Shavuot speaker explicit, not vulgar

Mark Wasserstrom is an old friend. But I can’t concur with the observations in his letter to The Chronicle last week (May 23), wondering if the subject matter of Rabbi Steve Greenberg’s keynote session at the all-night Shavuot study session at Kehilath Israel was appropriate.

Rabbi Greenberg is the first (and, I believe, only) openly gay Orthodox rabbi. His discussion was an examination of the various commentaries concerning the rationales for the biblical verses on sex between men found in Leviticus. The session was very well attended, with perhaps 200 people present. Perhaps Mark arrived a few minutes late, because at the very beginning Rabbi Greenberg warned the audience that some of the discussion would be explicit so if that made them uncomfortable they could leave before he began. As I recall, nobody did. Parts of the subsequent discussion were indeed explicit, but not vulgar. The biblical passages under discussion are about specific sexual acts. At the time they were set down there was no real understanding of homosexuality as a sexual orientation. For the (presumably) heterosexual writers of the Torah this was only about specific sexual acts that men might engage in. Under the circumstances, it is difficult to discuss those passages without being explicit about the actual things that are proscribed. That’s especially the case when discussing these passages in an Orthodox context, as Rabbi Greenberg does, because the verses can’t simply be overlooked or deemed out-of-date as other Jewish denominations might do. They have to be analyzed and distinguished if there’s to be a way to reconcile them with our modern understanding of sexual orientation as an intrinsic component of a person’s G-d-given nature.

Rabbi Greenberg is an attractive and appealing speaker, with a fine mind and a great sense of humor, and in my view he did an outstanding job discussing a sensitive topic that has too often been avoided in our synagogues. I would note that there were no children in the audience. If a group of adults can’t discuss the mitzvot about sexual behavior at 10:30 at night, when can we? Nobody walked out of the session and quite a few people clustered around Rabbi Greenberg at the end of the session to ask questions or follow up on things he had mentioned earlier. Judaism contemplates every aspect of existence, including our sex lives. It therefore has to be appropriate to discuss traditional Jewish views of sexual morality to understand how they may apply in our own day. Obviously, Rabbi Greenberg wasn’t able to cover all that in a 90-minute session, but he certainly gave everyone in the audience many things to think about. And isn’t that the whole purpose of a Torah study session?

Rob Montague

Overland Park, Kan.

Amazing entertainers add to special Mother’s Day

Every mother is special. Many believe that, but few people or groups care enough to put their words into action. On May 10, some generous individuals produced a free Mother’s Day Concert that rewarded mothers with beautiful words and first rate music.

I took my mother to this event, which was arranged and organized by harpist Michael O’Shiver at the Jewish Community Center. This program, which was sponsored by the Heritage Center, would not have been possible without the other amazing entertainers: Max Berry, Denny Osburn, Ronny Reed, Ray Zarr, Donald Cox, Horace Washington and Ricky Anderson. Finally, I would like to shine a light on an exceptional singer, Patricia “Princess” Lyons-Cox. She is more than an entertainer, she is a musical wonder!

All people there, including my mother, were spellbound by the show. Afterward, my mother and I dined at the Heritage Center, which designed a fancy Mother’s Day lunch complete with cucumber sandwiches, chocolate strawberries and fancy pastries.

In addition to mothers, I feel that benefactors and professional organizations that spread good cheer for these special women should also be celebrated! Thanks to all!

Renee Franklin

Overland Park, Kan.