Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Gay "Yeshiva" coming to a town near you?

Jerusalem Post introduces SVARA:a yeshiva for gays and lesbians currently on a cross-country road trip for the month of Elul — is led by Rabbi Benay Lappe. She is a 1997 graduate of the Jewish Theological Seminary, where, she said, "I had to be in the closet because then as now JTS did not accept openly queer people." The wings and wand are worn during workshop sessions as an expression of gay and lesbian identity.

Lappe founded the yeshiva in Chicago two years ago with Ellie Knepler, a rabbinical student at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Philadelphia.


The article continues to say:
"I think that we're in a time when we really need to reconsider what we consider an 'aveirah,' " or sin, he said, "and there are many perspectives from which we need to do that. The queer perspective is only one of them."

Once again it's the pick and choose mentality. You don't like a particular comandment so lets change it. This reminds of a discussion that took place between a group of Orthodox Rabbis from Long Island and Rabbi Dovid Cohen: a leading Posek in Brooklyn. They were part of a group that came once a week to learn and discuss things with Rabbi Cohen. One Rabbi asked Rabbi Cohen's opinion on the Gay and Lesbian Synogogue in Manhattan. His intial response was sharp: "how are they any different than the congregants within your own synogogues who descrate the shabbos"? After all they are both positive commandments listed in the torah. The Rabbis looked shockingly at Rabbi Dovid Cohen. He continued and said that there was indeed a difference. The Gay and Lesbian Synogogue is saying it's ok to follow the lifestyle which is in direct opposition to torah law it therefore falls under the law of "ir Hanidachas" (wayward city) and in the days of Sanhedrin should they not repent they would have been wiped out.

2 comments:

Stacey said...

Live and let live.

AS said...

They certainly can live. However the idea
that they should be allowed to say this behavior is acceptable is unacceptable.