This sheet on Leviticus 18 was written by Eitan Novogrodsky for 929 and can also be found here
New ideas and modes of thinking project us into the future; traditions and heritage connect us to the past. Modern readers of Tanakh and contemporary practitioners of religion are often caught between these opposing forces - pressed forward by waves of new thinking and ideology only to feel the undertow of tradition at their feet.
As a practicing Jew and a gay man, I feel that Leviticus 18 presents just this problem.
Leviticus 18 opens with God speaking: “You shall not copy the practices of the land of Egypt where you dwelt, or of the land of Canaan to which I am taking you; nor shall you follow their laws.
My rules alone shall you observe…
You shall keep My laws and My rules, by the pursuit of which man shall live.”
And by what laws and rules shall man let ive? The God of Tanakh proceeds to list the many sexual sins deemed impermissible; acts practiced within other societies but not to be practiced within a biblically mandated one. This list famously includes a prohibition on homosexuality that has for millenia - and across many societies - led to oppression and suppression of sexual minorities.
I have struggled with this verse. Raised in an Orthodox Jewish world, I struggled to live by its proscription. My own thinking, however, has evolved to put more faith in the wisdom of modern humanity than the wisdom of every ancient verse.
As a gay Jew, I have learned to trust in the goodness and righteousness of a society that accepts sexual minorities - that celebrates L, G, B, T, and Q. To me, this is law. I do not copy the practices of the Egyptians or the land of Canaan. I derive from first principles that this must be good. My own set of values. By these rules shall man live.
At the very least, Leviticus 18 represents the tension between the ancient and the modern. This tension has been felt by many readers of Leviticus - readers of a wide range of beliefs and observance. When we engage in a study of Tanakh we read a rich, beautiful text that has helped shape Jewish tradition and culture. At the same time, many readers may find their values diverge sharply from those described by Tanakh.
When we study Tanakh and feel this tension we occupy a space that appreciates the value of the tradition - of the ancient - yet we affirm the values humanity has brought to the modern world in which we live.
As a practicing Jew and a gay man, I feel that Leviticus 18 presents just this problem.
Leviticus 18 opens with God speaking: “You shall not copy the practices of the land of Egypt where you dwelt, or of the land of Canaan to which I am taking you; nor shall you follow their laws.
My rules alone shall you observe…
You shall keep My laws and My rules, by the pursuit of which man shall live.”
And by what laws and rules shall man let ive? The God of Tanakh proceeds to list the many sexual sins deemed impermissible; acts practiced within other societies but not to be practiced within a biblically mandated one. This list famously includes a prohibition on homosexuality that has for millenia - and across many societies - led to oppression and suppression of sexual minorities.
I have struggled with this verse. Raised in an Orthodox Jewish world, I struggled to live by its proscription. My own thinking, however, has evolved to put more faith in the wisdom of modern humanity than the wisdom of every ancient verse.
As a gay Jew, I have learned to trust in the goodness and righteousness of a society that accepts sexual minorities - that celebrates L, G, B, T, and Q. To me, this is law. I do not copy the practices of the Egyptians or the land of Canaan. I derive from first principles that this must be good. My own set of values. By these rules shall man live.
At the very least, Leviticus 18 represents the tension between the ancient and the modern. This tension has been felt by many readers of Leviticus - readers of a wide range of beliefs and observance. When we engage in a study of Tanakh we read a rich, beautiful text that has helped shape Jewish tradition and culture. At the same time, many readers may find their values diverge sharply from those described by Tanakh.
When we study Tanakh and feel this tension we occupy a space that appreciates the value of the tradition - of the ancient - yet we affirm the values humanity has brought to the modern world in which we live.
Dr. Eitan Novogrodsky is a physician in New York City.
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