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Keshet's Torah Queeries archive offers more than 150 creative and incisive “queer” takes on the weekly Torah portions and major Jewish holidays, written by some of the Jewish world’s most dynamic scholars, rabbis, activists, and lay leaders.
For a collection of Torah Queeries essays, check out the Torah Queeries book.
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| Resource Name | Topics | Holidays | Author | Media Type | Grade Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Torah Commentary"A Simple Matter of Justice" Achare Mot-KedoshimApril 29, 1993 | Rabbi Lisa Edwards The author writes about the verses in Leviticus that forbid gay sex and the dangers in heeding them too closely, highlighting other verses instead that call for love and respect.… Reform Movement Download |
Reform Movement | Rabbi Lisa Edwards | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah Commentary"And God Called": The Process is the Message (Parashat VaYikra)April 1, 2006 | Rabbi Jane Rachel Litman The author discusses our human urge to connect with God and its relationship to struggling with verses of Torah that do not speak to us as LGBT Jews. We know that some of the Torah’s words seem homophobic, sexist, insensitive to disabled people,… Download |
Rabbi Jane Rachel Litman | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah Commentary"Hey Yaacov, Someone’s Calling your Name!" "If it isn’t Yisrael, I’m not Home." (Parashat Vayishlach)December 12, 2008 | Zvi Bellin The author explores why Jacob was renamed twice in this Torah portion, and argues that each one of us has an ideal vision of who we want to be and how we wish to be perceived in our communities.… Download |
Zvi Bellin | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah Commentary"Queer" Tribes: Finding a Place for Alternative Families (Parashat B’midbar)May 25, 2006 | Gregg Drinkwater The author reviews the notion of family and family lineage in the parasha, comparing it with his own non-traditional family.… Families and Parenting Download |
Families and Parenting | Gregg Drinkwater | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah Commentary‘Am’ (Yisrael) Comin’ Out! I want the World To Know, Got to Let it Show (Parashat Be’Ha’alotecha)June 13, 2008 | Karen Perolman In this Torah portion, the author likens the Israelites struggle with freedom to that of LGBT people’s coming out experience. Like the Israelites, when we finally extricate ourselves from the closet, it can be easy to look back in and… Coming Out Download |
Coming Out | Karen Perolman | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah Commentary‘It must not go out’ (Parashat Tsav)March 19, 2011 | Amy Soule The author explores the notion of the Ner Tamid, the eternal flame, as a metaphor for the ‘eternal light’ that lives within all human beings. According to biblical Hebrew, tamid can be translated as “performed regularly” or “necessitating… Download |
Amy Soule | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah Commentary‘Til Your People Cross Over (Parashat Beshalach)February 3, 2007 | Karen Lee Erlichman This story of liberation and faith has been claimed by countless communities as part of their journey out of their own “narrow place.” As lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer folks, we too are yearning for those stories that reveal… Download |
Karen Lee Erlichman | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryA Generation’s Judge (Parashat Devarim)July 24, 2009 | Cynthia Hoffman The author discusses the position the Torah portion appears to take on the issue of rendering judgment, and the ways in which distance from certain events permits clearer judgment of the events themselves. She asks what it means for the next… Marriage and Weddings Download |
Marriage and Weddings | Cynthia Hoffman | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryA Less Innocent Love (Parashat Vaetchanan)August 5, 2006 | Jay Michaelson The author explores the characteristics of love in different religious and secular writing and argues that queer religious love, when it is realized, is necessarily self-aware, because it has been tested, as Abraham’s love was tested.… Dating and Relationships Download |
Dating and Relationships | Jay Michaelson | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryA Little Bit of Soap (Parashat Chukat)July 4, 2008 | Noach Dzmura Short commentary on the use of a red cow’s ashes to ritually purify a person, and the preparation of Miriam’s body for burial.… Download |
Noach Dzmura | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryA Mandatory Donation (Parashat Terumah)February 19, 2010 | David Katzenelson The author explores the notion of terumah, translated as gift, portion, offering, or donation. He asks how this can be considered a donation if, in the context of this Torah portion, God commands the Israelites to give a terumah. Further, why… Download |
David Katzenelson | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryA New Vision of the Scapegoat (Parashat Pinchas)July 18, 2008 | Ri J. Turner Commentary on the scapegoat. Whether killed by the knife or abandoned in the woods, the sin-offering goat is a potent symbol. What does it mean to release our sins—or relieve our worries about being held accountable—not by repairing the… Download |
Ri J. Turner | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryA Parade of Welcome (Parashat Beha’alotecha)May 28, 2010 | Rabbi James Greene The author discusses the imagery of the Israelites wandering through the wilderness, focusing on a midrash that says that each tribe moved in its own unique way. He sees the LGBTQ community as its own tribe within the congregation of Israel.… Download |
Rabbi James Greene | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryA Revolution With Boundaries (Parashat Korach)June 30, 2006 | Rebecca Weiner The author relates her own experience of struggling with her relationship to halakha (Jewish law) to Korach doing something similar in this parsha. She names two lessons she learns from this parsha, that you have to pick your battles, and that… Jewish Law Download |
Jewish Law | Rebecca Weiner | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryA Well in the Desert (Parashat Vayera)November 14, 2008 | David Katzenelson The author compares the experience of Hagar in the desert, after having been cast out by Sarah, to the experience of LGBT Jews.… Download |
David Katzenelson | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryA “Great Moral Issue” of Our Time (Parashat Vayera)October 23, 2010 | Rabbi Carl M. Perkins In this sermon. Rabbi Carl Perkins discusses discrimination and bigotry against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in the Jewish community and in mainstream American society, specifically in the context of the rise in LGBT… Bullying or Harassment Download |
Bullying or Harassment | Rabbi Carl M. Perkins | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryAffirming the Sanctity of Same-Sex Love (Parashat B'reshit)October 20, 2006 | Gregg Drinkwater In this commentary, the author argues that LGBT Jews spend a lot of time defending ourselves against misunderstood Torah verses that supposedly forbid same-sex relationships. Rarely do we have the opportunity to pro-actively affirm, rather… Download |
Gregg Drinkwater | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryAmalek and The Good Soldier (Parashat Ki Teitze)September 12, 2008 | Noach Dzmura This commentary discusses the literary themes and narrative structure of the Torah portion. The author argues that there is an overarching meta-narrative to the portion which suggests that the ethical behavior of soldiers will lead to ultimate… Download |
Noach Dzmura | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryApres le Deluge: Moi (Parashat Noach)October 28, 2006 | Michael Sarid The author explores the question of how Noah’s enormous personal losses affect his life after the flood. He cultivates the world’s first vineyard, drinks the world’s first wine, and, upon drinking himself into oblivion, becomes the… Download |
Michael Sarid | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryAre You a Good Witch or a Bad Witch?: Pharaoh, the Plagues, and His Mutinous Magicians (Parashat Vaera)January 23, 2009 | Marisa Elana James The author writes about power-hungry Pharaoh, who is more interested in upholding his own power than protecting his own people, and the cunning strategy of the Egyptians magicians: to use their powers on the Egyptian people – not on Moses… Download |
Marisa Elana James | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryB’reshit and Bashert: in our beginning, all kinds of love were sanctified (Parashat B’reshit)October 16, 2009 | Amy Soule The author explores the original creation story, wherein God created humankind in God’s own image, as proof that God created an array of sexual orientations and gender identities. She then explores the stories of Ruth and Naomi and… Transgender and Gender Identity Download |
