Death and Mourning Quiz

What are the history and practical aspects of Jewish bereavement?

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Question 1. What is an ethical will?
 A will that is signed by a lawyer
 Another name for the Ten Commandments
 A letter parents write to their children telling them all the lessons they have learned in their life
 A letter parents write to their children allotting their money after they die

 

Question 2. Jewish caskets are traditionally made out of what material?
 Wood
 Iron
 Gold
 Coal

 

Question 3. When might Jewish law permit autopsies?
 Never
 When the law of the land requires it
 When an autopsy can help cure a disease for others in the future
 Both B & C

 

Question 4. What is potentially problematic about wills?
 According to Jewish law contracts cannot be enforced after one's death
 A will might go against the biblical laws of inheritance
 Jewish law requires one to donate all his/her assets to charity before death
 According to Judaism everything belongs to God so nothing can be given away

 

Question 5. Which of these events, in traditional Judaism, will prematurely end a shiva?
 Rosh Hashanah
 Passover
 Yom Kippur
 All of the above
 None of the above

 

Question 6. Which prayer is at the end of the deathbed viddui ceremony?
 The Amidah
 Ashrei
 Adon Olam
 Shema

 

Question 7. True or false: Jewish tradition has no laws against cremation.
 True
 False

 

Question 8. How is suicide treated in Jewish tradition?
 The bible directly prohibits suicide
 There is no mention of suicide in the bible or Talmud
 There is a reference to the prohibition of suicide in the Talmud, but not in the bible
 The bible treats suicide as an unfortunate, but ultimately permissible, action

 

Question 9. Which biblical character is said to have delivered the first ethical will to his/her descendents?
 Adam
 Jacob
 Korah
 Esther

 

Question 10. What is a shomer in the context of death and mourning?
 Someone who cannot attend funerals
 A non-Jew who washes the dead body
 Someone who guards over the body until its burial
 Someone who gives a eulogy at a funeral

 

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