrew

scroll

Shema

mazuzah

Shema

mazuzah

Bar Mitzvah

Covenant

family

kiddush

loaves

bread

manna

Elijah

Messiah

kosher

pork

Yom Kippur

holy

Tabernacles

Hannukah

Passover

Pentecost

Sinai

Shalom