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April 23, 2004/Iyar 2 5764, Vol. 56, No. 31
Letters to the EditorApril 23, 2004
Torah must be viewed in contextEditor:I was intrigued by Rabbi Ariel Shoshan's letter ("Unwavering view on same-sex marriage," Jewish News, April 9) in response to a commentary on same-sex marriage. While I agree with him that the Torah was given at Sinai and God is the author, I take issue with his assertion that words of Torah are "unequivocal." He is referring to Leviticus 18:22, "Do not lie with a male as one lies with a woman, it is an abhorrence." What does this verse "unequivocally" mean? One interpretation is that any male homosexual act is prohibited. However, there are other interpretations wholly within the Jewish tradition. Rabbi Bradley Artson, dean of the Conservative movement's rabbinic seminary in Los Angeles, after an exhaustive study, concludes that the Tanach (Hebrew scriptures) does not deal with homosexual acts in the context of love or monogamous relationships. Rather, the law prohibits such acts that are expressions of idolatry, power or presumably, for fun. ("Gay and Lesbian Jews: An Innovative Jewish Legal Position," Jewish Spectator, winter 1990) For Torah, certain sins must be viewed in a context. Torah morally prohibits idolatrous and demeaning sex acts. At the same time, many scholars and rabbis agree that there are authentically Jewish readings of Leviticus 18:22 that find room for loving and monogamous homosexual relationships. Rabbi Peter S. Levi Temple Chai
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