Why does the Torah declare that you are only as Jewish as your mother is?

Podcast: Download (Duration: 8:18 — 3.8MB)

Subscribe: RSS

The discussions of “Who is a Jew?”, and matrimonial vs. patrilineal descent with regards to the status of a child of a mixed marriage have been rife with misconceptions. The popular maxim of Judaism descending from the mother’s side is only partially true; what the Torah does indeed say is significantly more nuanced.