Transgender and Gender Identity | Amy Soule | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryBa’al Ha’Chalomot: Keepers of the Dreams (Parashat Vayeshev)November 29, 2007 | Karen Lee Erlichman This Torah portion focuses on the story of Joseph, a dreamer and a visionary who was reviled and exiled by his own siblings. The author argues that this story is profoundly relevant to LGBTQ Jews. Many of us can recall our first feelings of being… Download |
Karen Lee Erlichman | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryBalak and Balaam: Language and Knowledge, Speech and Power (Parashat Balak)July 11, 2008 | Jeremy Schwartz The author argues that this Torah portion is a story about speech: who has the power of the tongue, and what impact words can have. As members of the queer community, we can glean something from this portion when we encounter hate speech and as… Download |
Jeremy Schwartz | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryBind These Words (Parashat Ekev)August 11, 2006 | Ari Lev Fornari The authors writes of his personal experience being transgendered and wearing a chest binder, interwoven with instructions of tying the tzitzit (fringes) of a tallit (prayer shawl).… Transgender and Gender Identity Download |
Transgender and Gender Identity | Ari Lev Fornari | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryBirds, Blood, and Living Waters (Parashat Metzora)April 11, 2008 | Marisa Elana James The book of Leviticus details the knowledge necessary to carry out the job of the descendants of the house of Levi. The Torah makes it clear that the purity of our selves and our homes are linked; that keeping each clean and free of disease or decay… Download |
Marisa Elana James | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryBrother's keeper, take two… Esau and Forgiveness (Parashat Vayishlach)December 9, 2006 | Marisa Elana James The author explores the relationship of Jacob and Esau 20 years since they parted ways, comparing their relationship struggles to our modern-day ones. Making peace, finding and granting forgiveness, reuniting and finding joy amid terrors… Families and Parenting Download |
Families and Parenting | Marisa Elana James | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryBrothers (Parashat B'reshit)October 24, 2008 | David Katzenelson The author summarizes in detail the story of Cain and Abel, ending with God angrily punishing Cain. He compares this to the experience of many LGBT people, who have experienced much of the same treatment in the hands of our own families.… Download |
David Katzenelson | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryBuilding a Just Society (Parashat Shoftim)August 26, 2006 | Rabbi Rick Brody The author argues that this portion is about creating a just society. Before entering the Israelites enter the Promised Land, Moses gives a speech providing ethical and administrative norms to be followed by the community. A dominant word… Activism & Civil Rights Download |
Activism & Civil Rights | Rabbi Rick Brody | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryBuilding God's Beautiful Bayit; or, Queer Eye for the Desert Mishkan (Parashat Vayakhel and Parashat Pekudei)March 17, 2007 | Marisa Elana James The author discusses the complex details of building the Mishkan (Holy Tabernacle) in this Torah portion. She discusses why there are so many details about color and texture, metals and stones and fibers. After centuries of famine and slavery,… Download |
Marisa Elana James | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryBut G-d Said No: Why Moses Couldn’t Enter the Promised Land, and What The LGBT Community Can Learn From It (Parashat Vaetechanan)July 23, 2010 | Stephanie Silberstein The author discusses the pain of Moses not being allowed to enter the Promised Land and what lessons LGBTQ people might learn from this. She writes that queer people have stories of “Promised Lands” of heterosexuality that we… Download |
Stephanie Silberstein | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryCamels and Consummation (Hayyei Sarah)November 20, 2008 | Joy Ladin In this drash, the author, using a modern lens and language of “dating,” explores the story of Abraham’s quest to find a wife for his son Isaac. She writes that according to this story, bringing the right people together… Dating and Relationships Download |
Dating and Relationships | Joy Ladin | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryCamels and Consummation (Parashat Chayei Sarah)November 22, 2008 | Joy Ladin The author writes that one of the obstacles to reading Torah from a twenty-first century perspective is that the Torah radically diminishes the significance of individual human life. the narrative terseness that pares individual lives… Download |
Joy Ladin | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryCircling Back (Simchat Torah)November 15, 2006 | Rabbi Jane Rachel Litman The author explores the question of why Jews don’t read the book of Joshua as part of our worship service. Why does that Torah reject a tidy satisfying closure to its epic tale? Our human lives aren’t like a Hollywood fairytale, no matter… Simchat Torah Download |
Simchat Torah | Rabbi Jane Rachel Litman | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryClaiming an Unworded, Yet Holy Union (Parashat Chayei Sarah)November 18, 2006 | Moshe Ben Chacon One Midrash holds that Isaac was born with a female soul. The binding of Isaac was a ritual through which Isaac’s soul transmuted from female into male, enabling Isaac to eventually fall in love with and marry Rebecca. The author explores… Dating and Relationships Download |
Dating and Relationships | Moshe Ben Chacon | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryCome Out Come Out Wherever You Are (Parashat Bo)January 22, 2010 | Amy Soule The author discusses God’s commandment for the Hebrews to smear the blood of a sheep on their doorpost to ensure their protection from the Angel of Death as a sort of “coming out.” She argues that if we read this story as a collective… Coming Out Download |
Coming Out | Amy Soule | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryCommunity and Solitude: Rethinking Clean and Unclean (Parashat Tazria Metzora)April 16, 2010 | Vanessa "Vinny" Prell The author explains that this Torah portion deals with categorization, and explores what lessons can we, as queer people, learn from priestly rituals about gendered child-birth, menstruation, and diseases which affect people and cloth… Download |
Vanessa "Vinny" Prell | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryConfronting Injustice: A Jewish Model for Trans Advocacy (Parashat Vaera)January 4, 2008 | Y. Gavriel A. Levi Ansara The presence of Aaron, his advocate, provides Moses with the support he needs to confront Pharaoh and begin the divine process of liberating the Jewish people from Egypt. The author argues that it is our responsibility as non-transgendered… Transgender and Gender Identity Download |
Transgender and Gender Identity | Y. Gavriel A. Levi Ansara | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryCounting My Genders: A Neo-Kabbalistic View of the Omer (Counting the Omer)April 24, 2008 | Rabbi Jane Rachel Litman A commentary on counting the omer. The author explains the Kabbalistic sefirot (emanations from God) for counting the omer. Each sefira has a complicated gender and sexual identity, which the author explains. Queer neo-Kabbalistics teach… Download |
Rabbi Jane Rachel Litman | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryCreated by the Hand of Heaven: A Jewish Approach to Intersexuality (Parashat Tazria and Parashat Metzora)April 21, 2007 | Rabbi Elliot Kukla, Rabbi Reuben Zellman The first of this week’s double portion opens with instructions to the Israelites regarding the birth of a baby. The authors argue that in the Bible, as in mainstream thinking today, a baby is either a boy or a girl–and that this is not… Transgender and Gender Identity Download |
Transgender and Gender Identity | Rabbi Elliot Kukla, Rabbi Reuben Zellman | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryDancing at Sinai (Parashat Ki Tisa)March 10, 2007 | Rabbi Jacob J. Staub One definition of the verb “to queer” is “to question all norms.” The author argues that if we are going to queer Jewish traditions, there is no more important and formidable place to start than at Ma’amad Har Sinai—the narrative… Download |
Rabbi Jacob J. Staub | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryDays of Awe(some) (Days of Awe)October 3, 2008 | Noach Dzmura In this short commentary, the author argues that the Days of Awe are a holiday custom-made to the specifications of a gender variant Jew. He also includes a poem on this topic.… Transgender and Gender IdentityRosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur Download |
Transgender and Gender Identity | Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur | Noach Dzmura | Torah Commentary | |
Torah CommentaryDeena Has Four Mommies: Tales of Co-parenting in TaNaCh (Parashat Vayishlach)November 20, 2010 | Miryam Kabakov The author retells the story of the complex family of Jacob, Leah, and Rachel and compares it to our modern-day queer families. Kabakov discusses Leah and Rachel’s relationship and its similarities with lesbian co-parenting. She suggests… Dating and Relationships | Families and Parenting Download |
