Jun 1, 1993 — REAFFIRMATION OF THE HALACHIC VIEW OF PROPER SEXUAL BEHAVIOR
| The first moral precept accentuated in the Torah is: “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother and shall cleave unto his wife and they shall be one flesh.” (Genesis II:24) This is the underlying foundation for all human sexual behavior, namely that within the marital sacred state between male and female is the only proper expression of the powerful sexual drive common to all healthy humanity. For Torah adherents this position is a way of life which challenges us to direct our sexual urges towards the enhancement of humanity as well as our personal self development. The success of the marital structure requires loyalty, commitment, courage and faith. The sublime marital state is characterized by halachic principles including: the laws of family purity – mikveh, education of children, and imbuing the home with a spirit that celebrates the passion of Judaism. Departures from this Torah mandated position, no matter whether motivated by rebellion or well meaning but erroneous thought and deed are contrary to the values of Torah. Included in the above inappropriate behaviors are lesbianism and homosexuality. They are aberrant behaviors prohibited by Jewish law. The RCA calls upon its rabbis to carry the message of this resolution to all Jews. Such conveyance is to be carried out without prejudice, with love for every one of our co-religionists, and with total understanding of the profoundly personal issues and pain involved. The Rabbinical Council of America calls upon its rabbis to become familiar with those therapists who are on record as willing to minister to those aberrant sexual tendencies, implementing modalities which allow change in the potential to lead a productive, heterosexual lifestyle. We believe that everyone is welcome within the community, but no one is welcome to show contempt for the community by publicly proclaiming any private proclivity that is inconsistent with community standards, be it homosexuality, adultery or other deviations from Torah norms. The Rabbinical Council of America firmly believes that true compassion in this most sensitive issue is manifested in doing whatever possible to help individuals affirm and actualize the norms and mores stated in the Torah. |
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