10 most difficult Judaism riddles

France has the largest number of Jews in Europe at about 480,000 Jews who are mainly found in Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Strasbourg and Toulouse regions. French Jews suffered anti-Semitism, but most of them survived the Holocaust. Jews later migrated to France from French colonies of the Mediterranean and North Africa in the 19th century. Currently, the Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews are the majority.

About 42% of all Jews reside in Israel and about 42% reside in the United States and Canada, with most of the remainder living mostly in Europe.

Ishmael was the eldest son of Abraham and Hagar, who was a slave to his wife Sarah. Ishmael lived to be 137 years old and was the father of 12 sons who gave birth to the Nabataeans and later the Arabs.

The Curse of Ham is the curse upon Canaan, Ham's son, that was imposed by the biblical patriarch Noah. The curse occurs in the Book of Genesis and concerns Noah's drunkenness and the accompanying shameful act perpetrated by his son Ham, the father of Canaan.

Chol HaMoed a Hebrew phrase meaning "weekdays of the festival" refers to the intermediate days of Passover and Sukkot. Chol HaMoed combines features of weekday (Chol) and festival (Moed). On weekdays during Chol HaMoed, there are variant customs regarding whether tefillin should be worn, reflecting the dual nature of the day.

The Jewish Autonomous Oblast is a federal subject of Russia in the Russian Far East, bordering China. Soviet authorities established it in 1934 as the result of Stalin's nationality policy. The Jewish population peaked in 1948 at around 30,000, about one-quarter of the region's population. Today only about 4,000 Jews remain in the region - but it is still officially named as Jewish.

When Moses went up into Biblical Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments (Exodus 24:12-18), he left the Israelites for forty days and forty nights. The Israelites feared that he would not return and demanded that Aaron make them "gods" to go before them (Exodus 32:1).

The symbolic menorah has 7 lamps, but the commonly used Hanukkah menorah (pictured) has nine lamps, and no seven-lamps menorahs are made. This is because the menorah is described in the Bible as the seven-lamp lampstand made of gold, used in the portable sanctuary set up by Moses in the wilderness and later in the Temple in Jerusalem. The Talmud states that it is prohibited to use a seven-lamp menorah outside of the Temple.

A sukkah is a temporary hut constructed for use during the week-long Jewish festival of Sukkot. It is a symbolic shelter, commemorating the time God provided for the Israelites in the wilderness they inhabited after they were freed from slavery in Egypt. Many observant Jews will spend the whole week in the sukkah. The festival of Sukkot is held in autumn, in September or October.

The harp is an attribute of David. According to the Bible, David was famed before he killed Goliath for his bravery and for his skill with the harp. "whenever the spirit from God came upon (King) Saul, David would take his harp and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him."