A friend and I were recently discussing the term used in the Torah to discuss homosexual relations - toevah, normally translated as abomination. It is worth noting most/all other biblical uses of this word describe things that other cultures do and the culture under discussion (usually the Israelites) shouldn't do, so as not to be like the other culture.
You can read more about that over at Religion Dispatches.
The friend wanted to know what the traditional Jewish view on this word (and thus on homosexuality) was. They also wanted to know what preceded this word.
This post stems from that question...
The term abomination only came around with translation, the Hebrew is toevah, and hard to know what (if anything) predated this term as it appears in Leviticus/Vayikra.
It may be worth noting that in Jewish eyes the transgressions of Sodom are primarily, inhospitality to guests & unethical trading. With physical lust - including the attempted homosexual rape of Lot's guests - a secondary issue. And it may be worth stressing that was not just a homosexual incident, but rather attempted rape - something that would be bad regardless of the genders/sexualities involved.
In the 5th century the Talmud (Nedarim 51A) recorded that the sage Bar Kappara explained the word toeva in relationship to homosexuality as meaning "toeh ata ba" - "you go astray because of it". The traditional Jewish commentators (Rashi, Tosofot & Ran) on the Talmud all explain that Bar Kappara means men would be off having sex with other men if it were allowed, leaving their wives lonely/unsatisfied and potentially leading the wifes to then seek out other men to fulfill their needs. IE - homosexual sex undermines the (presumed) family unit. (Yes, rabbinic Judaism most definitely presumes that its adherents have heterosexual relationships, and also from this text we can perhaps infer that it also presumes men would all abandon their marriages and flock to homosexual relationships if there were permitted to do so, though that may be taking things a bit too far.)
It may also be interesting to note the statement of Rabbi Judah in the 3rd century work the mishna (Kiddushin 82a): "two bachelors should not sleep under one cover." From the continuing conversation there, he clearly thinks bachelors will succumb to the temptations homosexuality, and he clearly thinks that is a thing to be avoided. (Also worth noting that the other sages reject his notion and say bachelors can share a bed.)
As for modern Jewish law, Rabbi Yuval Sherlow (head of Yeshivat Petach Tikvah), Rabbi Steven Greenberg (first openly gay orthodox rabbi) and the film Trembling Before God, all present fairly open/understanding viewpoints. But their voices are the minority (even if a growing one). More 'mainstream' Jewish legal camps say while it may be OK to be a homosexual, the fulfillment of homosexual desires is forbidden.
Also worth noting that Jewish laws approach to lesbianism is generally more open than how it deals with male homosexuality. The talmud is very open, though around 900 years ago Maimonides ruled that lesbianism is forbidden.
There is also a growing body of work on how Jewish law deals with transgendered people, and whether or not Judaism recognizes a 'spiritual' gender switch as being possible - and if so at what point/under what conditions.
And of course I should note that while Judaism presumes most people to be either male or female, there is also recognition of 3 other gender categories: Androgynous (born with both male and female gender markers), 'Tumtum' (those born with no gender markers) and Eunuch (born males, but who have had their masculinity removed).
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4 comments:
If toevah refers to things taboo, meaning ok for some but not others,as the article you link to suggests, then it would mean that racism, lying, idolatry, and dishonest business dealings are ok for some but not for others. Or we could actually read in Scripture where toevah means detestable in the highest form to the one using it to describe how they feel about something and recognize that to the Egyptians, Hebrews where toevah to eat with (racism), and that God holds lying, dishonest business dealings, and most importantly, worshipping false Gods over Him, the one true God, detestable in the highest form. Then we can understand why He hates two men perverting His creation of one flesh that is to be used to unite a male and a female (Leviticus 18:22).
Note that it is not clear why the Egyptians found it destestable to eat with the Hebrews. My opinion concerning that is this:
Joseph commands his brothers not to tell Pharaoh what their occupation is. Their occupation, shepherds, is described as being detestable to the Egyptians. The occupation of the Hebrews making the Egyptians disgusted makes sense when you take into account that their job was to slaughter lambs, which were worshipped by the Egyptians, in the form of the Egyptian god khnum. I would be careful to call it racism. It was toevah for the Egyptians to eat with such a people who, in their eyes, casually performed such blasphemous acts.
I do not believe it was that they believed that Egyptians were a superior race. That concept of racism is a rather new one in certain regards. So, I wouldn't compare homosexuality and racism together so easily.
Edit: ...together so easily as if they are even close to being the same thing. An honest discussion will ultimately render that they aren't.
What you are also saying is that other terms within the Torah shebichtav, such as "shagetz", which denote reluctance and prohibition, also are applied to the mitzvot of kashrus. But, as we know, non-Jews are not expected to perform these laws unless they 1.) decided to do so on their own accord, or 2.) did so as to become members of the Jewish people.
An honest discussion concerning this is needed that does not include such quick and broad-brushes of strokes concerning how human beings ought to fit into the realms of halacha.
It actually is clear. Toevah is detestable in the highest form. Your conclusion that racism was not a factor is not correct. Toevah doesn't compare homosexuality with racism it merely describes how one views it. To the Egyptians it was toevah to eat with Hebrews. Racism. To equate this as not being racism is to say that whites who wouldn't eat with blacks wasn't racism because the whites didn't care if an Asian ate with them. Homosexuality is toevah to God.It describes all the things that He hates to be done by all people.
Joseph actually also told his brothers to tell Pharoah that they were shepards so they could get the Goshen land. You are reading it wrong. Joseph wanted his family outside of Egypt.
Sheqets were only required to be followed by those outside of the Jews who joined themselves to the Jews. They were never required to be followed by non-Jews/non-sojourners with the Jews. In fact all of the sheqets were allowed before the law for all people and after Christ's fulfillment.
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