Mitzvah d'var

Don’t we have a lot to talk about today! The Torah, from which I read today, is also called the 5 Books of Moses. In the Jewish religion, we read the Torah over the course of the Jewish year; starting with Genesis and moving on through Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and ending with Deuteronomy. My Torah portion is in Leviticus, which is the book that talks mostly about Law, Obedience, Relations, and the path to holiness.

My portion, which is called Acharei Mot, names all the family members you may or may not have carnal relations with and describes among other things, prohibited sex offenses.  It talks about incest, it forbids marrying two sisters at once, and discourages extra-marital affairs. Just a normal topic for a 13 year-old… 

I want to bring your attention to the section of my portion that I found most interesting and relevant today. It is the section from Leviticus 18 that states: “Do not lie with a male as one lies with a woman; it is an abhorrence.” In other words, on the face of it, homosexuality as described in the Torah is seriously unacceptable and not okay.

Historically, the majority of rabbinic opinions about the Torah and homosexuality agree with the statement from Rabbi Samuel Dresner, the late professor of rabbinics at the Jewish Theological Seminary, who says, “Homesexuality is a violation of the order of creation.” He interprets the Torah as anti-homosexual based on the previously metioned verses in my Torah portion in Leviticus and the first chapters of Genesis, where male and female are created.

Judaism was not alone in it’s interpretation of these verses in relation to homosexuality. Gay and Lesbian couples have for many years been excluded from both Jewish and non-Jewish communities.  

Over time, recognizing that there are many pathways to holiness, Rabbis from Reform, Reconstructionist and more recently the Conservative and Orthodox movements have weighed in on how to interpret these problematic verses.  

The late Orthodox Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom, Lord Jonathan Sacks has written: "Compassion, sympathy, empathy, understanding - these are essential elements of Judaism. They are what homosexual Jews who care about Judaism need from us today.” 

Rabbis Elliot Dorff, Daniel Nevins, and Avraham Reisner, members of a team of rabbis writing for the Conservative movement state that the prohibition of sex between two men are really outlawing male on male sexual assault — tactics used in biblical times to instill fear, humiliation, and domination against enemies during war and to further terrorize a population. This is an interpretation shared by Rabbi Steve Greenberg,an orthodox gay Rabbi, in his book Wrestling with G-d and Men. In addition, others have discussed this prohibition as it relates to historical pagan worship when the Torah was written as a way to distance Jewish practices from their neighbors who often engaged in same sex rituals.  

The question we all should struggle with is - “Why is it important to be affirming to the LGBTQ community?” 

The Torah is a how-to guide for how to live a holy life. It sets out rules for how to be in relationship with others, how to treat strangers, how to treat the land, and how to relate to G-d.  Homosexuality as described in the Torah is the equivalent of rape, which is not a path to holiness.  However, following many of the other rules and laws set out in the Torah, which can be done within either a hetorosexual or homosexual relationship, is a path to holiness. Therefore one’s sexual orienation shouldn’t be what determines whether you are part of the Jewish community - it is striving for holiness that truly matters. The Torah never states that one cannot have feelings for anyone else or that you cannot love anyone else.

My grandmother, who is here with us today, is an Episcopal Christian minister. She does not take the Bible literally– instead, she interprets the Bible today based on personal beliefs. She does not believe in a God that excludes humans for their race or sexuality or for any difference any of us have. She says: “God loves all of us.” We combat homophobia by being loving and caring and standing up for others. We need to build a community that cares and that brings everyone together. 

Here at the JCOGS everyone is welcome. We are a fully inclusive, egalitarian, and independent congregation representing all branches of Judaism. Our community is made up of people of all ages and backgrounds, including interfaith, like me, LGBTQ, and single-parent families.

LGBTQ rights today are relevant to me because I believe that all people should be treated equally and not dicrimnated against for any reason, including their sexual orientation. One would think that we’ve evolved in our thinking but in reality we continue to fight for these rights. 

On March 28th, Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis signed a law that prohibits instruction or classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identy. Banning books because they contain LGBTQ+ content is another shameful way to silence LGBTQ+ stories. In Texas, students continue to push back against book bans for censoring LGBTQ and racial justice issues. Students are forming banned-book clubs, and distribution drives to contest restrictions that focus mostly on LGBTQ and racial themes. George, a book written by Alex Gino, was the book most-challenged in Texas in 2020 because of its LGBTQ+ content. They claim that it conflicted with the current religious viewpoint, which does not reflect “the values of our community.” 

Margot and I read this book a few years ago with our mom and it gave us insight into the struggles LGBTQ people are faced with everyday. We loved this book and don’t agree with the ban. It was educational and gave me more perspective and empathy for LGBTQ people. All students -- no matter their background, sexual orientation, or gender identity -- deserve to feel safe and welcomed in schools, libraries and bookshops alike.

This was a lot to take in today, don't say I didn't warn you. The Torah was written in a time when the rules were relevant, but we no longer live in that time.  Times have changed.  Judaism is evolving. Many temples are becoming more progressive and accepting of people from all walks of life. I hope you walk away today knowing that there is much more to Judaism than what is written in the Torah, including how we do not take the words of the Torah at face value, but are encouraged to ask questions and be guided by our current sense of morality. The Talmud asks the question, “How do we know that we are not to push aside someone else’s life to save our own?” The answer…. is our moral intuition. 

For me, knowing my moral intuition means knowing myself better. Becoming a bat mitzvah has helped ground me in both my Judaism and my mixed faith roots. I believe I know what is right inside my heart and yet completing this process has helped deepen my knowledge and confirm what my heart knew all along. Looking forward, I am committed to confronting injustice and aligning it with “compassion, sympathy, empathy and understanding” of all people, no matter their orientation or faith. 

Shabbat shalom