Matrilineality in Judaism or matrilineal descent in Judaism is the tracing of Jewish descent through the maternal line. Some Jewish communities have partially practiced matrilineal descent from at least early Tannaitic (c. 10-70 CE) times to Modern times. The origins and date-of-origin of matrilineal descent in Judaism are uncertain. Some Hasidic Jews, who believe that matrilineality and matriarchy within Judaism are related to the metaphysical concept of the Jewish soul, maintain that matrilineal descent is an oral law from at least the time of the covenant at Sinai (c. 1310 BCE). Conservative Jewish Theologian Rabbi Louis Jacobs suggests that the marriage practices of the Jewish community were re-stated as a law of matrilineal descent in the early Tannaitic Period (c. 10-70 CE).