Dating and Relationships, Families and Parenting | Miryam Kabakov | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryDifference and the Service of the Lord (Parashat Emor)April 30, 2010 | Amy Soule The author writes of the restrictions on who is able to offer sacrifices to God in this Torah portion, explaining that any kind of physical difference renders one ineligible to serve God as a religious leader. She discusses the different leaders… Download |
Amy Soule | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryDoubling the Weight of Our Words (Parashat Shoftim)August 21, 2009 | Cantor David E. Reinwald The author explores the possible meaning behind the doubling of the word tzedek (justice) in this Torah portion.… Download |
Cantor David E. Reinwald | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryDu Partsufin: Introducing the Allgender Creation (Parashat B’reishit)October 4, 2007 | Igael Gurin-Malous The author argues that this Torah portion focuses on creating boundaries and drawing lines — differentiating between the objects of creation, naming them and categorizing them. Naming something is a powerful experience, traditionally… Download |
Igael Gurin-Malous | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryEighteen Twenty-Two (Yom Kippur)September 25, 2009 | Igael Gurin-Malous The author explores the verses in Leviticus that forbid homosexuality, offering a diachronic reading (essentially deconstructing the entire verse, word-for-word).… Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur Download |
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur | Igael Gurin-Malous | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryEmbracing the LGBTQ Community (Parashat Naso)May 26, 2007 | Rabbi David Lazar The author discusses the three-tiered priestly blessing, which is used both to bless life and afterlife. He breaks down each of the three parts and interprets them for GLBT liberation: watching over, kindness and grace, and peace.… Download |
Rabbi David Lazar | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryEntering the Holy of Holies (Rosh Hashanah)September 23, 2006 | Rabbi Joshua Lesser The author argues that Using Leviticus as the starting point or the end game to talk about Judaism and homosexuality is to agree that Judaism is a religion of narrow laws that do not always have meaning and that we have to contort and squeeze ourselves… Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur Download |
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur | Rabbi Joshua Lesser | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryEvery Body Worship (Parashat Emor)May 13, 2006 | Rabbi Joshua Lesser The author compares the selection of the Cohanim in this Torah portion to the person granting access to an exclusive gay club in Tel Aviv. He then draws parallels between being gay and having a disability: who better to understand each other… Download |
Rabbi Joshua Lesser | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryExtinguishing the Flames (Parashat Lech Lecha)October 30, 2009 | David Katzenelson The author wonders what differentiated Abraham from others to deserve God’s command to “go to yourself,” arguing that God did not single out Abraham, and that all people are offered the same opportunity. Abraham decided… Download |
David Katzenelson | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryFear, Perception, and Imagination: Grasshoppers in Whose Eyes? (Parashat Shelach Lecha)June 20, 2008 | Jay Stanton In this portion, God commands Moses to send twelve scouts to the land of Canaan on a reconnaissance mission. The scouts report back that the people who inhabit the land are large and numerous. The author argues that this portion plays on universal… Download |
Jay Stanton | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryFINAL CUT: Circumcising Egypt (Parashat Bo)January 27, 2007 | Amichai Lau-Lavie After the exodus from Egypt, the Hebrews are commanded to be circumcised. Separations must exist and distinctions must be made between “in” and “out”, “brother” and “other.” After years of repression, the Hebrews (like… Coming Out Download |
Coming Out | Amichai Lau-Lavie | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryFinding the Good Side: A Portrait of the Priestly Class (Parashat Tetzaveh)March 6, 2009 | Noach Dzmura The author explores some questions and difficulties he sees in animal sacrifice, arguing that it is easier to think about these “sacrifices” as part of a tribal economy with the Covenant as its ethical center. He also creates a connection… Download |
Noach Dzmura | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryFine Lines, Laughter, and the Play of Twos: Living with Wonder (Parashat Ki Tisa)March 18, 2006 | Dr. Sarah Pessin The author argues that this portion offers two particularly salient illustrations of how things and their opposites are sometimes a fairly fine line apart.… Download |
Dr. Sarah Pessin | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryFine-Tune Your Spiritual Hearing (Parashat Ki Tavo)September 8, 2006 | Maggid Jhos Singer The author explains that this portion tells us that if we are obedient we will be blessed, with the blessings described in one short paragraph, and if we are not obedient we will be cursed. The Torah then unloads pages of orgiastic curses that… Download |
Maggid Jhos Singer | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryFirsts in Liturgy (Parashat Ki Tavo)September 19, 2008 | Noach Dzmura The author argues that this portion contains the “first full-fledged liturgy in Torah,” and notes that during the week the commentary was written, CBST and Sha’ar Zahav, the LGBT synagogues of New York and San Francisco,… Download |
Noach Dzmura | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryFour Gemstones: The gravity-well of a non-binary doorway made from cursed wormwood (Parashat Nitzavim and Parashat Vayeilech)September 15, 2006 | Noach Dzmura The author interprets four parts of this portion from a queer lens.… Transgender and Gender Identity Download |
Transgender and Gender Identity | Noach Dzmura | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryFour Mothers, Four Stories. Four Legacies? (Parashat Vayetzei )December 5, 2008 | Karen Perolman The author discusses four women who gave birth to the Jewish people, two of whom, Bilhah and Zilpah, were surrogates who were forgotten by our tradition. As GLBT Jewish parents, we reclaim these unnamed parents as our forbears.… Families and Parenting Download |
Families and Parenting | Karen Perolman | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryFrom The Look Of Love, From The Eyes Of Pride (Tu B’Av)August 16, 2008 | Chaim Moshe haLevi (Marc Howard Landas) The author remarks on Jewish time: it goes in cycles from Shabbat to Shabbat, and one year to the next, with lots of ups and downs for the different emotions of different holidays. He explores the holiday of Tu B’Av, the Jewish love holiday,… Fast Days | Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur Download |
Fast Days, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur | Chaim Moshe haLevi (Marc Howard Landas) | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryGay Pride, Red Cows, and The Cleansing Power of Ritual (Parashat Chukat and Parashat Balak)July 7, 2006 | Caryn Aviv The author compares the ritual cow slaughter described in the Torah portion to the gay pride parade. Both Chukat Ha-torah and Pride parades are opportunities to mark the meaningful passage of time (life and death), to foster a sense of belonging… Pride Download |
Pride | Caryn Aviv | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryGo Forth To Celebrate Your Gay Family (Parashat Lech Lecha)November 7, 2008 | Rabbi Melissa B. Simon The author points out that, similar to the gay community, there are many different family models in the Torah. The continuing presence of children in the gay community is a chance for us to have a meaningful impact on the lives of young people… Families and Parenting Download |
Families and Parenting | Rabbi Melissa B. Simon | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryGoing After the Unfamiliar (Parashat Re’eh)August 29, 2008 | Rabbi Jacob J. Staub In this commentary, the author explores a queer reading of the Torah portion that does not rely on an understanding of its historical context. He argues that it is important that we admit what we don’t know and venture into the unknown to adapt… Download |
Rabbi Jacob J. Staub | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryGot MLK?: Mourning the Losses and Celebrating the Victories (Parashat Shemot)January 16, 2009 | Chaim Moshe haLevi (Marc Howard Landas) Approaching the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots and the inauguration of President Barack Obama, the author ruminates on leaders who took chances to make change and lost their lives because of it.… Download |
