The Torah is amazing. It is open to hundreds of interpretations and yet remains exactly the same. It is a book that has both united and divided millions of people for thousands of years. It has brought about the rise and the fall of hundreds of civilizations. It is argued over by even the most learned of humanity.

One of those topics most vehemently argued over in the Torah is the subject of homosexuality. Is it right or is it wrong? In Leviticus 18:22, it states “A man shall not lay with another man as with a woman, it is an ‘abomination.’” At least that’s the English translation most commonly given. For something that seems so clear, why has it divided so many people? With the nomination of the first gay bishop into the Episcopal Church, the world has erupted into a flurry of anger, remorse, and even rejoicing. Why such confusion?

Maybe we need to take a step back and look at the passage again. Was it mistranslated? Is it a saying for something else? What is its context in relation to the rest of Leviticus and the Torah?

First, lets start with the book of Leviticus itself and even take a further step back. . . the mission of the Jews.

The Jews were a select group of people, chosen by G-d, to become leaders. They were chosen to make the world a better place. It is distinct in the Torah, that the Judaism was not the only religion, though. The Jews were but people who took on a higher calling. They were the ‘priests’ of a new and golden age.

Refer to Leviticus. The Levites were a group of people whom were also priests. The term ‘Levite’ directly means ‘priest.’ Therefore, Leviticus means ‘for the priests.’ So why do we follow Leviticus? Something the church has made little distinction between are the laws of Leviticus and the Ten Commandments given to Moses at Mount Sinai. The Ten Commandments were laws given to the people that were irreversible and could never be altered or strayed from. You could not worship any other God. You could not bear false witness. You were to obey your father and your mother. The laws of Leviticus were cultural laws. Certain laws were placed in order to distinguish between the priests—the Levites—and the many alternate cultures surrounding them in that time and place. The Jews are these priests.

Many of the laws outlined in Leviticus deal with dietary habits—such as keeping meat and dairy separate, abstaining from shellfish, and only eating certain parts of an animal—wearing certain clothing—such as tying tassles to the four corners of your robes and never mixing animal and plant materials—and methods of sacrifice. It even outlined forbidden sexual practices. Don’t sleep with your children. Don’t sleep with your sister or brother. If a man, don’t sleep with a man.

Interesting.

Did you know that the cultures surrounding the Jews at the time made religious practice of incest? They wore animal and plant materials mixed as a sign of control over the two substances. They practiced prostitution in their temples. So God needed to set God’s people aside. God prescribed a way of living that was both healthy and separate. It would keep God’s people always within their own group and alienate them to outside practices. It was quite literally, a priestly life.

So how are these laws different from the laws of the Ten Commandments? The Ten Commandments were laws for everybody, Jew and Non-Jew alike. The Levitical laws were for the Jews only. There has also been some argument if these ‘Levitical’ laws were meant to change over time. Considering that the cultures surrounding them were changing, would not the Jewish culture have to change, too, in order to remain distinct? If this is so, then Leviticus as we know it is obsolete and no longer partains to modern-day life. To follow it is to be more ‘holy,’ but you are not committing a sin by not following it. In other words, you are not ‘doomed to hell.’

So let’s go into the ‘what if the Levitical laws are still valid?’ Since we’re focusing on homosexuality, let’s take Leviticus 18:22. “Do not lie with a male as one does with a woman, it is an ‘abomination.’”

Refer to Kings 14:24: “There were also male prostitutes in the land. Judah imitated all the abhorrent practices of the nations that the LORD had dispossessed before the Israelites.” This means that there has to be a mention, somewhere in the Torah, stating that male prostitution is against God’s law. The only place that mentions men having sex with other men is Leviticus 18:22. Leviticus 18:22 is about prostitution!

Also, the word ‘ebah,’ commonly translated as an ‘abomination,’ is meant for a standard of moral behavior, and has commonly only been referenced to acts of idol worship in the Torah. In the ‘heathen’ cultures, male-male sex was practiced in temples and places of worship.

Which stance do you take? Do you believe that Levitius is still entirely valid or that it is no longer applicable to daily life? Take a step back and look at yourself. Do you follow all the laws of the Torah? Every single one? You can’t pick and choose. If you follow one, you have to follow them all. I mean, when’s the last time you took Sabbath off and didn’t touch a light switch, drive a car, write, travel, etc. . .? When’s the last time you made sure that your meat was properly slaughtered in kosher fashion? When was the last time you actually read the entire Torah and assessed which laws you are and aren’t following? To follow all the laws of the Torah is an act of extreme devotion.

Do not point your fingers at others and say, “This is wrong,” when you have yet to point them at yourself. If you’re going to expect other to uphold the cultural behavior of the Torah, then you need to set an example by upholding them yourself.

Written by Rivkah Greulich