Do Jews drink alcohol?
Judaism in Five Minutes - Sarah Imhoff
Jordan D. Rosenblum [+]
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Jordan D. Rosenblum is the Belzer Professor of Classical Judaism at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is the author of four books, most recently Forbidden: A 3,000-Year History of Jews<.i> and the Pig and Rabbinic Drinking: What Beverages Teach Us About Rabbinic Literature. He has also co-edited four books, including Feasting and Fasting: The History and Ethics of Jewish Food and Animals and the Law in Antiquity.
Description
While wine is essential for Jewish rituals (for example, the Sabbath both opens and closes with wine-based rituals), there is a long tradition of understanding that wine can both lead to rejoicing and regret (if one overindulges). This brief look at the history of Jewish drinking argues that, starting with the biblical Noah, there is ample evidence for Jewish communities allowing drinking. So, did many Jews throughout history drink alcohol? The answer seems to be yes, but the full story is a little more complicated.