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The Second Jewish Book of Why
The Jewish Book of Why answered fundamental questions of Jewish faith; this second volume digs deeper, addressing the complex, contemporary issues of today's society.
Rabbi Alfred J. Kolatch includes the attitudes of Jewish legal scholars toward such far-reaching topics as artificial insemination, birth control, and intermarriage, while expanding on answers included in the first volume.
Rabbi Alfred J. Kolatch includes the attitudes of Jewish legal scholars toward such far-reaching topics as artificial insemination, birth control, and intermarriage, while expanding on answers included in the first volume.
432 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 1985
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 26, 2017
Rabbi Kolatch's question books are incredibly useful as it goes into both the "how" and "why," although in a very direct in answering them and often Kolatch's real "richness" comes in the footnotes for his answers. Kolatch is also incredibly readable--while not necessarily literary--it also doesn't read like a religious user's manual.
December 25, 2025
THE SEQUEL TO HIS FIRST ‘JEWISH BOOK OF WHY’
Alfred Jacob Kolatch (1916-2007) was an American Conservative rabbi, publisher and author of more than 50 books.
He states in the General Introduction to this 1985 book, “The enthusiastic response that greeted the publication of ‘The Jewish Book of Why’ three years ago was somewhat unexpected and most encouraging. That volume answered some 500 questions, but it also provoked many new ones, and these questions are treated here…
“While [this book] occasionally touches upon the same or similar themes, it does so only to expand… or offer totally new information. In the main, it deals with more complex, controversial, and far-ranging subjects, including the attitudes of Jewish legal scholars toward such issues as abortion, conversion, birth control, artificial insemination, organ transplants, smoking, proselytizing, intermarriage, travelling on the Sabbath, and Jewish-Christian relations….” (Pg. 1)
He explains, “The Bible is the basic source of all Jewish law, custom, and tradition… The purpose of the Torah is to teach man how to lead a godly life. The commandments (Mitzvot) set forth within it are the directives one must follow if one is not to stray from the path that leads to God… Since the biblical prescriptions and proscriptions are not always sufficiently clear or specific or enforceable, however, the Rabbis interpreted the Bible and presented what they considered to be the true meaning of the text. Of the works that have been produced to explain the Bible, the Talmud is undoubtedly the most important.
“The first part of the Talmud, known as the Mishna, consists of the teachings of the tannaim… [who] were scholars and sages who lived prior to 220 CE… The second part of the Talmud, known as the Gemara, is a commentary on the Mishna. The scholars whose views are presented … [for] the most part … lived in Babylonia… Together with the Mishna it comprises the Babylonian Talmud [often referred to as the Bavli, meaning ‘of Babylonia’]. A second Talmud, the Palestinian (or Jerusalem) Talmud was also created… The academies that continued to flourish in Palestine …. during the Roman occupation… were not equal in stature to those of Babylonia, and the Palestinian Talmud therefore enjoys a lesser status than the Babylonian Talmud.” (Pg. 2-3)
He notes, “One of the traditional debates in Judaism is whether the Law---the Torah---is subject to change… when these scholars interpreted the Bible to make it more relevant to their times, they were actually modifying its laws. Frequently they found it impossible to insist that the laws be carried out as written literally in the Bible… The biblical law of ‘an eye for an eye’ (Ex 21:24; Lev 24:20) reflected the norms of the biblical era. By the time the Talmud was compiled… this law was considered inhumane and the Rabbis therefore interpreted it to mean that if one causes another person to lose an eye, that person shall pay for the crime ... by making the monetary compensation…” (Pg. 9)
He continues, “In like manner, the Rabbis realized that the biblical law (Dt 15:1-3) that calls for the cancellation of all debts … every seven years penalizes the poor farmer in need of a loan. Who would lend the farmer money as the [seventh] year approached, only to find that the loan would not have to be repaid?” (Pg. 9)
He states, “Before the establishment of the State of Israel in1948, the question ‘Who is a Jew?’ was rarely asked [the ‘Law fo Return’ grants to all Jews the right to Israeli citizenship]… Two eminent Jews who voiced opposing views on the … question were David Ben-Gurion (1886-1973), first prime minister of Israel, and … the former Chief Rabbi of Israel… [who] asserted that according to Jewish law only the offspring of a Jewish mother can be considered a Jew… And the only way a person can become Jewish… is to convert…. Ben-Gurion argued that anyone who declares he is a Jew, lives a Jewish life, and is interested in the welfare of the Jews is to be considered a Jew, regardless of the faith of the mother.” (Pg. 17)
