The Dilemma: Here you are, 30 years old, and you feel like such a schmendrick because you don’t know your bubkes from your tochis.

People You Can Impress: everyone at the bar mitzvah

The Quick Trick: Ask the person next to you what he or she thinks about reincarnation. Hasidic Judaism is a more mystical and emotional spirituality that includes beliefs in prophetic dreams, miracles, spiritual healing, and—yes—the Big R. Of course, there’s also the attire. Most Hasidic Jews wear black robes called bekishe, nicely accessorized with a gartel, or prayer belt.

The Explanation:
Hasidic and Orthodox Jews both believe Old Testament laws and other sacred Jewish writings are 100 percent applicable today. In fact, Hasidic Jews used to be Orthodox Jews—right up until the 18th century. By contrast, other Jewish sects believe the rules were only meant for the time period in which they were written.

That’s when a Polish worker named Israel ben Eliezer began preaching that anyone could communicate with God, not just the learned men who studied religious texts. To Ben Eliezer, emotional and mystical piety were just as important as the scholarly spirituality of Orthodox Judaism, if not more so. His sect eventually came to be called Hasidism (or Chasidism), from the Hebrew word meaning “pious.” By the mid-19th century, most Jews in the Ukraine were Hasidic, and a number of sects within sects developed out of Ben Eliezer’s teachings. However, all the varieties of Hasidism emphasize close communion with an omnipresent God and a kabbalah-influenced mysticism.

With their distinct dress, Hasidic Jews are pretty hard to miss, and that’s part of the point. They believe their faith separates them from the general population and that their style of dress should reflect this distinction. It’s also an expression of their commitment to tradition, as their dress today was typical for Ukrainian Jews 250 years ago. Male Hasidic Jews also sometimes sport long beards and curled sideburns called payot, based on a biblical commandment barring men from shaving the sides of their faces.

Orthodox Jews and Vulcans—What’s the Similarity?
The split-fingered Vulcan salute from Star Trek is actually derived from an Orthodox ritual, the Blessing Hands used to anoint congregations on holy days. Star Trek icon Leonard Nimoy, who was raised in the Orthodox tradition, adapted the hand gesture for his role as Mr. Spock.