عاکفه asked:


I would like a thorough explanation of the concept of how Judaism is passed on from the mother to the children. We are a bit confused as to how this could be, as my friend and I were discussing that women are not allowed to perform ritual prayer, only men. Yet women are the ones who pass on the religion to their kids that is why a woman can marry a non jewish person, but a man must marry a Jewish woman.

Any clarifications, explanations, corrections welcome.

14 Responses to “How is religion passed on from mother to children?”

1. NYC Chutzpah on October 1st, 2008 10:34 pm

   one possible reason is that you can always be certain of who the mother is, can’t always be sure of who the father is

2. am on October 3rd, 2008 2:08 pm

   The Torah said Judaism comes from the mother. And no the woman cannot marry a non Jew, but the religion being passed to the children still counts.

3. Annt Hu DeShalit on October 3rd, 2008 6:42 pm

   You ask how religion is passed on from mother to child.

   The answer is in the womb.

   You thought that a Jewish woman may marry a non-jewish person. That is not accurate. She may not marry a non-Jew. But if she nevertheless does, the children will be Jewish.

   I was glad to present these clarifcations, as you requested.

   .

4. Duke of Tudor on October 4th, 2008 9:52 pm

   The “Who is a Jew” issue has become one of the most controversial issues in Jewish life today.

   Biblical Times

   Matrilineal descent, the passing down of a child’s Jewish identity via the mother, is not a biblical principle. In biblical times, many Jewish men married non-Jews, and their children’s status was determined by the father’s religion.

   According to Professor Shaye Cohen of Brown University:
   “Numerous Israelites heroes and kings married foreign women: for example, Judah married a Canaanite, Joseph an Egyptian, Moses a Midianite and an Ethiopian, David a Philistine, and Solomon women of every description. By her marriage with an Israelite man a foreign women joined the clan, people, and religion of her husband. It never occurred to anyone in pre-exilic times to argue that such marriages were null and void, that foreign women must “convert” to Judaism, or that the off-spring of the marriage were not Israelite if the women did not convert.”

   Talmudic Times

   Sometime during the Roman occupation and the Second Temple period, a law of matrilineal descent, which defined a Jew as someone with a Jewish mother, was adopted. By the 2nd century CE, it was clearly practiced.

   The Talmud (Kiddushin 68b), which was compiled in the 4th and 5th centuries, explains that the law of matrilineal descent derived from the Torah. The Torah passage (Deut. 7:3-4) reads: “Thy daughter thou shalt not give to his son, nor shalt thou take his daughter to thy son. For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods.”

   Some scholars believe that this new law of matrilineal descent was enacted in response to intermarriage. Others say that the frequent cases of Jewish women being ***** by non-Jews led to the law; how could a ***** Jewish woman’s child be considered non-Jewish by the Jewish community in which he or she would be raised? Some believe that the matrilineal principle was borrowed from Roman law.

   For centuries, while orthodox Judaism was the only form of Judaism, the law of matrilineal descent was unquestionably accepted. Orthodox Judaism even believed that anyone with a Jewish mother had irrevocable Jewish status; in other words, even if someone with a Jewish mother converted to another religion, that person would still be considered Jewish.

   20th Century

   With the birth of alternative branches of Judaism and the rise in intermarriage in the 20th century, questions about the law of matrilineal descent arose. Children born to Jewish fathers and non-Jewish mothers, in particular, were asking why they were not accepted as Jews.

   In 1983, the Reform movement made a Patrilineal descent ruling. The Reform movement decided to accept the children of Jewish fathers as Jews even without a conversion ceremony. In addition, the movement decided to accept people who were raised as Jews, such as adopted children, even if it was not certain that either of their parents were Jewish.

   Reconstructionist Judaism, which values equity and inclusivity, also adopted the idea of patrilineal descent. According to Reconstructionist Judaism, children of one Jewish parent, of either gender, are considered Jewish if raised as Jews. This movement would also say that if you were adopted and raised as a Jew, then you are Jewish regardless of whether either of your biological parents were Jewish.

   In 1986, in contrast, the Conservative Movement’s Rabbinical Assembly reiterated the commitment of the Conservative movement to the law of matrilineal descent. Furthermore, the movement stated that any rabbi who accepts the principle of patrilineal descent will be subject to expulsion from the Rabbinical Assembly. While the Conservative movement did not accept patrilineal descent, it agreed that “sincere Jews by choice” should be warmly welcomed into the community and that “sensitivity should be shown to Jews who have intermarried and their families.” The Conservative movement actively reaches out to intermarried families by offering them opportunities for Jewish growth and enrichment.