He notes, “In the view of most Jews, the belief in Israel as God’s Chosen People has contributed immeasurably to Jewish survival… Some Jews, however, consider the Chosen People concept an expression of unwarranted pride and self-importance, one that ought to be discarded… Opponents to the Chosen People idea also believe that retaining this concept is detrimental to Jewish interests because it leads to a false sense of superiority that invites contempt from non-Jews and denies the democratic idea of equality for all men, which Judaism espouses… Opponents … often point out that the idea has not been considered basic to Judaism by all authorities… Nevertheless, all Jewish religious denominations other than Reconstructionism continue to subscribe to the traditional view that Jews are the Chosen People.” (Pg. 24-25)
He acknowledges, “Owing in part to the Holocaust, in part to the fact that Jewish families are no reproducing at the same rate as in the past, and in part to assimilation, the number of Jews in the world is dwindling… To remedy the situation, many scholars are of the opinion that the law… should be modified … for considering as Jewish the children of a Jewish man and a non-Jewish woman. The argument advanced is that there is much within Jewish law and tradition that identifies a child with his father… In March 1983… a large majority (three to one) [of Reform Rabbis] voted to recognize as Jewish a child whose mother OR father is Jewish.” (Pg. 26-28)
He explains, “In the 1950s a young man, the son of a Jewish father and a Gentile mother … explained that his father had worn the required yellow Star of David during the Nazi occupation of .. Holland, and that he himself had lost both legs while serving in the Israeli army… The answer the young man received was that his heroism and acts of devotion were not sufficient cause to bend the law for him… This young man did have a way---conversion---of remedying his situation. However, since he … profess[ed] to be a secularist and an atheist, nothing could be done for him.” (Pg. 29-30)
He states, “Ultra-Orthodox Jews consider nonobservant Jews sinners… because they do not adhere to the Sabbath laws… and as such they cannot be recognized as complete or reliable Jews… into which religious Jews cannot marry… Modern Orthodox rabbis do not share the views of the Ultra-Orthodox. They… [believe] in harmonizing Judaism with the ways of the world… and in maintaining a working relationship with all elements of the Jewish community.” (Pg. 46-47)
He argues, “The Christian charge that the Jews crucified Jesus can be refuted on a number of counts: 1. By the time [of] Jesus… the Sanhedrin had lost all authority to pass sentence in capital cases… The order to execute Jesus could only have come from the supreme Roman authority… Pontius Pilate… 3. While crucifixion was a method of capital punishment widely used by the Romans, there is no evidence of it having been used by Jews.” (Pg. 67-68)
Why did most Jews not accept Jesus as the Messiah? “In Jewish tradition, the arrival of the Messiah was to bring with it… the restoration of Israel to its former glory… Maimonides summarized what Jews looked forward to in the Messianic Age: ‘There will be no hunger or way… prosperity will be universal; and the world’s chief occupation will be to know the Lord.’ Since these conditions did not come to pass, the idea of Jesus as Messiah never took root among Jews, and the followers of Jesus therefore turned to the pagan community.” (Pg. 71)
Why was polygamy once acceptable for Jewish men but not for Jewish women? “Society in biblical times was male-dominated… the Rabbis reasoned that it is man’s seed that propagates the race…” (Pg. 113)
He points out, “The Bible does not mention female homosexuality, from which one may infer that lesbianism was not widely practiced, or that if it was, it was not considered a crime. In Jewish law, lesbianism is treated as a minor offense.” (Pg, 150)
He reports, “From the time of the Crusades (1096) onward many … pseudo-Messiahs appeared.. Among the more prominent ones were David Alroy [1147]… Abraham Abulafia [13th century]… Moses Botarel [15th century]… Shelomo Molcho [16th century]… Shabbetai Zevi [17th century]… Loibele Prossnitz [1889]…” (Pg. 211)
He explains, “Although belief in the resurrection of the dead first entered Jewish thought in the 6th century BCE… it took several centuries for the concept to take root among Jews… Not until the 4th century BCE when the Greeks conquered Palestine and the influence of Plato and others began to be felt, did the doctrine of resurrection begin to emerge … the survivors [of the 2nd century BCE war with the Syrians] found it necessary to cling to a belief in a world-to-come where the righteous would return to life.” (Pg. 214)
He admits, “The status of Jewish women improved in post-biblical and talmudic times, especially as compared with the lot of women in society at large. Nevertheless, the Jewish woman was far from equal with the Jewish man… it must be emphasized that although considered inferior, women were nevertheless respected and were not abused.” (Pg. 288-289)
This book is even better than the first ‘Why’ book---its scope is broader and deeper, and it fairly represents all positions.
Alfred Jacob Kolatch (1916-2007) was an American Conservative rabbi, publisher and author of more than 50 books.
