Rabbi's Messages

Ancient Texts, Modern Lives

on Sunday, 29 March 2015.

2500 years ago Judaism said: being gay is wrong.
2500 years ago Judaism said: Jews may not marry non-Jews.
Where does that leave us in 2015?

We Jews are descendants of Jacob, who was also known as Israel – the "one who wrestles with God." As a nation of Godwrestlers, we are commanded in every generation to confront the texts, traditions, and ideas that are challenging to us. We are commanded to learn about them, question and evaluate them, and strive to understand them in the context of our times.

We Jews are also descended from Abraham. He and Sarah were known for keeping their tent open on all sides, so that they could welcome travelers and seekers from all directions. Their welcoming tent and warm community gave character to Judaism as we know it.

In 2015, we descendants of Abraham and Jacob have our work cut out for us. We are the recipients of an ancient tradition, one that often has very different ideas than we do about things like sexuality, religious identity, and community. And we are also tasked with continuing to build Abraham and Sarah's welcoming tent – opening the doors of Jewish life to those who wish to enter.

It is in this context that we are pleased to welcome Rabbi Steve Greenberg as this year's Bernstein Family Scholar in Residence. Rabbi Greenberg is an internationally-recognized author and teacher, and the world's first openly gay Orthodox rabbi. He is in a unique position to help us address questions about how our challenging ancient texts inform our challenging modern lives.

Rabbi Greenberg will lead three sessions. We invite you to join us for any or all of them:

• "Hachnasat Orchim: Constructing the Welcoming Tent" - Friday Night, April 24 at 7:30 pm Shabbat Services
• "Wrestling with God and Men: Four Rationales for the Biblical Prohibition Against Homosexuality" - Saturday, April 25 at 9:00 am
• "Six Queer Heroes and Scoundrels: Finding Ourselves in Ancient Text" - Saturday, April 25 at 7:00 pm – Havdallah, Dessert & Discussion

All sessions are free and open to the public. We invite you to join us, and to let others know about this fascinating weekend of learning and discussion.

L'shalom,

Rabbi Micah Streiffer