   Today

   As of today, Judaism is divided on the issue of “Who is a Jew?” via descent. Orthodox Judaism stands unequivocably behind Judaism’s almost 2000 year old law of matrilineal descent. Conservative Judaism has stayed loyal to the traditional matrilineal descent law, but, compared to Orthodoxy, is more open in its acceptance of potential converts, more sensitive in its approach to intermarried Jews, and more active in its outreach to intermarried families. Reform and Reconstructionist Judaism have expanded their definition of a Jew from one with a Jewish mother to also include one with a Jewish father.

5. Shay p on October 4th, 2008 11:12 pm

   There is only one known mother, as for fathers in many cases he could be one of….. this is why I could never understand Islam, the child takes his fathers religion.

   Talmudic Times

   Sometime during the Roman occupation and the Second Temple period, a law of matrilineal descent, which defined a Jew as someone with a Jewish mother, was adopted. By the 2nd century CE, it was clearly practiced.

   The Talmud (Kiddushin 68b), which was compiled in the 4th and 5th centuries, explains that the law of matrilineal descent derived from the Torah. The Torah passage (Deut. 7:3-4) reads: “Thy daughter thou shalt not give to his son, nor shalt thou take his daughter to thy son. For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods.”

   Some scholars believe that this new law of matrilineal descent was enacted in response to intermarriage. Others say that the frequent cases of Jewish women being ***** by non-Jews led to the law; how could a ***** Jewish woman’s child be considered non-Jewish by the Jewish community in which he or she would be raised? Some believe that the matrilineal principle was borrowed from Roman law.

   For centuries, while orthodox Judaism was the only form of Judaism, the law of matrilineal descent was unquestionably accepted. Orthodox Judaism even believed that anyone with a Jewish mother had irrevocable Jewish status; in other words, even if someone with a Jewish mother converted to another religion, that person would still be considered Jewish.

6. ITSME on October 7th, 2008 7:27 am

   well actually the women shouldnt marry a non-jew either. The answer to your question is quite onvious. The mother carries the baby for 9 months and she basically gives the baby life, by feeding it keeping it healthy. Its also because a mother is a mother, she is the one that is usually teaching the child lessons disciplining him/her. What if the child took the fathers religoun and the mother was a different religoun, then that would bring up some problems.

7. B on October 7th, 2008 10:56 pm

   Well, Jews and Arabs are both descended from Abraham (not all the Arabs, just the ethnic Arabs in Arabia, and probably not all Jews either), so if Judaism was ‘passed’ from father to son then Arabs would be considered Jews as well

8. Whoo! on October 9th, 2008 6:09 am

   Because the mother is the child’s main source of everything. Who carried it for 9 months, was awake at every cry in the morning, nurtured it, fed it, comforted it raised it? The mother. So she taught them Torah. My mom, goodness. Every single day when she drives me and my siblings to school, she’s always teaching us it and talking to us about Torah and God.

9. claymore24242 on October 12th, 2008 2:11 am

   this question has appeared here several times
   however i’ll gladly answer it again

   the education of children is still predominantly done by the mother also
   the certainty of the mother is absolute not so that of the father..

   it makes more sense..

   hope i helped

10. Abigail FTW on October 13th, 2008 10:10 am

    Down the umbilical cord silly!

11. tramanmann on October 14th, 2008 1:34 am

    no, it is not that women are not allowed to perform prayer it is that they have more important things to do.

12. goldie on October 15th, 2008 10:16 am

    Annt Hu DeShalit said it right on
    but just one thing i’d like to clear up,
    women are actually not exempt from praying
    according to Rambam women should say the shmonei esrei daily, whereas Ramban says that women should say any prayer that they so desire.
    it is the custom of ashkenazi women (or at least should be) to adhire to Rambam’s advice…
    whereas women of sephardi background either listen to Ramban’s opinion or just have no obligation to pray.

13. Mihaela C on October 16th, 2008 6:01 am

    Although women cannot pray, if they are religious people, the children may take over the inclination to religiosity, whatever the religion in which his mother or father is.

14. Patti Wray on October 17th, 2008 11:16 pm

    Knowledge comes from within And I’m sure when teaching their children everyday life they had to have spoken some form of religion to them..Jesus being a jew gave women the right to speck the words of GOD…….Blessings Yahoo