Same-Sex Unions in the
Context of Jewish Law
by
Senior Rabbi, Alan Green (00-Present)
Published in the Shaarey Zedek Shofar in September
2007
As I write, the weather is
warm and beautiful, students are finishing up the school year, and
families are looking forward to the lake and other summer
activities.
But, there are no real
vacations in life—only temporary respites from the joyful but
serious pursuit of the truth about ourselves, and the surprising,
somewhat dangerous world in which we live.
The Jewish calendar
reflects this sober reality. Tammuz is the first month of summer,
and indeed, it shines with an aura of warmth and relaxation.
However, the 17th of Tammuz begins three weeks of mourning that lead
up to the Ninth of Av—the blackest day on the Jewish calendar. The
Ninth of Av commemorates the various destructions that the Jewish
people suffered over the centuries on this very date. It’s a very
serious activity, at a non-serious time of year.
Following upon the heels
of Av, comes the month of Elul—whose letters form the acronym ANI
L’DODI V’DODI LI—”I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine.” It may
be vacation time, but we’re asked to look within, and consider our
relationships to God, Self, and others, and how we might repair
them. After Elul comes the High Holy Day season, complete with the
tremendous volume of spiritual activity demanded by Rosh Hashanah
and Yom Kippur, and the great celebration of Sukkot.
Indeed, there is no rest
for the weary in the Jewish calendar. This is why, in addition to
the relaxation that you will undoubtedly enjoy this summer, I would
request that you also do some spiritual homework. Hopefully, by the
time you read this some interesting articles on same-sex unions will
have been posted on the Shaarey Zedek website (click
here).
My wish is that you read
them and carefully consider the issues that they raise. These are
the papers that were delivered pro and con the possibility of
accommodating same-sex unions in the context of Jewish Law at the
December 2006 meeting of the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards
of the Conservative Movement.
At the December CJLS
meeting, after the papers were presented, a vote was taken. You may
already know that it was a split decision, with an equal number of
votes for and against the possibility of same-sex unions in a
Halachic framework. In retrospect, the result wasn’t all that
surprising. The Conservative movement has its liberal and
conservative wings, and both are equally represented on the CJLS.
But what does this signify for individual Conservative synagogues?
With two definitive, yet
contradictory answers, in play it means that each synagogue, with
the help of its rabbi, must steer its own course. This will be one
of my projects at Shaarey Zedek for the next while. Much credit must
go to Rabbi Larry Pinsker, who organized and led three seminars on
the Halacha of same-sex relationships earlier this year. The two of
us will continue this work, beginning with the posting of the
articles that I mentioned above. I will certainly be addressing the
topic during the High Holy Days. In addition, a variety of other
educational activities are in the planning stages.
Once you have done your
homework, and given some thought to this issue, I would welcome your
feedback. The most efficient way to do so (although there will be
many other opportunities) is to e-mail me at clergy@shaareyzedek.mb.ca.
I would like to emphasize that I am not in any rush to make changes,
although I do have a clear idea of the direction I would like to go.
Certainly, nothing drastic will happen until all who wish to be
heard have taken the opportunity to express themselves. Please avail
yourself of this opportunity!
I want to wish each and every one of you a beautiful warm season in
Winnipeg, and best wishes for a sweet New Year of health and
fulfillment.
Shanah Tovah U’metukah!
Alan, Chaya, Daniel, Eve,
Shoshanah and Erik
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