Do you consider homosexuality a sin? If so, what verses support that fact or disputes it?

Hi! Male homosexuality is forbidden by the verse in Leviticus, 18(22): “With a man you may not lie in the way one lies with a woman; it is an abomination.” Here the Torah, of course, is using a euphemism, as it always does when discussing sexual relations. Note that it is not only forbidden, but an unusual strong word, “abomination” (to’eivah in the Hebrew) is used.

Female homosexuality has no verse discussing it in the Torah.

It’s important to point out that the Torah here is discussing the act of homosexuality, not the desire for it. Even if it would be an inborn tendency in a particular man, it would make no difference. He can be a great and good person if he doesn’t carry out his desires. On the other hand, even if someone is by nature bisexual or heterosexual, but he performs a homosexual act, he has violated this commandment and made himself “abominable”. The Torah’s focus is always on actions, not tendencies. We heterosexual men also have very strong desires too for things that the Torah forbids, such as other people’s wives. The fact that we desire something is no excuse; the Torah expects us to control our behavior.

Note that I didn’t talk at all about the reason(s) behind this prohibition, since you only asked for the source.

Best wishes,
Michoel Reach

I wish to thank you for your time and insight. I would appreciate your comments on “the reasons for this prohibition??.

Hi! I have to start by admitting to you that I am never really going to understand the true reasons for any mitzvah. G-d’s thoughts are not ours, and he can have infinitely many and infinitely subtle multiple purposes. But you should know that this was something that used to be considered completely obvious. Our society has changed till we struggle to grasp what everyone used to know automatically.

G-d made men and women very different from one another. Their natures complement each other. They join into a family, together creating something that is much greater than anything they could do alone. G-d even granted them a miracle to build their bond: They can create a child together, actually joining themselves in another human being.

Because men and women are so different, it is not easy for them to live together. They speak different languages. They have to stretch, to bend, to change themselves. They have to learn to do what the other needs, not what they themselves would want. But this is all part of growing up.

It is much easier for two men to be friends, or two women – they understand one other instinctively. And these friendships are precious relationships too. But they cannot replace the relationship between husband and wife.

It seems to me that people who try to form this special kind of relationship with their own sex are giving up on growing. Some of them (certainly not all – I know there are many reasons) have been hurt by members of the opposite sex, and have decided to take the easy way out. In any event they are missing out on the most important relationship of life.

The Torah says (B’reishis 2(23)) “She shall be called woman (ishah), for she was taken from a man (ish).?? It means, man and woman are essentially one. They are really two parts of a whole.

The Midrash comments on this verse: We see from here that the world was created [by G-d] by speaking the Hebrew language (literally Lashon Hakodesh, the holy tongue). Why? Because only in that language are the words for man and woman the same. So only in Lashon Hakodesh do the words represent their essential connection. [I am not a linguist, but this is true in the few languages I checked. Hombre/Mujer, Homme/Femme, Mann/Frau, Chelovyek/Zhenshchina. Even in English, the words Man and Woman look similar, but my dictionary says they really aren’t: “Woman?? derives from wif-man, meaning a wife type of person – similar to fireman and businessman.]

I understand that very many ancient civilizations allowed homosexuality. The Torah’s prohibition is not at all the “old-fashioned?? way, as opposed to the “progressives??. On the contrary, similar to its prohibition on idol worship, it was a revolution. It changed the whole nature of the world, by redefining what man, and woman, are.

In ancient Rome and Greece (where homosexuality was actually praised), women were nothing – baby machines and cooks. Men did everything important with each other, fun and business and politics. Of course the men were selfish thugs. As I said before, it is the real relationship with a woman that helps a man learn to care for others. It is pretty obvious how this applies to society today as well, heterosexuals and homosexuals alike.

I want to add something that I have always found fascinating. All this is not only true between man and woman; it is true between humanity and G-d as well. Every relationship between human beings corresponds to a relationship with G-d. Our relationship with G-d is very deep, and many-faceted; it is the most important thing in the world, for it is the reason that there is a world.

Because we are flesh, we are not very good at perceiving our relationship with G-d. So he gave us equivalent relationships with other people, so that we could appreciate the ones with G-d more fully. He is our father, and we are his children. He is our king, and we are his subjects. He is our friend. He is our neighbor – the world Shechinah in Hebrew, which means the closeness of G-d, is the Hebrew word for neighbor. And so on.

One of the very most important relationships with G-d is that of husband and wife. Israel is, so to speak, married to Hashem. He loves us and cares for us, like the most loving husband there ever was. And just as a wife, with her husband’s help, creates children and raises them to represent their ideals, so too Israel is here to make this world a place that represents G-d. We are infinitely different from G-d – but I already told you that that is an essential facet of the nature of marriage. If you read Shir Hashirim (Song of Songs), you’ll see a little of King Solomon’s understanding of what our relationship with G-d is.

Most ancient civilizations worshipped idols. The gods had no loyalty to them or love for them. The people gave; the gods took. The idol worshippers burned their own children in fire as sacrifices to them.

The two things go hand in hand. As they could not understand the type of marriage that the Torah espoused, they also could not grasp the kind of relationship with G-d that we pioneered.

“The world was created with the Hebrew language (literally, the holy tongue).?? The Torah created this tremendous revolution in understanding our family lives together, and our connection with G-d.

I hope this helps a little. As I said, I can only suggest a few ideas about something that is really infinite. If you have some of your own, perhaps you’ll send them back to me.

Best wishes,
Michoel Reach