Gay parade doesn’t bother God
Amit Levy 06.25.09, 19:25 / Israel Jewish Scene
Today I was studying Torah with my study partner, who is a God-fearing scholar, and at some point the issue of the coming Gay Pride Parade in Jerusalem came up. He vehemently claimed that gays and lesbians should be condemned.
I retorted that the use of the word "condemn" in its biblical connotations is very problematic. "Do you honestly think gays should be killed?" I asked. "Why, they should be stoned," he answered quickly.
We continued to argue, and I discovered that in his opinion, gays are worse than Shabbat desecrators and should be ostracized. He came very close to saying that according to the Bible, they should even be beaten and stoned to death.
Then I asked why was this violation - which is done in private, worse than Shabbat desecration, which is a public act. But he remained unconvinced.
It should be noted that, although he failed to provide an explanation, he is not a stupid man. This is a wise student who knows the Holy Scriptures inside out, a true God-fearing person. I’ve known him for many years and was deeply offended by his words. "Where is the love of Israel? Where is the path of Rabbi Kook?" I asked. And he replied: "With all due respect for the love of Israel, there are situations in which it’s a mitzvah to distance or hate people, as in the case of an apostate for spite."