Bringing light in darkness
This originated on a Facebook thread here.
Homosexual intercourse - forbidden, period.
What happened all of a sudden? That last noon I witnessed a horror. Shame, real blood-letting. I went to pray 'Minha' at one of the synagogues (no names mentioned). As you may know, on the Shabbat, the 'Sefer Torah' comes out twice; once in 'Sha'hrit' and once in 'Minha'. At the morning prayer, seven rise, and at 'Minha' three. A homosexual guy who came to the synagogue asked to rise to the Torah for his late father's soul. One of the other worshipers identified him, and yelled at him in front of everyone "You are a homo, get out of here, you are disqualified from rising to the Torah." The Rabbi of the synagogue joined that call and began an uproar the likes of which I've never seen. I intervened at once.
I banged on the table, looked at the man making the accusations and informed him promptly that his act is considered foul (originally: 'Nevelah', meaning rotting corpse).
He of course answered me foolishly and rudely that he, like Pinhas Ben Eliezer, who was zealous for the lord and the honor of the 'Shkhina' (holy presence). I walked towards the Rabbi, towing the offended guy with me, I rose to the pedestal, opened the Torah and told him "Make your blessing".
I announced that everyone who does not feel right with this can leave. No one left. After the guy made his blessing and rose to the Torah, I prayed 'Yizcor' for his father and 'El Maleh Rahamim' (Jewish prayers for the dead). Before the return of the book to the hall, I wanted to say a few words and spoke thus:
"Honored audience, Today I understood the meaning of the phrase 'does as Zimri and asks payment as Pinhas'. All who whitens his friends face in public, as if spilled blood! (Jewish phrase that forbids shaming your friend in public). Do you think the Torah forbids Jews like this person to keep the Shabbat? To wear 'Tzitzit'? To put on 'Tfilin'? To rise to the Torah? To pray? Where do you get that? For your information, I am a man of 'Halachah', and the 'Halachah' does not contain a single reference to 'Homo laws' because there are none. In the Talmud, in the Kidushin tractate (פ"ב עמ' א) it is said: "Two singles should not share a single Talit - so that they will not come into homosexual intercourse.. and the elders permit - that they will not be suspected in sodomy"
In light of that 'they will not be suspected', there is no further reference to this. So do you want to be more holy than our sages and the 'Gmarah'? You should know, gentlemen, that our elders taught us 'the Mizvah's reward is Mizvah and an offense's reward is an offense'. We will never know which reward everyone here not protesting this shaming in public will get, and that will suffice for me."
The place fell silent. The Rabbi came to me with tears in his eyes. He took me out of the crowd and told me that the man who accused was repenting Jew, an extremist, a 'terrorist' that no one wants to handle. "You surprised me today with your integrity and courage" the Rabbi said.
Friends, in stead of worrying for this world of ours, and our friends afterlife's, let us turn the tables. We should worry for our own afterlife, and our friends' lives in this world.
Every Midah is nothing to Midah against Midah (All attributes\measurements\qualities are false except the law of retaliation\eye for an eye\reciprocality). Mercy and compassion, accepting the other despite differences, these are not bad words but rather a way of life. And bliss to he who has faith.
I want to emphasize, I do not support the 'community' (LGBT) in any way. I do not think that it is allowed to permit an offense in the rules of this Torah or other. Nonetheless, we do not have any right to spill the blood of people who are different from us in their way of life, their tendencies or behavior.
Did you sympathize? Share. Everyone should read this. Wonderful day.
********************************************************end of original text***
Not an easy job, let me tell you.
Homosexual intercourse - forbidden, period.
What happened all of a sudden? That last noon I witnessed a horror. Shame, real blood-letting. I went to pray 'Minha' at one of the synagogues (no names mentioned). As you may know, on the Shabbat, the 'Sefer Torah' comes out twice; once in 'Sha'hrit' and once in 'Minha'. At the morning prayer, seven rise, and at 'Minha' three. A homosexual guy who came to the synagogue asked to rise to the Torah for his late father's soul. One of the other worshipers identified him, and yelled at him in front of everyone "You are a homo, get out of here, you are disqualified from rising to the Torah." The Rabbi of the synagogue joined that call and began an uproar the likes of which I've never seen. I intervened at once.
I banged on the table, looked at the man making the accusations and informed him promptly that his act is considered foul (originally: 'Nevelah', meaning rotting corpse).
He of course answered me foolishly and rudely that he, like Pinhas Ben Eliezer, who was zealous for the lord and the honor of the 'Shkhina' (holy presence). I walked towards the Rabbi, towing the offended guy with me, I rose to the pedestal, opened the Torah and told him "Make your blessing".
I announced that everyone who does not feel right with this can leave. No one left. After the guy made his blessing and rose to the Torah, I prayed 'Yizcor' for his father and 'El Maleh Rahamim' (Jewish prayers for the dead). Before the return of the book to the hall, I wanted to say a few words and spoke thus:
"Honored audience, Today I understood the meaning of the phrase 'does as Zimri and asks payment as Pinhas'. All who whitens his friends face in public, as if spilled blood! (Jewish phrase that forbids shaming your friend in public). Do you think the Torah forbids Jews like this person to keep the Shabbat? To wear 'Tzitzit'? To put on 'Tfilin'? To rise to the Torah? To pray? Where do you get that? For your information, I am a man of 'Halachah', and the 'Halachah' does not contain a single reference to 'Homo laws' because there are none. In the Talmud, in the Kidushin tractate (פ"ב עמ' א) it is said: "Two singles should not share a single Talit - so that they will not come into homosexual intercourse.. and the elders permit - that they will not be suspected in sodomy"
In light of that 'they will not be suspected', there is no further reference to this. So do you want to be more holy than our sages and the 'Gmarah'? You should know, gentlemen, that our elders taught us 'the Mizvah's reward is Mizvah and an offense's reward is an offense'. We will never know which reward everyone here not protesting this shaming in public will get, and that will suffice for me."
The place fell silent. The Rabbi came to me with tears in his eyes. He took me out of the crowd and told me that the man who accused was repenting Jew, an extremist, a 'terrorist' that no one wants to handle. "You surprised me today with your integrity and courage" the Rabbi said.
Friends, in stead of worrying for this world of ours, and our friends afterlife's, let us turn the tables. We should worry for our own afterlife, and our friends' lives in this world.
Every Midah is nothing to Midah against Midah (All attributes\measurements\qualities are false except the law of retaliation\eye for an eye\reciprocality). Mercy and compassion, accepting the other despite differences, these are not bad words but rather a way of life. And bliss to he who has faith.
I want to emphasize, I do not support the 'community' (LGBT) in any way. I do not think that it is allowed to permit an offense in the rules of this Torah or other. Nonetheless, we do not have any right to spill the blood of people who are different from us in their way of life, their tendencies or behavior.
Did you sympathize? Share. Everyone should read this. Wonderful day.
********************************************************end of original text***
Not an easy job, let me tell you.