Jewish Holiday Trivia Questions: What Judaism, Christianity, and Islam Say

Jewish holidays are central to Jewish identity and covenant life. The Sabbath, observed weekly, is described as a perpetual covenant between God and Israel Exodus 31:16, and it's arguably the most-asked-about topic in Jewish holiday trivia. It begins at sundown Friday and ends Saturday night, and the prohibition against carrying objects on that day is ancient and well-documented John 5:10.

Passover (Pesach) is another trivia favorite. It's observed on the 14th day of the first month, Nisan, at evening — a date fixed in Torah Leviticus 23:5. The Israelites kept it even in the wilderness of Sinai Numbers 9:5, underscoring how foundational it is. A classic trivia question: how many cups of wine are drunk at the Seder? The answer is four, though you won't find that in the passages here.

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, falls on the first day of the seventh month and is characterized by the blowing of the shofar (ram's horn) Leviticus 23:24. It's often confused with a simple 'new year' celebration, but it's theologically a day of judgment and memorial. Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) begins on the 15th of that same seventh month and lasts seven days Leviticus 23:34, commemorating the wilderness wandering. Trivia note: Sukkot is one of the three biblical pilgrimage festivals (Shalosh Regalim).

Scholars like Jacob Milgrom, in his landmark 1991 commentary on Leviticus, emphasized that these holidays aren't merely historical commemorations — they're re-enactments of divine encounters. That distinction matters enormously for trivia purposes: Jewish holidays are present-tense obligations, not just memorials.

Christianity's relationship with Jewish holidays is complicated and theologically rich — great trivia territory. The New Testament records Jesus himself attending the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) John 7:2, and his crucifixion timing was deeply tied to Passover and Sabbath observance John 19:31. John 19:31 notes that the Sabbath following the crucifixion was a 'high day,' likely referring to Passover Sabbath overlap John 19:31.

Most mainstream Christian traditions, from early church fathers like Origen (c. 185–254 AD) to Reformation theologians like John Calvin, interpreted Jewish holidays as 'types' or 'shadows' pointing forward to Christ. Colossians 2:16–17 (not in our passages but widely cited) calls them 'a shadow of things to come.' This typological reading means Christmas and Easter effectively replaced Passover and Sukkot in liturgical practice for most Christians.

However, the Messianic Jewish movement and some Hebrew Roots Christians do observe these holidays, arguing they retain ongoing validity. The Sabbath question is particularly live: most Christians worship on Sunday, but Seventh-day Adventists maintain Saturday worship, citing the perpetual covenant language of Exodus Exodus 31:16. The early church's shift from Saturday to Sunday worship remains one of the most-debated questions in Christian historical theology.

For trivia purposes: the Last Supper is widely understood as a Passover Seder, and the timing of Easter is still calculated in relation to the Jewish lunar calendar — a direct inheritance from Passover's 14th of Nisan date Leviticus 23:5.

Islam doesn't observe Jewish holidays as part of its own liturgical calendar, but it does acknowledge the divine origin of the Mosaic law and the significance of events those holidays commemorate. The Quran (2:183–185) references fasting in ways that some scholars, including Seyyed Hossein Nasr, connect to earlier Abrahamic fasting traditions. The weekly Sabbath is acknowledged in the Quran (Surah 7:163) as a genuine divine command given to the Israelites, though Muslims observe Friday as their congregational prayer day instead.

A fascinating piece of Islamic trivia: the Prophet Muhammad, upon arriving in Medina, reportedly observed a fast on the 10th of Muharram (Ashura) and, according to hadith in Sahih Bukhari, was told by Jews that this commemorated Moses' deliverance from Pharaoh — the same event Passover celebrates Numbers 9:5. Muhammad then encouraged Muslims to fast that day as well, representing a direct, if informal, acknowledgment of Passover's underlying event.

The concept of the Sabbath as a perpetual covenant Exodus 31:16 is recognized in Islamic tradition as authentic revelation, but Muslims hold that the final revelation through Muhammad superseded earlier legal obligations. So while Islamic trivia about Jewish holidays tends to focus on historical and Quranic references, there's genuine theological respect for the holidays' origins — just not liturgical observance of them.