79 Rosh Hashanah Trivia Questions with Answers
79 public questions with answers, drawn from the well. How many can you answer?
Rosh Hashanah trivia explores the Jewish New Year through its prayers, calendar rules, customs, history, and global celebrations. Questions may test the meaning of greetings such as “L'shanah tovah,” the symbolic foods served at a seder, or the heavenly book in which people hope to be inscribed for the coming year.
This category also reaches into Jewish history and Hebrew terminology. You might identify the Hasidic master buried in Uman, name the three broken shofar notes, or recognize the lo ADU Rosh rule governing which weekdays Rosh Hashanah cannot begin. It suits Jewish studies classrooms, holiday gatherings, pub quizzes, and challenging game nights.
At Uman, Rosh Hashanah pilgrims visit the grave of which Hasidic master?
Answer
Nachman of Breslov
The lo ADU Rosh calendar rule names which three weekdays for Rosh Hashanah?
Answer
Sunday, Wednesday, Friday
What Aramaic term describes Rosh Hashanah's two days as 'one long day'?
Answer
Yoma Arichtah
Which prayer whose title means 'Our Father, Our King' is recited on Rosh Hashanah?
Answer
Avinu Malkeinu
What is the day before Rosh Hashanah commonly called?
Answer
Erev Rosh Hashanah
Which liturgical poem beginning 'Let us now relate' is recited on Rosh Hashanah?
Answer
Unetanneh Tokef
In the Gregorian calendar, Rosh Hashanah usually falls in which two-month span?
Answer
September or October
Which tractate of the Talmud discusses the laws of Rosh Hashanah?
Answer
Rosh Hashanah
In Numbers 29, Rosh Hashanah is called a day for what sound?
Answer
Trumpet blast
Which Jewish fast occurs the day after Rosh Hashanah, unless delayed by Shabbat?
Answer
Fast of Gedalia
Rosh Hashanah trivia — quick answers
What are good Rosh Hashanah trivia questions?
Good Rosh Hashanah trivia questions cover the shofar, symbolic foods, Hebrew calendar rules, holiday greetings, synagogue customs, and Jewish history. A balanced quiz can mix accessible questions about apples and honey with harder ones about terms such as molad, lo ADU Rosh, and the names of shofar blasts.
How hard is Rosh Hashanah trivia?
Rosh Hashanah trivia ranges from easy to advanced. Beginners may know the holiday as the Jewish New Year or recognize apples dipped in honey. More difficult questions can involve Mishnah classifications, Hebrew-calendar postponements, Hasidic pilgrimage traditions, and the technical names of shofar sounds.
What is the heavenly book mentioned in Rosh Hashanah greetings?
In traditional Rosh Hashanah greetings, people may wish one another to be inscribed in the Book of Life, often expressed in Hebrew as “L'shanah tovah tikatevu,” meaning “May you be inscribed for a good year.” The greeting reflects the holiday’s themes of judgment, repentance, and hope for the year ahead.
What is lo ADU Rosh?
Lo ADU Rosh is a Hebrew-calendar rule stating that Rosh Hashanah cannot begin on Sunday, Wednesday, or Friday. The name is formed from the Hebrew letters corresponding to those weekdays. The rule helps prevent certain calendar arrangements that would create practical difficulties involving festivals and adjacent observances.
What are the three broken shofar notes called?
The three broken notes in a shofar sequence are called shevarim. They are traditionally understood as three medium-length blasts, distinct from tekiah, a single sustained blast, and teruah, a rapid series of short sounds. Questions about these sounds often appear in advanced Rosh Hashanah and Jewish holiday quizzes.