He states in the General Introduction to this 1985 book, “The enthusiastic response that greeted the publication of ‘The Jewish Book of Why’ three years ago was somewhat unexpected and most encouraging. That volume answered some 500 questions, but it also provoked many new ones, and these questions are treated here…
“While [this book] occasionally touches upon the same or similar themes, it does so only to expand… or offer totally new information. In the main, it deals with more complex, controversial, and far-ranging subjects, including the attitudes of Jewish legal scholars toward such issues as abortion, conversion, birth control, artificial insemination, organ transplants, smoking, proselytizing, intermarriage, travelling on the Sabbath, and Jewish-Christian relations….” (Pg. 1)
He explains, “The Bible is the basic source of all Jewish law, custom, and tradition… The purpose of the Torah is to teach man how to lead a godly life. The commandments (Mitzvot) set forth within it are the directives one must follow if one is not to stray from the path that leads to God… Since the biblical prescriptions and proscriptions are not always sufficiently clear or specific or enforceable, however, the Rabbis interpreted the Bible and presented what they considered to be the true meaning of the text. Of the works that have been produced to explain the Bible, the Talmud is undoubtedly the most important.
“The first part of the Talmud, known as the Mishna, consists of the teachings of the tannaim… [who] were scholars and sages who lived prior to 220 CE… The second part of the Talmud, known as the Gemara, is a commentary on the Mishna. The scholars whose views are presented … [for] the most part … lived in Babylonia… Together with the Mishna it comprises the Babylonian Talmud [often referred to as the Bavli, meaning ‘of Babylonia’]. A second Talmud, the Palestinian (or Jerusalem) Talmud was also created… The academies that continued to flourish in Palestine …. during the Roman occupation… were not equal in stature to those of Babylonia, and the Palestinian Talmud therefore enjoys a lesser status than the Babylonian Talmud.” (Pg. 2-3)
He notes, “One of the traditional debates in Judaism is whether the Law---the Torah---is subject to change… when these scholars interpreted the Bible to make it more relevant to their times, they were actually modifying its laws. Frequently they found it impossible to insist that the laws be carried out as written literally in the Bible… The biblical law of ‘an eye for an eye’ (Ex 21:24; Lev 24:20) reflected the norms of the biblical era. By the time the Talmud was compiled… this law was considered inhumane and the Rabbis therefore interpreted it to mean that if one causes another person to lose an eye, that person shall pay for the crime ... by making the monetary compensation…” (Pg. 9)
He continues, “In like manner, the Rabbis realized that the biblical law (Dt 15:1-3) that calls for the cancellation of all debts … every seven years penalizes the poor farmer in need of a loan. Who would lend the farmer money as the [seventh] year approached, only to find that the loan would not have to be repaid?” (Pg. 9)
He states, “Before the establishment of the State of Israel in1948, the question ‘Who is a Jew?’ was rarely asked [the ‘Law fo Return’ grants to all Jews the right to Israeli citizenship]… Two eminent Jews who voiced opposing views on the … question were David Ben-Gurion (1886-1973), first prime minister of Israel, and … the former Chief Rabbi of Israel… [who] asserted that according to Jewish law only the offspring of a Jewish mother can be considered a Jew… And the only way a person can become Jewish… is to convert…. Ben-Gurion argued that anyone who declares he is a Jew, lives a Jewish life, and is interested in the welfare of the Jews is to be considered a Jew, regardless of the faith of the mother.” (Pg. 17)
He notes, “In the view of most Jews, the belief in Israel as God’s Chosen People has contributed immeasurably to Jewish survival… Some Jews, however, consider the Chosen People concept an expression of unwarranted pride and self-importance, one that ought to be discarded… Opponents to the Chosen People idea also believe that retaining this concept is detrimental to Jewish interests because it leads to a false sense of superiority that invites contempt from non-Jews and denies the democratic idea of equality for all men, which Judaism espouses… Opponents … often point out that the idea has not been considered basic to Judaism by all authorities… Nevertheless, all Jewish religious denominations other than Reconstructionism continue to subscribe to the traditional view that Jews are the Chosen People.” (Pg. 24-25)
He acknowledges, “Owing in part to the Holocaust, in part to the fact that Jewish families are no reproducing at the same rate as in the past, and in part to assimilation, the number of Jews in the world is dwindling… To remedy the situation, many scholars are of the opinion that the law… should be modified … for considering as Jewish the children of a Jewish man and a non-Jewish woman. The argument advanced is that there is much within Jewish law and tradition that identifies a child with his father… In March 1983… a large majority (three to one) [of Reform Rabbis] voted to recognize as Jewish a child whose mother OR father is Jewish.” (Pg. 26-28)
