The Second Jewish Book Of Why: Diving Deep Into The Questions That Define Jewish Life

By Author: Jonathan David Publishers
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Some books answer the questions you already have. A rare few go further — they reveal questions you never thought to ask and then answer those too. The Second Jewish Book of Why by Rabbi Alfred J. Kolatch belongs firmly in that second category.
Published by Jonathan David Publishers and running to 423 thoroughly documented pages, this is a book built for anyone who wants more than surface-level explanations of Jewish tradition. It does not flinch from controversy, does not oversimplify complexity, and does not favor one denomination over another. From the moment you open it, it is clear you are in the hands of a scholar who respects both his subject and his reader.

So, What Is The Second Jewish Book of Why?
Think of it as the natural continuation of a conversation that began with The Jewish Book of Why (1981) — Rabbi Kolatch's landmark first volume, which introduced readers to the customs, rituals, and beliefs woven into everyday Jewish life. That book answered the foundational questions. The Second Jewish Book of Why takes on the harder ones.
This is the volume where Rabbi Kolatch ventures beyond ...
... the comfortable and into the contested. He opens by giving readers something most Jewish books overlook: a clear, readable account of how Jewish law has developed over the centuries, from its roots in the Hebrew Bible through to the modern era. He profiles the major figures who shaped that legal tradition, unpacks the relationship between formal law and popular custom, and lays out the principles that guide rabbinic reasoning. It is the kind of grounding that transforms a reader from someone who knows what Jewish law says into someone who begins to understand why.

Meet the Author: Rabbi Alfred J. Kolatch
Rabbi Alfred J. Kolatch (1916–2007) was one of the defining voices in twentieth-century Jewish publishing. A product of the Teachers Institute of Yeshiva University and the Jewish Theological Seminary of America — which later honored him with a Doctor of Divinity degree honoris causa — he combined rigorous scholarship with a gift for writing that ordinary readers could actually enjoy.
His career in active ministry spanned the 1940s, when he led congregations in South Carolina and New York while also serving as a United States Army chaplain. In 1948, he channeled that experience into founding Jonathan David Publishers, an institution he would lead for decades and grow into one of the most respected names in Jewish books. He went on to write more than fifty titles, but it was The Jewish Book of Why and The Second Jewish Book of Why that cemented his reputation — works that continue to be pressed into the hands of curious readers, new students of Judaism, and lifelong practitioners alike.
His hallmark as a writer is disciplined fairness. He never lectures, never editorializes, and never talks down to the reader. He simply explains — fully, honestly, and with care.

What Will You Find Inside?
One of the most striking things about The Second Jewish Book of Why is the sheer courage of its subject matter. These are not easy questions. They are the ones Jewish families debate at the dinner table, that rabbis field from congregants, and that denominations have split over. Rabbi Kolatch addresses them all without blinking.
Questions of Jewish Identity

What makes someone Jewish — by birth, by practice, or by choice?
How has the relationship between Judaism and Christianity shaped Jewish self-understanding?
What does Jewish law and tradition say about living as a minority in a non-Jewish world?

Marriage, Intermarriage, and Conversion

How do different Jewish movements approach intermarriage, and what does halacha actually say?
What does the conversion process involve, and how is it viewed across denominations?
Where do Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist perspectives converge — and where do they sharply diverge?

Ethics at the Edge of Modern Medicine

How does Jewish law navigate the abortion debate?
What do the rabbis say about birth control and family planning?
Where does halacha stand on artificial insemination and surrogate motherhood?
When does Jewish tradition permit — or even require — organ donation?
Is smoking a Jewish ethical concern?

The Place of Women in Jewish Religious Life

How has the role of women in Jewish practice shifted over time, and why?
What is the argument for ordaining women as rabbis — and what is the argument against?
How are contemporary movements reinterpreting traditional halachic frameworks around gender?

Belief, Prayer, and the Rhythms of Daily Practice

What does Judaism teach about death, mourning, and the life that may follow?
What rules and customs govern Jewish eating and mealtime behavior?
How do you distinguish between a binding law and a deeply held custom?

Engaging with the Wider World

What is the Jewish view on bringing others into the faith?
How has Jewish-Christian relations evolved through history and where does it stand today?

A Format Designed for Real Readers
Part of what makes The Second Jewish Book of Why so enduringly useful is the way it is organized. The question-and-answer structure — carried over from the first volume — means you never need to read this book in any particular order. Each entry stands on its own. Flip to the question that is on your mind and you will find a complete, self-contained answer waiting for you.
Rabbi Kolatch writes without denominational bias. He does not tell you what the right answer is. He tells you what the Orthodox position is, what the Conservative position is, what Reform and Reconstructionist thinkers have argued, and he lets you sit with all of it. For a subject as rich and internally diverse as Judaism, that approach is not just appropriate — it is the only honest way to write.
Detailed endnotes and a comprehensive index spanning both Why volumes round out the book, making it a genuine reference work and not merely a casual read.

Does The Second Jewish Book of Why Still Hold Up?
Published in the 1980s and still in print — that alone says something. But the real test is whether the questions inside still matter. They do. Identity, intermarriage, reproductive ethics, the role of women, the relationship with other faiths — these are not historical footnotes. They are live debates inside Jewish communities around the world today.
In that sense, The Second Jewish Book of Why has not aged. If anything, it has become more useful as those debates have intensified. Readers who encounter it for the first time today will find it just as relevant as those who picked it up when it was first released. Many readers have spoken of returning to it repeatedly over the years — using it as a touchstone whenever a hard question arises.

Who Needs This Book?
If you belong to any of the following groups, The Second Jewish Book of Why deserves a place on your shelf:

Jewish readers at any stage of observance who want honest, well-sourced answers to the questions their tradition raises — particularly the thorny ones
People exploring Judaism from the outside who want a reliable, fair-minded guide to what Jewish law and practice actually involves
Students, researchers, and academics working in Jewish studies, religious studies, theology, or related fields
Religious leaders and educators who need a dependable reference for the questions their communities bring to them
Anyone who read volume one and found it opened more questions than it closed

Where to Find It
The Second Jewish Book of Why is published by Jonathan David Publishers (ISBN: 0824603052) and available through most major booksellers in both hardcover and paperback. It can also be purchased as part of a two-volume boxed set paired with The Jewish Book of Why — together, the two books address close to 1,000 questions about Jewish life, making them one of the most comprehensive introductions to Judaism available in print.

A Final Word
The Second Jewish Book of Why is the kind of book that does not try to impress you with how much it knows. It simply gives you what you need: clear thinking, honest context, and the full range of Jewish opinion on some of the most important questions a person can ask. Rabbi Kolatch trusted his readers to handle complexity — and that trust, page after page, is what makes this book so worth reading.
Pick it up whether you are deepening a lifelong relationship with Judaism or beginning one. Either way, you will come away knowing more, thinking more clearly, and asking better questions than you did before.