Chaim Moshe haLevi (Marc Howard Landas) | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryGranting Peace in Our Land: Observing our Greater Shabbatot (Parashat Behar and Parashat Bechukotai)May 10, 2007 | Marisa Elana James The author teaches that these Torah portions are meant to prevent us from becoming greedy. We are commanded to let the land rest every seventh year to acknowledge that it does not belong to us. Giving both people and land a fresh start is imperative… Download |
Marisa Elana James | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryHarry Potter and the Rainbow Connection (Yom Kippur)September 22, 2007 | Chaim Moshe haLevi (Marc Howard Landas) In this commentary, the author discusses the Days of Awe and focuses on the book of Isaiah and his call to pursue justice, with comparisons to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.… Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur Download |
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur | Chaim Moshe haLevi (Marc Howard Landas) | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryHashem and Equity (Parashat Ki Tissa)March 13, 2009 | J. Simone Posner The author discusses the census of the Israelites taken in this portion, asking who was counted and not counted. She continues, arguing that the change of a contribution “suggested by their hearts” to a standard price for everyone… Transgender and Gender Identity Download |
Transgender and Gender Identity | J. Simone Posner | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryHide and Thou Shalt Weep, Seek and Thou Shalt Find (Parashat Miketz)December 23, 2006 | Moshe Ben Chacon This commentary interweaves verses from the Torah portion with personal stories of family and coming out. The author compares Joseph’s family’s inability to recognize him with a drag queen whose homophobic brother does not… Families and Parenting | Transgender and Gender IdentityHanukkah Download |
Families and Parenting, Transgender and Gender Identity | Hanukkah | Moshe Ben Chacon | Torah Commentary | |
Article or Document, Torah CommentaryHigh Healing: A Purim MessageMarch 14, 2006 | Amichai Lau-Lavie, Rebbetzin Hadassah Gross A tongue-in-cheek essay by Rebbetzin Hadassah Gross, the drag queen persona of Amichai Lau-Lavie, about the meaning behind Purim. She writes about some of the issues facing the Jewish community and gives some advice for how rabbis might deal… Purim Download |
Purim | Amichai Lau-Lavie, Rebbetzin Hadassah Gross | Article or Document, Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryHistory, Memory and the Making of Community (Parashat Devarim)July 28, 2006 | David Shneer The author contends that the ability to recount a history shows that a community has, in fact, become a community. It is the birth of a collective memory, often retold by elders as oral history, and these collective memories include the painful… Download |
David Shneer | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryHolding God Accountable for LGBT Marginalization (Parashat Vayikra)March 19, 2010 | Noach Dzmura The author describes the sacrificial system detailed in this Torah portion, and explores the reasons why we no longer have a sacrificial system in present-day Jewish practice. He posits that the sacrificial system neglects is the idea that… Download |
Noach Dzmura | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryIn What Will He Sleep? (Parashat Mishpatim)February 20, 2009 | Rabbi Laurence Edwards The author argues that in this portion, Torah’s language breaks through the distance between God and us, reaches out directly to engage us in conversation. At Sinai, we are commanded not to oppress the stranger. The language of this commandment… Download |
Rabbi Laurence Edwards | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryInterpreting G-d’s Approach at Sinai (Parshat Yitro)February 5, 2010 | Rabbi Robin Nafshi The author discusses the preparations for Revelation, in which the Israelites are commanded “do not go near a woman.” The author explains the different interpretations that have been given for this commandment, concluding… Download |
Rabbi Robin Nafshi | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryIsaac on the Couch: A Midrash accounting for the gaps between Vayera and Chayei Sara (Parashat Chayei Sarah)November 13, 2009 | Chaim Moshe haLevi (Marc Howard Landas) A midrash written by the author of a possible conversation that took place between Isaac and his therapist following the (near) binding of Isaac.… Download |
Chaim Moshe haLevi (Marc Howard Landas) | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryIt's the Purity, Stupid: Reading Leviticus in Context (Parashat Tazria and Parashat Metzora)April 28, 2006 | Jay Michaelson Sexual practices are forbidden not because of the convenient rationales one often hears today, but because they are maasei mitzrayim, acts of Egypt, and thus taboo for Israelites, who are exhorted to live a life circumscribed by distinctions.… Jewish Law Download |
Jewish Law | Jay Michaelson | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryIt’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year (Parashat Korach)June 26, 2009 | Karen Perolman The author explains that this Torah portion is the story of rebellion, of speaking out and against those in power. Korach rises up against Moses. Korach’s complaint can be understood as a cry of inequality, similar to those of LGBT people.… Pride Download |
Pride | Karen Perolman | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryJewish Ethics and the Call to Equal Opportunity Justice: Putting the S in LGBT (Parashat Mishpatim)February 17, 2007 | Dr. Sarah Pessin The author explores the notion of “an eye for an eye,” arguing that traditional Jewish commentary has always read the “eye for an eye” idea as a kind of metaphor, as a call to take justice seriously. She then uses this concept… Download |
Dr. Sarah Pessin | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryJoseph's Fabulous Technicolor Dreamcoat (Parashat Vayeshev)December 16, 2006 | Gregg Drinkwater The author argues that there is enough evidence to suggest that Joseph was in some sense “queer”—an outsider dwelling on the inside, a figure apart from his family, and someone who doesn’t quite fit in. This commentary is an exploration… Download |
Gregg Drinkwater | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryJoseph: Liberation of a Soul (Parashat Vayigash)December 30, 2006 | Mijael Vera The author explores Joseph’s possible transvestism as reason for why his family did not recognize him when they came to ask for food during the famine. Further, Joseph’s story is similar to that of many gays, lesbians, bisexuals… Transgender and Gender Identity Download |
Transgender and Gender Identity | Mijael Vera | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryJourneys with Acharei Mot (Parashat Acharei Mot)May 1, 2009 | Lev Raphael The author discusses his personal relationship with Judaism and Biblical text, having grown up secular. He focuses specifically on his struggle with the verses of Leviticus that condemn gay sex.… Download |
Lev Raphael | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryKodesh Kodashim: Honesty and Holiness (Parashat Tzav)April 3, 2009 | Marisa Elana James The author explores what meaning the sacrifices described in Leviticus might hold for us in modern times, arguing that there is indeed still something to draw from them.… Download |
Marisa Elana James | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryLiberating Foreigners, Together with Our Sisters and Brothers (Shmini Atzeret)November 14, 2006 | Tucker Lieberman In this portion, Jews are encouraged to literally “come out” of the settlement to worship, celebrate freedom, give ceremonial charity, and cement our own identities, although at the same time we are encouraged to use identity labels… Sukkot Download |
Sukkot | Tucker Lieberman | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryLiberating Ourselves (Parashat Shelakh Lecha)June 23, 2006 | David Shneer The author writes of the Israelites’ desire to return to Egypt/Mitzrayim, to slavery, relating it to the idea of LGBT people leaving the confines of the perennial closet for greener “freer” fields – of being “out” of the closet.… Coming Out Download |
Coming Out | David Shneer | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryLiberation from Passover (Passover)April 10, 2009 | Jay Michaelson The author writes about the irony of spending the holiday of freedom in a kind of slavery: the days of cleaning, the hours of the tedious Seder, the week of not eating the foods that we want. He tells the reader about his experience on a 5-month meditation… Passover Download |
Passover | Jay Michaelson | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryLie With Me (Parashat Vayeshev)December 19, 2008 | Joseph A. Shapiro The author compares the experience of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife with that of gay people who do not want to have sex with their (heterosexual) spouses.… Download |