He explains, “In the 1950s a young man, the son of a Jewish father and a Gentile mother … explained that his father had worn the required yellow Star of David during the Nazi occupation of .. Holland, and that he himself had lost both legs while serving in the Israeli army… The answer the young man received was that his heroism and acts of devotion were not sufficient cause to bend the law for him… This young man did have a way---conversion---of remedying his situation. However, since he … profess[ed] to be a secularist and an atheist, nothing could be done for him.” (Pg. 29-30)
He states, “Ultra-Orthodox Jews consider nonobservant Jews sinners… because they do not adhere to the Sabbath laws… and as such they cannot be recognized as complete or reliable Jews… into which religious Jews cannot marry… Modern Orthodox rabbis do not share the views of the Ultra-Orthodox. They… [believe] in harmonizing Judaism with the ways of the world… and in maintaining a working relationship with all elements of the Jewish community.” (Pg. 46-47)
He argues, “The Christian charge that the Jews crucified Jesus can be refuted on a number of counts: 1. By the time [of] Jesus… the Sanhedrin had lost all authority to pass sentence in capital cases… The order to execute Jesus could only have come from the supreme Roman authority… Pontius Pilate… 3. While crucifixion was a method of capital punishment widely used by the Romans, there is no evidence of it having been used by Jews.” (Pg. 67-68)
Why did most Jews not accept Jesus as the Messiah? “In Jewish tradition, the arrival of the Messiah was to bring with it… the restoration of Israel to its former glory… Maimonides summarized what Jews looked forward to in the Messianic Age: ‘There will be no hunger or way… prosperity will be universal; and the world’s chief occupation will be to know the Lord.’ Since these conditions did not come to pass, the idea of Jesus as Messiah never took root among Jews, and the followers of Jesus therefore turned to the pagan community.” (Pg. 71)
Why was polygamy once acceptable for Jewish men but not for Jewish women? “Society in biblical times was male-dominated… the Rabbis reasoned that it is man’s seed that propagates the race…” (Pg. 113)
He points out, “The Bible does not mention female homosexuality, from which one may infer that lesbianism was not widely practiced, or that if it was, it was not considered a crime. In Jewish law, lesbianism is treated as a minor offense.” (Pg, 150)
He reports, “From the time of the Crusades (1096) onward many … pseudo-Messiahs appeared.. Among the more prominent ones were David Alroy [1147]… Abraham Abulafia [13th century]… Moses Botarel [15th century]… Shelomo Molcho [16th century]… Shabbetai Zevi [17th century]… Loibele Prossnitz [1889]…” (Pg. 211)
He explains, “Although belief in the resurrection of the dead first entered Jewish thought in the 6th century BCE… it took several centuries for the concept to take root among Jews… Not until the 4th century BCE when the Greeks conquered Palestine and the influence of Plato and others began to be felt, did the doctrine of resurrection begin to emerge … the survivors [of the 2nd century BCE war with the Syrians] found it necessary to cling to a belief in a world-to-come where the righteous would return to life.” (Pg. 214)
He admits, “The status of Jewish women improved in post-biblical and talmudic times, especially as compared with the lot of women in society at large. Nevertheless, the Jewish woman was far from equal with the Jewish man… it must be emphasized that although considered inferior, women were nevertheless respected and were not abused.” (Pg. 288-289)
This book is even better than the first ‘Why’ book---its scope is broader and deeper, and it fairly represents all positions.
February 19, 2021
There is no total agreement among Jewish people with regard to the many tenets and doctrines of Judaism. There are Orthodox and non-Orthodox communities within Judaism--Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionists--each following the teachings of particular rabbis that align with their beliefs and practices. I had no idea that being Jewish could be so complicated. Unfortunately I did not read the first Jewish Book of Why but the second volume did provide very valuable information. I recommend the book if you are interested in learning more about the Jewish people.
June 4, 2020
WE did not listen to all of this but we will. Wonderful meandering of the fascinating origins of Judaism.
May 30, 2023
I learned so much about Judaism, very informative book.
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June 24, 2011I am Jewish, and this book answers for me questions I did not know I had! It is a go to book for people like me. 10 years ago when my grandmother died, I was put in the role of eldest female, as my mom had predeceased her. My fiance, not Jewish, read to me long distance so that I could give my gram the respect she deserved as an observant Jewish woman. This one stays on the shelf!
February 3, 2015
A great source of info told from an Orthodox perspective but with respectful commentary where Orthodox breaks with the other movements.
January 24, 2022
Incredibly detailed and full of information, this book is a great resource for observing and understanding Jewish laws.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews