My sister came to visit and brought along a copy of the Jewish Journal. She insisted I read an opinion piece by Rabbi Gil Steinlauf titled “The Queerness of Love.” Do yourself a favor and click the link and read the entire piece. It’s remarkable.
Love is Love
Rabbi Steinlauf recently officiated at his first same sex marriage. He talks about the holiness of the declaration of marriage and the love that is expressed in the act of marriage. He goes on to talk about how Jews are different as a people and how our presence has cause anxiety for other nations. He then says, “In this way, we Jews have always been a queer people. And yes, I use the term ‘queer’ deliberately. To be queer is to be troubling, unsettling, not meeting expectations of the way others might want things to be.”
He goes on to address the specific passage in Leviticus that is so often quoted by the religious right. He talks about it in its context and then says, “I reject the idea that the Bible declares that the only sacred love that can exist is the love between a man and a woman. Love is queer — it can never be limited to our categorizations of roles and gender. Love is commitment, presence, and kindness so awesome and mysterious that nothing in our power can contain it.”
Amen, Rabbi, amen!
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