Joseph A. Shapiro | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryLive and Let Leviticus: A Call to Gay Men (Parashat Vayikra)March 24, 2007 | Rabbi Joshua Lesser The author ruminates on the word “Ayeca?”/”Where are you?” which God calls to the first human creations, and addresses gay Jewish men in Jewish communal life: Where are you? Gay men participate in smaller numbers than lesbians in… Download |
Rabbi Joshua Lesser | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryLove Beyond Possession (Parashat Beshalach)February 6, 2009 | Tucker Lieberman The author reads this portion with an aim toward living out its love and radical liberation in our own lives. He likens Pharaoh’s demeanor to the “lustful, objectifying, arrogant Pharaonic potential that casts a shadow over… Dating and Relationships Download |
Dating and Relationships | Tucker Lieberman | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryLove the Stranger (Parashat Eikev)August 7, 2009 | Igael Gurin-Malous The author writes of several commandments from God to love: the stranger, those who are different, God. The Torah recognizes the important truth that if we love those around us we will make sure that the laws and rules will change according to… Download |
Igael Gurin-Malous | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryMay God Make You Like Ephraim and Manasseh (Parashat Vayechi)December 22, 2007 | David Levy A commentary on the traditional blessing given over children (“may you be like Ephraim and Manasseh”) and an argument for extending this blessing towards children of all genders instead of just boys.… Download |
David Levy | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryMiriam: Speaking Truth to Power (Parashat Be’Ha’alotekha)June 2, 2007 | Rachel Biale The author argues that this portion contains perhaps the most audacious challenge to male authority recorded in the Torah. The focus of this commentary is on Miriam’s and Aaron’s respective roles in challenging Moses’ prophetic authority… Download |
Rachel Biale | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryModern Midrash: Korach Retold (Parashat Korach)June 27, 2008 | Noach Dzmura The author argues that this portion is about what often happens to those of us who ask troublesome questions of tyrants who have “God on their side,” and it is about the victors who compose the stories we call scripture.… Download |
Noach Dzmura | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryNature vs. Nurture: A Story of Generation(s) (Parashat Toldot)November 24, 2006 | David Levy For the author, this Torah portion reads like a divine statement on the “nature versus nurture” debate: Are our identities and destinies somehow inherent in us, or are we shaped by the environment in which we are brought up, formed by the… Download |
David Levy | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryNitzavim: A Memory (Parashat Nitzavim)September 11, 2009 | John E. Hirsch The author recounts his personal story of his bar mitzvah in the 1950′s and reading the Torah portion.… Lifecycle Events Download |
Lifecycle Events | John E. Hirsch | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryNot a Deathly Hallows: A Year of Queer Torah (Parashat Vayikra)March 27, 2009 | Noach Dzmura The author shares what he believes the Ba’al Shem Tov would think of Torah Queeries, summarizing the content of the year of queeries.… Download |
Noach Dzmura | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryObserve That Which I Enjoin Upon You (Parashat Re'eh)August 18, 2006 | Gregg Drinkwater The author explores what it means to be commanded to fulfill mitzvot. He then asks a question facing Jewish communities in relation to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues: What does Jewish law tell us? And if we aren’t satisfied… Jewish Law Download |
Jewish Law | Gregg Drinkwater | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryOn Gaining Access to the Holy (Parashat Aharei Mot and Parashat Kedoshim)April 28, 2007 | Rabbi David Greenstein The author explores the story of the “strange fire” brought by Nadav and Avihu in this Torah portion. How do we know whether we have been invited to enter the sphere of holiness or whether we are trespassing and defiling that sphere?… Jewish Law Download |
Jewish Law | Rabbi David Greenstein | Torah Commentary | ||
Article or Document, Torah CommentaryOn the Thirteenth Day (Parashat Naso)June 9, 2006 | Jo Hirschmann The author asks why a census must be taken. To be counted is to be blessed. To count others is to bestow a blessing upon them. She argues that this is what LGBT Jews have been doing since the 1970′s: started synagogues and organizations,… Download |
Jo Hirschmann | Article or Document, Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryOpening the Window Within and the Closet Without (Parashat Shemini)April 14, 2007 | Moshe Ben Chacon The author argues that this Torah portion poses some gargantuan challenges to progressive-minded Jews – it provides detail about animal sacrifice. He explores the original purpose of sacrifice, both practical and spiritual—the… Download |
Moshe Ben Chacon | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryOut from the Mountain: Finding the Good Land (Parashat Devarim)July 21, 2007 | Marisa Elana James In this portion, the Israelites are nearing the end of their journey in the desert, and need some pushing to keep moving. The author relates this to the narrative of LGBT people–in every generation, gays and lesbians and bisexuals and… Coming Out Download |
Coming Out | Marisa Elana James | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryParashat Chukkat: Clean/Unclean (Parashat Chukkat)July 3, 2009 | Rabbi Jill Hammer The author explores the concepts of Tum’ah and Taharah (ritual impurity and purity) regarding the death of Miriam. She then asks how we reintegrate queer experience into the sacred center of our people when male homosexuality is considered… Jewish Law Download |
Jewish Law | Rabbi Jill Hammer | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryPeople of the Question (Parashat Ki Tissa)March 5, 2010 | Cynthia Hoffman The author reframes the Jewish people not as “People of the Book” but as “People of the Question,” highlighting the questions in this Torah portion, and stressing that Judaism is a religion that encourages us to… Download |
Cynthia Hoffman | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryPesach Sheni and Gay Marriage? (Parashat Beha'alotcha)June 11, 2011 | Amy Soule The author draws an analogy between the celebration Pesach Sheni (second Passover) and the allowance of gay marriage. Pesach Sheni allowed for Passover observance a month later than the commanded date because of ritual impurity or travel.… Marriage and WeddingsPassover Download |
Marriage and Weddings | Passover | Amy Soule | Torah Commentary | |
Torah CommentaryQueer Authority (Parashat Nitzavim)September 24, 2010 | Amy Soule … Download |
Amy Soule | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryQueer Nazir and the Twelve Identical Gifts (Parashat Naso)May 22, 2009 | Darren Lipman The author explains that this portion’s three events form a cohesive cycle beginning with exclusion and ending with inclusion. He compares LGBT people to nazirites, who set themselves apart from the mainstream. He also discusses… Download |
Darren Lipman | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryQueering the Rebellion: Bringing in the Faith (Parashat Korach)June 16, 2007 | Sasha T. Goldberg The author writes that Jews are wrestlers–we wrestle with God, and we wrestle with other Jews, and we wrestle with ourselves. In this Torah portion, Korach and his followers become restless in figuring out their new-found freedom.… Download |
Sasha T. Goldberg | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryRe(a)d Torah (Parashat Behar and Parashat Bechukotai)May 15, 2009 | Maggid Jhos Singer The author argues that this Torah portion contains an in-your-face radical economic construct–the Sabbatical and Jubilee years, where land lays fallow and community financial scores are set back to zero (respectively). He discusses… Download |
Maggid Jhos Singer | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryReading Joseph (Parashat Vayigash)January 2, 2009 | Rabbi Laurence Edwards The author examines Joseph’s moral character and asks whether he is a spoiled brat, favorite child of his father, a tease and a show-off, a goody-goody and a tattle-tale; or a genius, politically and psychologically astute and insightful?… Coming Out Download |
Coming Out | Rabbi Laurence Edwards | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryRebellion and Liberation (Parashat Shemot)December 25, 2010 | Rabbi James Greene The author argues that the story of the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt represents the stories of all people who have faced oppression. He writes that we should take our cues from the Israelites, who rebelled, first against Pharaoh and then… Download |
Rabbi James Greene | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryRedeeming a Holy Spark: Coming out of the darkness (Parshat Vayigash)December 25, 2009 | Rabbi Rachel Gurevitz The author describes the story of Joseph’s interactions with his brothers after he frames Benjamin for stealing a goblet. She offers an alternative translation for Judah’s plea with Joseph, “Bi Adoni,” as ‘God… Coming Out Download |
