One Voice Regarding the Homosexual Issue and Conservative Judaism

By Rabbi Alan Yuter
Posted Monday, January 8, 2007

Most members of the Morasha community endorse the historical method of learning adopted by JTS. Unlike Conservative Judaism, we take Jewish law and God, as Commander, seriously. We distinguish beteen dogma of politics and the values of the canon applied to our realities. We try to review our canon with integrity, and apply the God given norms of Torah with honesty and sincerity.

The JTS has allowed academic agnosticism, which is proper, to undermine in their collective conscience, the notion that God talks to us through the canon.

When in the early 1950's it was argued that using a car on Shabbat was ok, not as horaat shaah –Mamrim 2:4–they were voting on the integrity of the law. If women count in minyan, against the canon, by taqanna, we rephrase Herzl and say "im tirtsu ein zo halakhah,."

We are now angry, but we really should be sad. Elite liberal religion is egalitarian, and preferences should be egalitarian as well. The laity's concern is intermarriage. As social phenomenon driven by dues, intermarriage will soon be normative, further eroding the thick culture of a commitment sufficient to sustain continuity.

We must be very careful as we complain about this change, for several reasons. Orthodoxy argues that Conservative Judaism cannot by definition do right. Competition prohibition is Maimonides 14th article of faith. Like a Sanhedrin that votes 23-0 to convict in fact acquits in a capital case. The Orthodox community's opposition is knee jerk and because it is unable to praise, it lost the moral right to blame. Yes, the male homosexual act is issur karet, and so is carrying in many urban "eruvim" on Shabbat,

In point of fact, the real religion, or social phenomenon, of Conservative Judaism is the search for a legitimating market, which finds its moorings in two communities. Conservative Judaism looks for ideological legitimation in the secular academy, whose values are adopted with a fundamentalist fervor. The movement looks to the laity for dues, which pay the salaries and foster the careers of its virtuosi leadership. Bereft of a message, the Conservative Movement mortages its future by speculating what policies will sell both in the academy and to the laity base it dreams to attract. Sadly, Conservative Judaism is selling its soul in order that its virtuosi be purchased, but the sale is not attracting buyers, given the demographic reports that are emerging.

We must complain about the rendering of the homosexual act normative, but our complaint must be constructive. To argue that Conservative Judaism breaks with Jewish law will not be helpful. WE know this, and Rabbi Neil Gillman has conceded as much. We want to strengthen the Judaism of all Jews. We have to stop trying to win fights and points and try to win consciences of Jews of conscience. WE are neither the judges or the jury of Jewry. WE regret the decision of the RA, we oppose wrongdoing but we affirm and embrace every Jew. God does the judging, because only God judges alone. Our commitment to love even those with whom we disagree builds over time bonds that transcend movement politics.

Whatever Conservative Judaism does, they remain Jews. The early Church broke with Judaism not on Messianic issues, but only when we became discrete entities, when we could no longer marry those whose Christianity broke the boundaries of Jewish identity. The real issue is intermarriage. We would do well to prepare well for the next, and likely final, fatal round.

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