I read Amy Lederman’s moving article (“Embracing change: welcome transformations in my family and my faith,” AJP 5/4/07) about her son, Joshua, whom I know very well. I was moved by her candor, her eloquence and her love for her family.

When my congregation opened its doors in 1995, I told the board early on that I do officiate at same-gender commitment ceremonies. This decision is based on my ability to evaluate scripture in an evolutionary way. Amy is correct; Judaism does need to and has evolved in order to survive.

The Torah certainly seems to forbid male sexual intercourse (cited in Leviticus 18:22) as toevah, “taboo” or an “offensive thing.” Most English translations render this as “abomination” or “abhorrent.” However, there is no justification for such a translation. This term occurs over 100 times, often meaning an “error” or something that is forbidden because of local custom. Many instances refer to idolatrous practices as well as acts of inhospitality and arrogance. All of a sudden when this act is mentioned in this verse, the term no longer indicates an “offensive” idolatrous practice of the Israelites’ neighbors; now it becomes a reference to sex, marriage and family. The “literal” reader is now using this word in a way it was never intended. In fact, it is never used in such a manner anywhere in the Bible!

The prohibition of the Torah is against an ancient cultic practice. Leviticus 18:22 is about violence and degradation. In the ancient world people were divided into two categories: penetrators and people who were penetrated. To be in the latter category was to be demeaned — women, slaves, and non-adult boys.

Judaism extended this category by commanding that men not be womanized. Penetration is something done “to” someone else, not “with” someone else. It is a form of humiliation. Therefore the reference can be seen as a rape and not related to a loving relationship.

Sodom and Gomorrah also are misunderstood. The offences to God that occurred there were not due to homosexuality (as some would have us believe); rather, the Prophet Ezekiel is aware of the communal sin that took place there, stating: “Only this was the sin of your sister Sodom: arrogance! She and her daughters had plenty of bread and untroubled tranquility; yet she did not support the poor and the needy. They were haughty, they committed toevah before Me.” (16:49-50). In Proverbs 6:16-19 it says, “These are six things which the Lord hates, and seven which are an abomination (toevot) to Him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked thoughts, feet that are swift in running to mischief, a false witness that breathes out lies, and one that sows discord among brethren.” The prophet Ezekiel and the wisdom literature of Proverbs make clear that what is abhorred by God is not a particular act, but immoral behavior toward others.

Even if we were to render the act of male intercourse to be a toevah there is no punishment associated with it. So it cannot be as bad as violating the Sabbath, because the punishment for that is death! And it cannot be as bad as cursing a parent, because the punishment for that is death. Further, according to the Torah it is an abomination for Israelites to eat with Egyptians (Genesis 43:32). Well, so much for the peace accord signed between these two countries in 1978. If the negotiators dined together, that was a violation of God’s law.

To be fair, rabbinic Judaism bases its position against homosexuality on more than this one verse. In Hershel J. Matt’s 1978 article, “Sin, Crime, Sickness or Alternative Life Style? A Jewish Approach to Homosexuality,” he states four reasons for the Jewish tradition’s condemnation of homosexuality: a) it is contrary to the “Order of Creation”; b) homosexuality precludes reproduction; c) it denies the possibility of a family; and d) it is considered detrimental to the survival of the Jewish people and therefore compromises the Covenant. I do not have space here to respond to each of these reasons. Suffice it to say that it is an unfortunate position neglecting consideration of the divine attributes of love, kindness, compassion and human dignity.

The Torah, in my view, is dealing with an issue of domination and humiliation. Rabbinic Judaism, again in my view, is concerned with poor choices. Neither per­spective indicates an awareness of the possibility that homosexuality is not a matter of choice; rather it may be a result of sex hormones and their effect on brain structure and function as indicated by the scientific research by Roger Gorski, of UCLA’s School of Medicine and Laboratory of Neuroendocrinolgy of the Brain Research Institute, and others.

Reform Judaism, on the other hand, has based its position on contemporary understanding of homosexuality and our universal values of human dignity and justice, and therefore does not accept any ancient, outdated idea about what homosexuality might have been.

Our movement in 2000 chose to support same-gender couples who wish to ritualize their union. Underlying this support is our understanding that the homosexuality prohibited in the Torah does not resemble the permanent, loving relationships of two human beings we recognize today in these domestic unions.

In 1993 the UAHC opposed state and local statutes restricting the civil rights of gays, lesbians, and bisexuals, and called upon governments to adopt legislation affording committed lesbian and gay partners spousal benefits, ensuring that these individuals not be judged unfit to raise children nor unacceptable to receive benefits.

For us to simply state that Judaism “traditionally” stands against homosexuality is to presuppose that Judaism from the beginning understood every aspect of reality; but as Amy so rightly states, new information informs new positions on these issues. New traditions, as a result must ensue.

I am a Jewish fundamentalist, by which I mean that I believe fundamentally in the evolution of religious understanding. We thank God who provides us with the wisdom and strength to love and accept all of God’s creatures, and fight any misuse of our Holy Scripture.