FAQ

You should be okay as long as you avoid the huge swordfights in the first two episodes and the alien bursting through someone's chest in episode four.

In all observant Jewish communities married women cove their hair, with very little or none showing, by using either a sheitel (wig) or a tichel (scarf). Sheitels and tichels should be attractive because ~ unlike in certain other religions ~ physicality is not viewed as intrinsically evil. The reasons for covering natural hair (or, in Chasidic communities, shave it off) is in an effort to put emphasis on inner beauty and value. When observant Jewish women are among their immediate family, there is no need to wear a wig or tichel. It is only for an added emphasis on internality (tzeniut) that some groups go one step further and shave their heads. At the root of all this is an understanding that a woman's hair is extremely personal and, therefore, only to be visible to a very select group of people. Men, too, place high value on their own tzeniut and, among other things, never go in public with their elbows, upper arms, feet, or legs exposed. Both women and men sometimes avoid wearing bright colors for similar reasons of modesty/internality.

All of this is seen as a sign of respect for oneself as well as for those one might meet in a day. Suffice it to say, western attitudes of modesty and internality have no provenance in such communities.

A song traditionally sung at Jewish weddings.

The words are from Shir HaShirim Rabbah, 2. Here is the transcribed text and a rough translation ~

Mi bon siach shoshan chochim (He who understands the rose among the thorns) Ahavas kallah m'sos dodim (The love of a bride and the joy of her beloved ones) Hi yivorach es hechoson v'es kallah (May he bless the groom and bride)

This is only done during Passover time, when they cover the kitchen surfaces in foil (or similar) to prevent cross contamination of specific food products, mostly 'Chametz' (fermented grain). Chametz is forbidden during Passover: a jew is not even allowed to own any during the 8 days (or 7 in the Israel) of the festival. The whole house is cleaned, and the kitchen gets a thorough clean and sterilisation. It is then preserved with foil to prevent any food being 'absorbed' by the kitchen table tops, etc., and later contaminating other foods.

Devout Jews still observe the Shabbat, which mandates several things including that you can't do any work or carry anything. An eruv is a wire that surrounds communities with a big Jewish population that eases some of these mandates (however, some communities (particularly Sefari) still fully observe the Shabbat even with an eruv). The concept of eruvin (plural) was first established by King Solomon.

In the episode, the eruv had been cut and would not apply until it had been fixed.

From the interviews with Maria Schrader, yes it is. The actor who plays the community rabbi is a native Yiddish speaker and language consultant.