Toeva and Homosexuality

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).