Coming Out | Rabbi Rachel Gurevitz | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryReflecting on Ki Tavo (Parashat Ki Tavo)September 1, 2009 | Karen Lee Erlichman The author explores the commandment to blot out the memory of Amalek, but also to not forget. She asks, how do we blot out a memory and not forget at the same time? She also writes of the metaphorical significance of “every first fruit of… Download |
Karen Lee Erlichman | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryReturning to Mitzrayim (Parashat Acharei Mot)April 19, 2008 | Rachel Barenblat The author explains that this Torah portion is read twice during the yearly cycle, the first time during Yom Kippur and the second during Passover. She asks, what is the link between Yom Kippur and Passover? She then reinterprets the verses… Passover | Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur Download |
Passover, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur | Rachel Barenblat | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryRevolution is the Easy Part (Parashat Mishpatim)February 1, 2008 | Kerrick Lucker The author argues that in this Torah portion, Moses and the People of Israel are learning to build up a community of shared liberation. The author compares the Israelites to his LGBT community in Berkeley and the conflicts around shared goals… Download |
Kerrick Lucker | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryRitual Impurity: Signposts for Boundary Crossers (Parashat Tazria and Parashat Metzora)April 24, 2009 | Rabbi Amber Powers The author explores the concept of ritual impurity in this commentary. She describes the isolation forced on people suffering from tzara’at, comparing it to the social isolation faced by queer people.… Download |
Rabbi Amber Powers | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentarySacred Spaces: The Tabernacle, Women’s Work, and the Body as Sanctuary (Parashat Naso)June 6, 2008 | Ri J. Turner Commentary on the building the Holy Tabernacle. The author asks, what does it mean to create holy space? One point of creating physical sacred spaces is to help our bodies and minds to become sacred spaces themselves. The importance of creating… Transgender and Gender Identity Download |
Transgender and Gender Identity | Ri J. Turner | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryShavuot: A Marginal Holiday (Shavuot) (Book of Ruth)June 2, 2006 | Rabbi Joshua Lesser A drash on the book of Ruth and its teachings about the spiritual nature of Shavuot. Ruth’s pledge of mutuality and shared destiny to Naomi in the face of the unknown enables what is clearly a path of despair and hopelessness to be transformed… LesbianShavuot Download |
Lesbian | Shavuot | Rabbi Joshua Lesser | Torah Commentary | |
Torah CommentarySilencing Abominable Language (Parashat Re’eh)August 11, 2007 | Rabbi Seth Goren The author explores the concept of ritually unclean animals in this Torah portion. The word used to describe an unclean animal is “abomination,” the same word used to describe homosexuality. Contemporary people who use the… Download |
Rabbi Seth Goren | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentarySin of Sodom: Looking at a similar story in Judges 19 (Parashat Vayera)October 23, 2010 | Amy Soule In this essay, Amy Soule compares two stories, one from Parashat Vayera about Sodom, and one from the book of Judges, both about men seeking sex with men, and are offered women to rape instead. In the Sodom story, the men eventually have sex with… Download |
Amy Soule | Torah Commentary | |||
Article or Document, Torah CommentarySinging for Our Lives (Parashat Be’Ha’alotekha)June 16, 2008 | Gregg Drinkwater The author explores the story of Miriam and Aaron challenging Moses’ authority as a prophet and speak “against Moses regarding the Cushite woman he had married.” For this, God punishes Miriam by afflicting her with tzaaras, a skin condition… Download |
Gregg Drinkwater | Article or Document, Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentarySinking into Compassion (Yom Kippur) (Book of Jonah)October 2, 2006 | Julia Watts Belser The author summarizes the story of Jonah, highlighting Jonah’s attachment to judgment. As queer folk, many of us carry deep wounds around judgment. Unlike human hearts, which have a hard time expressing love at the same time that they… Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur Download |
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur | Julia Watts Belser | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentarySisterhood Through the Lens of Rachel and Leah (Parashat Vayeitzei)November 27, 2009 | Amy Soule The author explores the deception of the sister-swap of Rachel and Leah and compares it to the accusations on LGBT people of deceiving our relatives when we come out and live honestly, as God intended us to live.… Download |
Amy Soule | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentarySo Many Ways Not To Be Counted (Parashat Bamidbar)May 14, 2010 | Abi Weissman In this Torah portion, the tribes take a census of their members. The author discusses who is counted in the census and who is excluded, comparing the exclusion of women to the current exclusion of many LGBTQ Jews in synagogues.… Download |
Abi Weissman | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentarySomething Queer in the Vineyards (Parashat Balak)Andrew Ramer The author discusses the case of the talking she-ass in this parsha as a “queer” biblical moment in which the boundaries of human/animal are crossed and we are for a moment linked back to primeval wholeness. In our modern world, it’s queers… Download |
Andrew Ramer | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentarySpeaking Truth in This World (Parashat Matot and Parashat Masei)July 21, 2006 | Rabbi Seth Goren The author discusses the difficulties faced by prophets, the challenges that God brings to them. Prophets are often directed to deliver a message of destruction to a group of people and at first resist this task. The author compares this to… Download |
Rabbi Seth Goren | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryStanding on the Other Side (Parashat Devarim)August 8, 2008 | Debora A. Larry Kearney In this Torah portion, the Israelites have wandered in the desert for 38 years and are poised to enter the Promised Land. Similarly, argues the author, in 2008 (when this commentary was written), members of the Jewish and queer communities… Download |
Debora A. Larry Kearney | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentarySukkot: Celebrating Unity Through Diversity (Sukkot)October 13, 2008 | Rabbi Andrew Sacks The author argues that there are more spiritually resonant symbols associated with the Festival of Sukkot than with any other major Jewish holiday. The sukkah, in its impermanence and frailty, that generates divine energy. The author explains… Sukkot Download |
Sukkot | Rabbi Andrew Sacks | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentarySurely God is in This Place: A d’var Torah for Transgender Day of Remembrance (Parashat Vayetzei)November 17, 2007 | Vanessa "Vinny" Prell In honor of Transgender Day of Remembrance, the author offers some insights into how we, as queer Jews and allies, can understand and connect with what it means to be transgender.In this Torah portion, Jacob takes on a new name, like many transgender… Transgender and Gender IdentityTransgender Day of Remembrance Download |
Transgender and Gender Identity | Transgender Day of Remembrance | Vanessa "Vinny" Prell | Torah Commentary | |
Torah CommentaryTaking Steps (Parashat Ekev)August 2, 2007 | Amos Lassen The author teaches that the word “eikev” (heel) in the context of Torah teaches us to make decisions that are in accordance with G-d and with the larger society — even more so when the larger society is unjust. LGBT people, like the children… Download |
Amos Lassen | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryTazria-MetzoraMay 5, 2009 | Gregg Drinkwater Compares tzara’at, a skin condition discussed in the parsha, with AIDS. The author argues that much like people with tzara’at in the parsha, people living with HIV or AIDS have often been blamed for their disease, with their suffering… Download |
Gregg Drinkwater | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryTextual Identity and the (Non)Genetic Code (Parashat Kedoshim)May 2, 2008 | Noach Dzmura The author argues that the Holiness Code described in this Torah portion established a lineage that was queer for its time, in that it was neither kin based, nor procreative. He also argues that the Rabbinic discourse on Jewish practice has… Download |
Noach Dzmura | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryThe "Y’all Come Purim" in Berkeley, California (Purim)March 3, 2007 | Maggid Jhos Singer The author tells a personal story about Purim costumes and argues that the brilliance of Purim is that it understands how much of ourselves we hide, and that one way to reveal ourselves is to hide even further. The observance of Purim teaches… Purim Download |
