Wednesday 20 October 2010

Response to R. Boteach article

The following is a letter I sent to the Wall Street Journal in response to Rabbi S. Boteach's article on homosexuality (available on line at http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704361504575552203494330686.html?KEYWORDS=boteach)


To the Editor:

I believe that Rabbi Boteach, in his article, in Houses of Worship, October 15, has done a disservice to your readership in his portrayal of Orthodox Judaism's position on homosexuality. Contrary to his presentation, the
significance and importance that Jewish thought assigns to any individual commandment is not coloured by this distinction between 'moral laws' and 'ritual laws'. Homosexual behaviour is, simply, a weighty prohibition.

To further clarify the Orthodox position, even though our faith directs us to be sensitive and empathetic to all individuals, including those struggling with this issue, our moral stand regarding this behaviour should not be perceived as waning, nor should it be allowed to weaken. We cannot twist the Torah in favor of a predetermined
result and still remain faithful to our traditional teachings.

Rabbi Ben Hecht

2 comments:

Bob Miller said...

Regrettably, anyone today can be a rabbi and pontificate through articles in the general press. Only a few readers can pick out contradictions between claims made there about Judaism and the actual thing.

Rabbi Ben Hecht said...

That is why it may be important to respond -- in order to clarify the issue and to show that the claim being made is, at least, not accepted universally. Realistically, though, most readers will still not know whose voice is actually the more authentic one and will accept the view they like better as being the authentic one (unless the reader is someone who has negative feelings towards Jews and will, thus, take the view he/she dislikes more to be the authentic Jewish one.)

Rabbi Ben Hecht