Kabbalah & Mysticism Quiz

Jewish mystical teachings about the nature of God and reality have had a profound impact on the development of Judaism. How much do you know about this area of Jewish contemplation and spirituality?

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Question 1. What is Kabbalah?
 A 26-volume book of Jewish mystical thought
 A loosely-defined umbrella term representing Jewish mystical thought
 A collection of the mystical passages in the Torah and Talmud
 The most mystical of the four sects of post-Babylonian Exile Judaism

 

Question 2. Which of the following famous rabbinic commentators joined a group of mystics in Safed?
 Moses Maimonides
 Isaac Abravanel
 Obadiah ben Jacob Sforno
 Joseph Caro

 

Question 3. According to Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag, the study of Kabbalah is:
 An otherwordly tradition
 A logical system intended for the ethical and political redemption of human society
 The only way to guarantee one will have a place in the World to Come
 A good way to rub elbows with celebrities

 

Question 4. What is significant about Safed, the northern Israeli city?
 In medieval times, many spectral lights were seen in the sky over Safed
 The water surrounding Safed was seen as mystically enriching
 The city contained dirt carried from Mount Sinai, where the Torah was received
 After the Jews were exiled from Spain, many Jewish mystics settled there

 

Question 5. From the 13th to the 15th century, where was the world center of kabbalistic teachings?
 Jerusalem
 Safed
 Spain
 Small villages throughout Eastern Europe

 

Question 6. Which of the following non-kabbalistic books was written by a kabbalist?
 Shulhan Arukh, the code of Jewish law
 Sefer Hahinukh, the list of mitzvot in the Torah
 Halikhot Bat Yisrael, the code of Jewish women’s behavior
 Sefer Minhagim, the directory of Jewish customs

 

Question 7. What does Sefer Yetsirah posit about the Hebrew alphabet?
 That Hebrew is the only holy language
 That each of the 22 letters was used in the creation of the universe
 That each Hebrew letter corresponds to a different part of the human body
 That the 22 letters are symbolic of the constellations in the sky

 

Question 8. Abraham Abulafia, a 13th-century mystic, was a devoted follower of
 Maimonides
 The Emperor Constantine
 The prophet Samuel
 David Ben Gurion

 

Question 9. Which of these is a characteristic of the kabbalistic conception of the Ein Sof?
 It is the creator of all life
 It is limitless
 No human can gaze directly at it
 Only learned rabbis can come in contact with it

 

Question 10. Who was the first rebbe of Lubavitch and the author of the Tanya?
 Menachem Mendel Schneerson
 Israel Baal Shem Tov
 Shneur Zalman of Liadi
 Moses Mendelssohn

 

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