Purim | Maggid Jhos Singer | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryThe Audacity of Rain (Parashat Be’Ha’alotecha)June 5, 2009 | Noach Dzmura The author connects our modern problems of water scarcity with those in the Torah portion and from it gleans valuable lessons in avoiding water scarcity.… Download |
Noach Dzmura | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryThe Bumpy Road to High-Drama Holiness (Parashat Miketz)December 7, 2007 | Maggid Jhos Singer The author discusses the myriad characters in this Torah portion and the twists and turns that their stories take. Everyone in this story goes through radical transformation based in spiritual binaries and contradictions. He compares this… Download |
Maggid Jhos Singer | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryThe Deuteronomy Dinner Party – As Many Chairs as We Need (Parashat Ki Tavo)August 31, 2007 | Marisa Elana James In this Torah portion, we read about the punishments that will come if we do not follow the laws of the Torah exactly. We’re also given a few instructions about being thankful, part of which is about sharing our blessings with others. The… Download |
Marisa Elana James | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryThe Fear of God and the Guru Principle (Parashat Va’etchanan)July 31, 2009 | Ri J. Turner The author discusses the concept of fearing God in this Torah portion, arguing that particularly those of us who are queer, who have believed or have been told that we are “going against God’s will,” may not be able to relate to a God who… Download |
Ri J. Turner | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryThe Fifth Commandment (Parashat Yitro)February 14, 2009 | David Katzenelson The author explores the two version of the Ten Commandments, discussing the differences between the two versions of the Fifth Commandment, and the difficulty LGBT people may be faced with by abiding by this commandment. It is very difficult… Families and Parenting Download |
Families and Parenting | David Katzenelson | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryThe First Commandment Revisited (Parashat Yitro)January 26, 2008 | Rabbi Seth Goren The author describes the event of the giving of the Ten Commandments and explains that the first commandment actually occurs at the beginning of the Torah: “be fruitful and multiple.” He explores the common push in Jewish communities… Download |
Rabbi Seth Goren | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryThe Former Rain and the Latter Rain: A Queer Jew in Diaspora Wrestling with Tradition and Progress (Parashat Ekev)August 22, 2008 | Ri J. Turner In this commentary, the author discusses their personal experience of the changing text of the siddur, specifically its translation of the V’Ahavta prayer.… Download |
Ri J. Turner | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryThe Gift of Safe Space (Parashat Terumah)February 24, 2007 | Y. Gavriel A. Levi Ansara The authors asks why the construction of the Mishkan (the Holy Tabernacle) occurs during a period of strife and disaffection, and what motivating force drives the desire to give offering to God at the height of exile. He argues that it is the… Download |
Y. Gavriel A. Levi Ansara | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryThe Gift of the Wilderness (Parashat B’midbar)May 30, 2008 | Alex Carter The author argues that God brought the children into the wilderness in order to create a people. Wilderness can be a creative, expressive space, where the noise and confusion of “civilization” fades. We must honor that creative wild space,… Download |
Alex Carter | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryThe God of the Spirits of All Flesh (Parashat Korach)June 11, 2010 | Rabbi Rick Brody The author explains that in this Torah portion, God is given the name “the God of the Spirits of All Flesh,” which can be instructive for our own understanding of the Divine and its influence in our lives, particularly in terms of… Download |
Rabbi Rick Brody | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryThe Holiness Code (Parashat Kedoshim)April 30, 2011 | Amy Soule The author explores the complicated verses in Leviticus traditionally interpreted as forbidding gay sex, surveying several interpretations that stray from the traditional approach to these verses.… Download |
Amy Soule | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryThe Holiness of Judgment and the Power of Witnessing (Parashat Shof’tim)
This commentary is about the phrase “Baruch Dayan Emet” (blessed is the true judge) and the power and holiness of judgment. Jews in general, and queer Jews in particular, are acutely aware of the powerful impact that judgment… Download |
Torah Commentary | ||||
Torah CommentaryThe Language of Blessings (Parashat Noach)October 31, 2008 | Marisa Elana James Commentary on the language of blessings and curses in this Torah portion through the lens of Noach’s family dynamics.… Families and Parenting Download |
Families and Parenting | Marisa Elana James | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryThe Mothers of Redemption (Parashat Shemot)January 13, 2007 | Rabbi Laurence Edwards The author begins by arguing that the women of this portion are the heroes – the midwives Shifra and Puah as well as Pharaoh’s daughters Yocheved and Miriam. He discusses what it means for Harvey Fierstein, an out gay man, to play… Download |
Rabbi Laurence Edwards | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryThe Peculiar Fiber in the Garment of Humanity (Parashat Shelach Lecha)June 9, 2007 | Maggid Jhos Singer The author writes of his personal experience in a marching band in high school, and tells a particular story of making the right move when the rest of the band did not. He relates this story to the Torah portion–how it felt to be right but… Download |
Maggid Jhos Singer | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryThe Perfection of Imperfection (Parashat Chukat)June 23, 2007 | Rabbi Adina Lewittes This commentary focuses on the rite of purification after having come into contact with a corpse, the ritual of the Red Heifer. The animal must be completely perfect, blemish-free. The author argues that the details of this ritual defy rational… Download |
Rabbi Adina Lewittes | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryThe Power of Embodied Love (Parashat Vayakhel and Parashat Pekudei)March 25, 2006 | Rabbi Jill Hammer The author argues that in this Torah portion, we find a different model for what it means to be a sacred community, one radically different than the model we see at Sinai, and one that tends toward acknowledging people as bodies as well as ideas.… Download |
Rabbi Jill Hammer | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryThe Queer Community–Collectively–Comes Out (Parashat Nitzavim)September 25, 2008 | Cynthia Hoffman The author argues that this portion provides a model of repentance that provides a perfect time to come out to our communities in a more forthright way. The portion ends with an admonishment to grow and change; to return to our true selves as the… Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur Download |
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur | Cynthia Hoffman | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryThe Real Sin of Sodom (Parashat Vaera)November 11, 2006 | Rabbi Steven Greenberg The author argues that the real sin of the Sodomites in the Torah portion was unhospitality, not homosexuality.… Download |
Rabbi Steven Greenberg | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryThe Sea of Reeds as a Communal Mikvah (Parashat Beshellach)January 15, 2011 | Amy Soule The author discusses the events of the climactic moment of this parasha, the splitting of the Sea of Reeds, and the trauma that the Israelites brought with them with they reached the Sea to cross it. She draws parallels between a traumatic event… Download |
Amy Soule | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryThe Soul of Each and Every Individual (Parashat Pinchas)July 7, 2007 | Rabbi Melissa B. Simon While the Torah portion begins with a census that broke down the people into groups and abstract numbers, the author teaches that Rashi’s understanding of the change of leadership suggests that ultimately each Israelite was seen as an individual. Too… Download |
Rabbi Melissa B. Simon | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryThe Telling Alone is Not Enough (Pesach)April 2, 2007 | Rabbi Laurence Edwards On Pesach, we are obligated to think of ourselves as having personally come out of Egypt. The author asks, how is this act of historical imagination supposed to work? One way is through telling and retelling of our own stories. Tradition expands… Passover Download |
Passover | Rabbi Laurence Edwards | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryThe Way of Strange Fire (Parashat Shemini)April 22, 2006 | Maggid Jhos Singer The author explores the story of the “strange fire” brought by Nadav and Avihu in this portion. He argues that Jews and queers have always been accused of being different, alien and inferior, like the strange fire brought by Nadav… Download |
