Shemini Atzeret & Simchat Torah Quiz

At the end of Sukkot, we celebrate the completion of the annual Torah reading cycle. How much do you know about Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah?

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Question 1. It is customary for the person who leads the prayer for Rain to wear
 A sheitel
 A kittel
 A beard
 Tefillin

 

Question 2. The commandment to observe the Eighth Day of Assembly, Shemini Atzeret, comes from
 The Torah
 The Mishnah
 The Mishneh Torah
 The Zohar

 

Question 3. Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah come at the end of which holiday?
 Yom Kippur
 Sukkot
 Rosh Hashanah
 Tu Bishvat

 

Question 4. What do some scholars believe Shemini Atzeret was devoted to in Temple times?
 Religious sacrifices
 The ritual cleansing of the altar
 Cleaning up the Temple after the previous holiday
 Remembering the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai

 

Question 5. On Simchat Torah it is customary to eat foods that are
 Scopped
 Rolled
 Dipped
 Raw

 

Question 6. How many circles or circuits around the room are done in a Simchat Torah celebration?
 5
 7
 9
 13

 

Question 7. On Simchat Torah the torah reading includes
 The story of creation
 The story of Noah and the flood
 The story of Abraham smashing the idols
 The Ten Commandments

 

Question 8. On Shemini Atzeret a short prayer for rain is inserted into the second blessing of the Amidah. This prayer for rain continues to be recited in the Amidah until when?
 Passover
 Hanukkah
 The first day of Spring
 After Simchat Torah

 

Question 9. What is the name of the prayer recited before the dancing begins on Simchat Torah?
 Akdamut
 Hoshana
 Atta Horeita
 Dayenu

 

Question 10. When did the Simchat Torah tradition of reading the final Torah portion of the previous year and the first Torah portion of the next year begin?
 Biblical times
 Talmudic times
 Medieval times
 The Haskalah, the Jewish Enlightenment

 

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