On the face of it there is no meeting place between those two sides because they rarely ever exist on the same plane.
| WILL YOU BE HAVING A KAVANAH WITH YOUR MITZVAH? |
Here’s a lovely excerpt from “Orthodox. And Gay,” published on a blog named “Morethodoxy: Exploring the Breadth, Depth and Passion of Orthodox Judaism,” which is run by five mid-Western Orthodox rabbis. The excerpt I’m excerpting here is by Aviva Buck-Yael:
“I once went to an ultra-orthodox shul and once loved being a part of that community. I loved knowing that I was a valued member of my community and that I had a place where I belonged. But I also knew without a shadow of a doubt that I was a lesbian and that if my community ever knew this about me, there would be no place for me. I struggled with my identity. I spent a very long time trying desperately to be who I wasn’t. I tried to do that which I knew my community would wish me to do had they known they had a lesbian in their midst. I ignored, denied, and suppressed this piece of myself. I married a man, created a home, and established myself in the community. But I always felt like a fraud. I felt like a fraud to myself, to my community, and to the man I married.”
Does Jewish halacha deal with people who feel that by laboring to fulfill a mitzvah they are being frauds? I suppose it does, there’s the whole kavanah thing, and “mitoch shelo lishma” – by starting out doing a mitzvah without the best intent, we may end up eventually doing it for all the right reasons.
But that’s almost necessarily not the case with the majority of gay men and women – more men than women, I think – whose attempts at finding peace by conforming to a sexual life they can’t sustain often end up sadly.
| NOW, LET’S DELIGHT IN ANOTHER’S CHAGRIN |
A Hollywood masseur has alleged that John Travolta propositioned him for sex during a massage, and is suing for $2 million. Now, Heeb’s Mark Dommu writes, “John Travolta Blames Gay Hollywood Jews for Own Homosexuality.”
The suit alleges, according to Dommu, that “Defendant began screaming at Plaintiff, telling Plaintiff how selfish he was; that Defendant got to where he is now due to sexual favors he had performed when he was in his Welcome Back, Kotter days; and that Hollywood is controlled by homosexual Jewish men who expect favors in return for sexual activity. Defendant then went on to say how he had done things in his past that would make most people throw up.”
Absolutely true, I watched Welcome Back, Kotter!
| TOO MANY MINORITIES IS JUST RIGHT |
Finally, file this under “Only in America,” really. Erika Davis is a Brooklyn based, Black lesbian who recently converted to Judaism and is now known as Batya bat Avraham and Sarah. Just that in itself should be enough of a recommendation for a visit. But she also contributes a thought to our discussion today (our blogalogue?) with her entry “Hate Breeds Hate & Love Breeds Love?”
She writes: “Unlike being born female, black and gay-things I do not control, I chose to become a Jew. Not to check off another box, not to join the minority Olympics, not to be more unique, but because Judaism is where I found God.”
She writes a whole lot more, and some of it is rough stuff. But in the end, she, too, is yearning to be accepted, tough dyke and all.
This is where we may have to invite our halachic leaders to leap over intellectual certainties which cannot be denied, to a less exact realm, the realm of feelings and senses. I know, it sounds too hippie for words, but I’m not sure what else is there for our fellow homosexual yet God fearing and mishpoche seeking Jews who simply don’t wish to go away.