Maggid Jhos Singer | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryThe Wife of Moses, the Mother of Pinchas and Other Midianites (Parashat Pinchas)July 10, 2009 | David Katzenelson The author recounts the story of the Israelites’ forbidden worship of Moabite women, the praise given to Pinchas for murdering an Israelite man and the Moabite woman he has sex with. The author suggests that Pinchas acted out of rage… Download |
David Katzenelson | Torah Commentary | |||
Article or DocumentThe Wreathed Chanukah Wand: Sukkot in DecemberDecember 17, 2008 | Chaim Moshe haLevi (Marc Howard Landas) Compares the holidays of Hannukah and Christmas and discusses the issue of when Jesus was actually born, which was probably around Sukkot.… Hanukkah | Sukkot Download |
Hanukkah, Sukkot | Chaim Moshe haLevi (Marc Howard Landas) | Article or Document | ||
Torah CommentaryThis Was Not the Year I Set Out to Have (Rosh Hashanah)September 16, 2009 | Meir Hoberman The author explores the story of Hagar and Ishmael being cast out into the wilderness and God opening Hagar’s eyes to the well that was before her. He then shares his own story of coming out and how unpredictable life can be.… Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur Download |
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur | Meir Hoberman | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryThou Shalt Have No Other Gods (Parashat Ki Tisa)February 22, 2008 | Chaim Moshe haLevi (Marc Howard Landas) The author summarizes the story of the Golden Calf in this commentary, focusing particularly on the Israelites’ desire to be close to God. He argues that there may be external factors that color our thinking about God’s role in the… Download |
Chaim Moshe haLevi (Marc Howard Landas) | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryThunder and Lightning on the Mountain: We begin to dream the God we cannot see (Parashat Yitro)February 10, 2007 | Marisa Elana James The author explores the commandment to not create objects with God’s likeness: we don’t need anything carved or sculpted to replace our understanding of God. Enough exists of God in the world for us to rely on. Similarly, we cannot… Download |
Marisa Elana James | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryTo Be Fed By Miracles (Parashat Be’har)May 16, 2008 | Noach Dzmura The author explains the Jubilee year described in the Torah portion, and the miracles God will provide during this fallow year. He expands our understanding of the opposites of “miracles” and “nature” when it comes… Download |
Noach Dzmura | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryTo Parent: A Verb (Parashat Toldot)November 28, 2008 | Igael Gurin-Malous The author pulls parenting questions and life lessons from this Torah portion, focusing on the story of Jacob and Esau.… Families and Parenting Download |
Families and Parenting | Igael Gurin-Malous | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryTo Speak Out Without Shaming the Other (Parshat Vayeshev)December 11, 2009 | Cynthia Hoffman The author frames the story of Tamar and Judah as an example of speaking out against injustice without shaming another person. Instead of publicly calling out Judah, Tamar takes a different route to teach Judah a lesson. As queers, the author… Download |
Cynthia Hoffman | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryTo Wear is Human, To Live — Divine (Parashat Ki Teitze)September 1, 2006 | Rabbi Elliot Kukla, Rabbi Reuben Zellman The authors examine the verses of Torah forbidding gender cross-dressing, discussing some Rabbinic interpretations of these verses. They argue that these verses teach that we must not misrepresent our true gender in order to cause harm.… Transgender and Gender Identity Download |
Transgender and Gender Identity | Rabbi Elliot Kukla, Rabbi Reuben Zellman | Torah Commentary | ||
Books, Educational Tool, Torah Commentary, WebsiteTorah Queeries: Weekly Commentaries on the Hebrew BibleSeptember 1, 2009 | David Shneer, Gregg Drinkwater, Rabbi Joshua Lesser Buy the Torah Queeries book » |
David Shneer, Gregg Drinkwater, Rabbi Joshua Lesser | Books, Educational Tool, Torah Commentary, Website | College and Adult, High School | ||
Torah CommentaryUncovering Joseph’s Bones (Parashat Vayechi)January 6, 2007 | Rabbi Jill Hammer The author tracks the story of the burial of Joseph’s bones, arguing that the memory of the location of Joseph’s bones is crucial to the Exodus. She connects this to the importance of memory to queer identity, and how deeply the history… Download |
Rabbi Jill Hammer | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryUshpizin, Shefa, and Choosing Openness Despite Having Been Forced Open (Sukkot)October 2, 2009 | Ri J. Turner The author explores the tradition of inviting ushpizin (sacred guests) into the Sukkah, and then relates this to Sukkot’s challenge to us to receive and to let in, acknowledging the difficulty this might cause people who have experienced… Sukkot Download |
Sukkot | Ri J. Turner | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryVeAhavta — And You Shall Love (Parashat Vaetchanan)July 28, 2007 | Chaim Moshe haLevi (Marc Howard Landas) This commentary is about the nature of God and God’s love–is God a jealous, punishing deity who never forgets the sins of God’s enemies, the implacable parent in the sky, or is God pure and endless benevolence, compassion,… Fast Days Download |
Fast Days | Chaim Moshe haLevi (Marc Howard Landas) | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryWalk in My Laws (Parashat Bechukotai)May 22, 2008 | Zvi Bellin The text of this portion tells us that if we follow God’s laws, we will be blessed, but if we disobey them, we will be cast out. The author argues that a literal interpretation of this can be used by fanatics to point a finger at people who do… Download |
Zvi Bellin | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryWe Are Family (Parashat Vayigash)January 2, 2009 | Jase Schwartz The author examines the concept of closetedness through the lens of the story of Joseph. He argues that Joseph and his brothers teach us the important lesson that within family we must look at how we can grow and how we can forgive.… Families and Parenting Download |
Families and Parenting | Jase Schwartz | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryWe Are the Cherubim (Parashat Terumah)February 27, 2009 | Karen Lee Erlichman The author discusses the detailed gift requests from God, which will be used to construct the mishkan (Holy Tabernacle). Like the different gifts God requests, queer Jews are varied and diverse. She also describes the cherubim on the mishkan… Download |
Karen Lee Erlichman | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryWearing Our Hearts on Our Sleeves: Aaron haKohen, the Fashionista (Parashat Tetzaveh)February 15, 2008 | Marisa Elana James The author explains that Aaron wears the names of the 12 tribes on his “shoulder-pieces for remembrance” and on his “breastpiece of judgment,” detailing the makeup of this breastpiece. The author imagines that Aaron is meant to wear… Download |
Marisa Elana James | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryWhen Gender Varies: A Curious Case of Kree and Kteev (Parashat Chayei Sarah)November 2, 2007 | Rachel Brodie The author discusses the roles of the matriarchs in the Bible, focusing on Rebecca. Exploring a conundrum of Hebrew grammar, where the word na’ar (masculine gendered) is used to describe Rebecca, a woman, the author understands that an… Download |
Rachel Brodie | Torah Commentary | |||
Torah CommentaryWho Would Moses Marry? (Parashat Bo)January 30, 2009 | Amy Soule Based on an interpretation of this Torah portion, the author believes that Moses would be one of the LGBT community’s best allies if he were alive today. The author argues that this portion teaches that fighting for freedom is not easy… Marriage and Weddings Download |
Marriage and Weddings | Amy Soule | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryWrestling Till Dawn (Parashat Vayishlach)December 4, 2009 | Joy Ladin The author compares her own personal story of wrestling with her gender identity to Jacob’s life stories and struggles.… Coming Out | Transgender and Gender Identity Download |
Coming Out, Transgender and Gender Identity | Joy Ladin | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryYa’amdu… (Parashat Vayishlach)November 24, 2007 | Ari Lev Fornari The author writes of his personal experience as a transgender person attending a synagogue and being called up to the Torah for an aliyah. He also recounts the story from this Torah portion where Jacob wrestles with the angel, just as the author… Transgender and Gender Identity Download |
Transgender and Gender Identity | Ari Lev Fornari | Torah Commentary | ||
Torah CommentaryYou Shall Be Holy (Parashat Aharei Mot and Parashat Kedoshim)May 6, 2006 | Rabbi Steven Greenberg The author, a gay Orthodox rabbi, wrestles with the verses from Leviticus prohibiting gay sex. Jewish Law | Orthodox Movement Download |
Jewish Law, Orthodox Movement | Rabbi Steven Greenberg | Torah Commentary |
