Understand Torah Traditions More Deeply: Your Complete Guide to The Jewish Book of Why the Torah

For readers seeking a reliable, well-organized guide to Torah traditions and the rituals surrounding Jewish religious life, The Jewish Book of Why the Torah by Rabbi Alfred J. Kolatch is a widely recommended resource. First published under the title This Is the Torah, the revised and expanded edition covers the origins, laws, customs, and methods of study associated with the Torah — the first five books of the Hebrew Bible — in a format that is accessible to general readers while remaining accurate enough for scholars.

This guide summarizes what the book covers, who it is written for, and what sets it apart from other works on the same subject.

What You Will Learn: Key Topics Covered in The Jewish Book of Why the Torah

The book is structured around hundreds of specific questions that readers commonly ask about the Torah and its traditions. The content spans five broad areas:

The Origins and Revelation of the Torah

The book examines why Mount Sinai was selected as the site of the divine revelation and why the Torah was given in a desert rather than within the borders of the Land of Israel. Drawing on centuries of rabbinic commentary and midrashic sources, Rabbi Kolatch explains how these historical and theological details have been interpreted across Jewish tradition. Readers gain a clearer understanding of the Torah's origins and the significance attributed to the circumstances of its giving.

The Writing and Preparation of a Torah Scroll

A Torah scroll must be written by hand by a trained religious scribe, known as a sofer, on parchment derived from the skin of a kosher animal. The book details the strict requirements that govern this process: the type of ink permitted, the quill pen that must be used, and the consequence of even a single scribal error — which renders the scroll temporarily unfit for synagogue use until corrected. Readers come away with a precise understanding of why these standards exist and what they reflect about Jewish law's approach to the Torah's sanctity.

Synagogue Reading Customs and Rituals

The Torah's public reading in the synagogue is governed by a detailed set of customs. The book explains each one: why the Torah is dressed in a velvet mantle and fitted with a silver breastplate, why a yad (a pointer, typically made of silver) is used during the reading rather than a bare finger, how the scroll is carried through the congregation, and how it is raised and shown to the assembled worshippers. Each practice is traced to its legal or historical source, giving readers a factual basis for understanding what they observe during synagogue services.

Who Is Permitted to Handle the Torah

One of the more frequently asked questions in Jewish congregational life concerns who may touch or hold a Torah scroll. The book addresses why non-Jews are permitted to handle the scroll — a ruling that surprises some readers given the degree of sanctity attached to the object. Rabbi Kolatch situates this ruling within the broader framework of Jewish law, allowing readers to understand the legal reasoning behind it without needing prior familiarity with halachic texts.

Methods of Torah Study and Interpretation

The book introduces four principal methods through which the Torah has been studied and interpreted throughout Jewish history: peshat (the plain, literal meaning of the text), derash (homiletical or moral interpretation), remez (allegorical reading), and sod (mystical or kabbalistic interpretation). Understanding these frameworks equips readers to engage more independently with Jewish texts and to recognize the analytical tradition that underlies Jewish scholarship.

Why the Torah Occupies a Central Place in Jewish Life

The Torah — a term meaning "teaching" in Hebrew — consists of the five books of Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. In Jewish religious practice, these texts are not simply historical or legal documents. They are read aloud in the synagogue on a fixed weekly schedule, with the full text completed over the course of a year and the cycle restarted annually on the festival of Simchat Torah.

The Torah scroll used in synagogue services is a handwritten document subject to exacting standards of production and maintenance. Its handling, storage, and reading are governed by a body of religious law accumulated over more than two millennia. For many Jewish worshippers, the rituals surrounding the Torah are among the most familiar elements of synagogue life — yet the reasons behind those rituals are often not well understood. This is the gap that The Jewish Book of Why the Torah is designed to address.

Who Will Benefit from Reading This Book

The book's question-and-answer format and plain-language explanations make it suitable for a broad readership:

Jewish adults with regular synagogue attendance but limited formal Jewish education will find the book a practical tool for understanding the traditions they observe. The format allows readers to look up specific questions as they arise, rather than reading the entire volume sequentially.

Students preparing for Bar or Bat Mitzvah will benefit from the book's detailed explanations of Torah scroll customs and synagogue reading practices, providing context that complements their preparation.

Rabbis and Jewish educators will find it a reliable reference for addressing congregant inquiries and for preparing educational programming on Torah-related topics.

Non-Jewish readers, interfaith families, and students of religion will find the book an objective and accessible introduction to Jewish Torah practice, written without assuming prior knowledge of Jewish law or tradition.

Professor Harry Orlinsky, a leading biblical scholar of the twentieth century, described the book simply as "extremely interesting and instructive" — a characterization that reflects its dual appeal to both casual readers and serious students of Judaism.

About the Author: Rabbi Alfred J. Kolatch

Rabbi Alfred J. Kolatch was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, which later awarded him an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree. He served as a congregational rabbi in South Carolina and New York and as a military chaplain in the United States Army. Over the course of his career, he authored more than fifty books on Jewish law, history, and practice.

His best-known titles include The Jewish Book of Why, The Second Jewish Book of Why, The Jewish Mourner's Book of Why, Inside Judaism, and Great Jewish Quotations: By Jews and About Jews. These works share a consistent approach: presenting complex halachic and historical material in plain language, without sacrificing accuracy. The Jewish Book of Why the Torah applies the same methodology to the subject of the Torah scroll and its surrounding traditions.

Publication Details: What Is The Jewish Book of Why the Torah?

The Jewish Book of Why the Torah is published by Jonathan David Publishers and is available through JDBooks.com. The hardcover edition runs 432 pages and carries the ISBN 978-0-8246-0454-7, with a list price of $24.95. The book is also available on Amazon. Institutional and bulk orders can be arranged through JDBooks.com's customer service team.

The volume is an expanded revision of an earlier work published under the title This Is the Torah. The question-and-answer structure that defines the book reflects Rabbi Kolatch's approach across his broader catalogue — a format designed to make Jewish legal and historical content navigable for readers without specialized training.

Critical Reception

The book has received favorable assessments from both general publications and Jewish scholarly sources. Library Journal described it as "authoritative" and "excellent." The Canadian Jewish News called it "a winner" — noting that it is concise, clearly written, comprehensive, and authoritatively documented — and predicted it would become an immediate classic. Rabbi Solomon B. Freehof, a prominent halachic authority, described it as "a fine piece of work" and "an immeasurable contribution to Judaic literature."

Rabbi Robert Pilavin offered a more personal assessment, stating that the book delivers "an exhilarating experience of Torah study in the comfort of your own home" — a reflection of the book's accessibility and depth in equal measure.

Final Assessment

The Jewish Book of Why the Torah fills a practical gap in Jewish educational literature. By addressing the specific questions that arise in synagogue life and Torah study — and by answering them with precision and historical context — Rabbi Kolatch has produced a reference work that serves readers at every level of Jewish knowledge.

For anyone looking to move beyond surface familiarity with Torah traditions and gain a factual, well-sourced understanding of why those traditions exist, The Jewish Book of Why the Torah is a well-regarded and readily available resource. It is available now through JDBooks.com and Amazon.