Useful for both Jews and Gentiles

books:


	• Judaism and Homosexuality: An Authentic Orthodox View Rabbi Chaim Rapoport Vallentine-Mitchell, 2004 - 256 pages average customer review:based on 5 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

An Excellent Work

If you are Jewish (no matter what stream)and gay, you ought read this book. You will find much encouragement for yourself, and much "ammunition" with which to educate even your Jewishly well-educated acquaintances.

Anyone who works with Jewish homosexuals -- rabbis, rabbanim, mental health professionals, etc. -- is bound to gain insights and information from this splendid, well-done work.

If you are a *yodei sefer*, you will find that Rav Rapoport has learned the *sugya* well, and teaches it clearly. Reading/learning this *sefer* is simultaneously *limud Torah* and *chesed*.

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Useful for both Jews and Gentiles

This book has been acknowledged by leading Orthodox Rabbis as a groundbreaking effort to take into account the influences and impact of modern Western society. The author searches out all opportunities to apply sensitivity and caring while faithfully adhering to Torah Law ("halacha"). It is extensively researched and presents a most appropriate Orthodox response to this issue as it applies to Jews, but in doing so it probes the philosphical, moral, emotional, physiological and psychological dimensions of homosexuality which apply across the board. The book is valuable for arriving at the Torah Law perspective for today's Gentiles as well. The Noahide Commandments are brought into the discussion, and in numerous places the Torah Laws for both Jews and Gentiles are outlined and compared. The author is careful to delineate how the halacha applies for men and how it applies for women. He also includes relevant Chassidic teachings which are essential for full understanding and proper perspective. Some Orthodox critics have rushed to unwarrented criticisms of this book because they did not read it carefully and intelligently enough to understand the author's intricate analysis of homosexuality in the comparison with other Jewish prohibitions of the Torah, and that he does not, in the final analysis, suggest any deviation from established halacha. In particular the author underscores the fact that sensitivity on a personal level does not carry over into the grave phenomenon of factional and organizational attempts to legitimize a gay or lesbian lifestyle to society. The real-life "Questions and Responses" and voluminous footnotes add richness and depth for all readers.

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Does God Love Me?

Religion and Gays

Literary Pride--Amos Lassen

Rapoport, Rabbi Chaim. Judaism and Homosexuality: An Authentic Orthodox View. London: Vallentine Mitchell, 2004.

A book that I recently came across interested me a great deal. Being a Jewish gay man, I wanted to know where I stood in terms of my religion--although to be quite honest, it didn't really matter. I had already formulated my dealings with religion and I had chosen the road that having been born a Jew, I would also die one and that was that. If any of you read my thoughts on the matter in my essay, "A Piercing Thought' then you know what I am talking about.

Rabbi Chaim Rapoport in "Judaism and Homosexuality: An Authentic Orthodox View" explores the Jewish stance on homosexuality. In doing so, he combines the issues of traditional Jewish law with a deep understanding of the moral and philosophical trends in the world today. Surprisingly enough, he does not maintain a conservative view and advocates that the Jewish theologians and clergy must adopt a fair and balanced perspective. What he has done is present a fair study of religiosity and documents his thoughts so that should there be questions, one can also find the answers. His explanations are based upon values and traditional teachings and he gives a framework for co-existence. It is interesting to me to see an orthodox rabbi take such a liberal view and Rabbi Rapoport is a brave man to risk the challenges he will undoubtedly face. The two chapters which really provided a great deal of information for me were "The Nature of Homosexuality--A Jewish Perspective" and "Questions and Responses" in which the rabbi speculates on the questions that will be asked and answers them before hand.

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Brilliantly Done!

As an Orthodox rabbi, I applaud R. Chaim Rapoport's attention to halachic detail but also his recognition of the human aspect of this issue. With enormous sympathy, R. Rapoport describes the dilemma of the Orthodox Homosexual and tries to offer a religiously and psychologically sound course of action. This book will be THE definitive work on the subject.

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