2019

• Genesis / Exodus / Leviticus / Numbers / Deuteronomy / Joshua / Judges / Samuel / Kings / Isaiah / Jeremiah / Ezekiel / The Twelve (the minor prophets) / Psalms / Proverbs / Job / Song of Songs / Ruth / Lamentations / Ecclesiastes / Esther / Daniel / Ezra and Nehemiah / Chronicles
• Accept Hebrew names of any books above Note: Accept responses which treat the divisions of the Tenakh as ‘books’ in the collective sense, ie Torah (Teaching) / Nevi’im (Prophets) / Ketuvim (Writing), whether given in Hebrew or in English

2023

• Talmud interprets Torah / is timeless, but difficult to interpret / Torah gives the law, but often not how to understand and fulfil it / eg Torah commands the wearing of tefillin, but the Talmud says how that is to be done.
• The Talmud is split into two parts / the Mishnah explains how to apply the Commandments set out in the Torah / the Gemara consists of commentaries by later rabbis on the Mishnah in further detail to clarify the teachings in the Torah that might require more explanation.
• Talmud extends the Torah / in that it applies the law to new situations over time / hence is living, breathing document / It contains divergent opinions and therefore models the Jewish tradition of scholarly argument and different interpretations of the Law / it contains stories as well as legal commentary and therefore gives life to tradition and encourages creative thinking for Jews living in Diaspora communities.
• Is the formalisation of the oral tradition which existed alongside the Torah / explaining and interpreting the Torah / but of great authority in its own right / vast reservoir of knowledge of Judaism.
• Source from which code of Jewish law is derived / so helps a Jew live a correct life.
• Talmud includes commentaries and elucidations of law, ie Mishnah and Gemara / so Jews can learn how to keep the law.
• Talmud shows references from Torah and Tenakh / allowing reader to see original authority of what is written.
• Provides scholarly discussion and explanation of Jewish law from centuries of debate / links a person into that debate / links to all key thinkers of Judaism / eg Rashi.
• ‘Is a training text for (would be) rabbis and their followers / all the commentaries help to see the debate which has ensured, and how it has been resolved, etc.
• It is the formalisation of the Oral Torah which some believe existed alongside the Torah at Sinai although it was compiled in the 2nd through 5th Centuries CE
MARK SCHEME – GCSE RELIGIOUS STUDIES A – 8062/16 – JUNE 2023
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Sources of authority may include: reference to commentary on Torah / it explains Torah and Tenakh /
structured as Mishnah and Gemara / reference to specific Talmudic quotations e.g. the 39 categories of work forbidden on Shabbat [melachot] / ‘If the Tenakh is the cornerstone of Judaism, then the Talmud is the central pillar, soaring up from the foundations and supporting the entire spiritual and intellectual edifice’ – Rabbi Adin Even Israel Steinsatz. / “The Talmud is really about the conversation, and the conversation never ends’ – Rabbi Dov Linzer / Pirke Avot, a tractate of the Mishnah, contains many wise observations about how to live a good life / “it was also a way to be like God, for God too studies Torah, taught Rav Judah, three hours a day (Avodah Zarah 3b / ‘The laws of the written Torah did not cover situations that the people would face once they lived in towns and villages … So God told Moses the laws for the future, but they were not written down.’ (Rabbi Wayne Dosick)

2021

• To be kosher it must be caught alive / have been ritually slaughtered by having its throat cut with a very sharp knife / the slaughter should be done by a qualified person (Shochet) / not stunned before it is killed / have blood removed / mammals must have a cloven (split) hoof and chew the cud / must be only permitted parts of the animal’s body / not cooked and/or eaten with a milk product / not an animal which naturally preys on other animals / for industrial food purchase certification would be required / a kosher stamp (Hechsher) is evidence of kosher status, but not required, etc.
  No mark should be awarded just for giving examples of animals that may or may not be kosher.
  For full list, see (Leviticus 11:1-47 and Deuteronomy 14:3-21).

2019

• An Orthodox family would have separate utensils for preparing meat and milk / they would have separate sinks / and storage areas for foods / they would have separate plates
• Some families may have separate kitchens for dairy and meat / different fridges / different ovens
• The family would only eat Kosher animals / such as beef and chicken / they would avoid trefah animals which are forbidden / such as shellfish, pork and rabbit
• The meat the family eats would have been killed according to Jewish law / the blood of the animal would have been drained / and the killing done by a shochet
• Some Progressive Jews might observe food laws by following a vegetarian or vegan diet / they may not have separate kitchens
• Some Jews may observe the laws surrounding Pesach by clearing out all chametz (leaven) from their home, etc

Note – do not credit not keeping dietary laws in the home

Spec 2

• the Torah prescribes what foods Jews are allowed to eat/for instance Leviticus 11:3 states that Jews may only eat meat from animals which chew the cud and have split hooves/only certain birds are considered Kosher (Leviticus 11:13–19, Deuteronomy 14:12–18)/seafood must have fins and scales (Leviticus 11:9,
  Deuteronomy 14:19/insects are treyfah/the animals must have no flaws or disease etc
• the Torah prescribes how food is to be prepared/animals that are permitted must be killed in accordance with Jewish law/there should be no blood in the meat (Leviticus 17:10–4)/certain parts of permitted animals are forbidden/Exodus 23:1 commands Jews not to boil a kid in its mother’s milk/for this reason meat and milk are not consumed together etc
• keeping Kosher demonstrates obedience to God/Jews are following Jewish laws by keeping Kosher/keeping Kosher demonstrates selfcontrol/eating is considered a religious ritual in Judaism etc.