It’s easy for me. I guess. Well, first off, the whole
growing-up-in-the-San-Francisco-Bay-Area thing probably helped. Plus being not
just Jewish but an active and engaged Reform Jew who believes deeply in ideas
related to social justice, I am predisposed to embracing pluralism, acceptance
and tolerance. All that is why I don’t understand why a Defense of Marriage Act
would exclude people who want to get married.
This week was a watershed week in American life given the
Supreme Court’s decision to overturn DOMA. To overturn DOMA is to say: Gay
couples have the right to be married with benefits like Heterosexual couples.
That, my friends, is fair. That is tzedek. Whether or not you agree with the
idea of gay marriage – which how you can’t I’m not quite sure (see paragraph
#1) – it is kind of like denying Global Climate Change and interestingly some
of the same people who deny gay marriage also reject humanity’s impact on the
environment … an interesting side-note – but back to my point, whether or not
you agree with gay marriage, surely we can agree that all people deserve the
same rights and benefits of being American citizens. And if two adults are
willing to commit to one another in a partnership for which they want to be one
another’s spouse – then so be it. Their sexual orientation is of no importance.
And if our country is hung up on the term marriage, and we think that is a
religious term, then let religious institutions define marriage and our
civil/secular/national society simply call everyone bound in civil unions.
I am very proud that our congregation not only is
accepting of gay couples but that we have declared the willingness to allow for
heterosexual and homosexual couples to be united in our sanctuary. It was a
bold move but one which we did not to be bold but simply because it was/is the
right thing to do. By the way, we accept straight and gay individuals who are
not in committed relationships as well in our congregation. J
Of all the weeks for the Highest Court in the Land to
make a decision, this week probably could not have been a better one in terms
of our Torah portion. In Numbers 27, we read a fabulous story that works very
well with DOMA and the SC this week. There are five daughters – five women,
none of whom are married and whose father, Tzelofchad, dies. Normal procedure
in ancient Israel was for the land inheritance to go to the son(s) of the
deceased man. Sidebar: In ancient Israel, women needed to be connected to a man
to have economic safety – either as a daughter, a sister, a wife, or a mother. When
Tzelofchad dies, his daughters are stuck: no father, no husbands, no brother.
So they do what we do as Jews: they begin asking questions. And they took their
questions and their case to the highest authority in the land: Moses. And Moses,
our teacher/rabbi, did what every rabbi does when s/he has a question – we go
to our teacher(s). Moses went to God – the Supremest Court – and received a
responsum, a teshuvah, an answer. The women would get the land inheritance.
Why? Because it was fair, it was right, and the law had not been considered
fully when it was initially handed down. In next week’s parasha, the people
appeal to Moses: wait – that is not fair because if those daughters (or any
future women with such a case, like my brother’s family with three girls) marry
out of their tribe, their new family will have land holdings from two tribes.
Again, a she’eilah (question) is asked, a teshuvah (answer) is given. The women
must marry within their tribe to keep the land holdings fair for everyone.
Tzedek. Tzedakah. Justice. Fairness. Equity. Balance.
Whatever happens – we, as Jews, as humans, have a need to create and make
balanced, fair decisions. Our worldview is, in some ways, so radically
different from our ancestors that a same-gender union was inconceivable for
them and thus nothing is written in Torah or in rabbinic literature about such
a thing. And yet, they write extensively on stable relationships, families,
inheritances, and justice. It is not
a far stretch then for us to realize that if two people want to create a
stable, loving relationship and family, then justice demands they be allowed to
marry, unite and share in life together – legally – and for their children to
inherit all those benefits of the union. Regardless of sexual orientation.
To the good work of our nation’s Supreme Court, I say:
Yishar koach. And the fact that three of the five justices who voted in favor
of declaring DOMA unconstitutional were Jewish should not be overlooked. Nor
should it be overlooked that those same three were three of the four dissenters
when the day before the Supreme Court declared that Section 4 of the Voting
Rights act of 1965 was unconstitutional. Another sermon for another night but
for now suffice it to say: The scales of justice are not always balanced. On
Wednesday, we had a rally downtown to celebrate the victory of DOMA’s defeat but
we noted as well the upsetting news of the decision regarding the Voting Rights
Act and the work ahead to protect all U.S. citizens.
For every step back there are steps forward. And for
every step forward there are steps back. Our overall progression must be
forward, and we as Jews, are commanded to pursue justice, demand justice, and
work diligently to make sure that all people are treated fairly. May we always
be at the forefront of fighting for equality, tolerance, and peace and link
arms with other like-minded souls to bring blessing into this world, in which
God created us all little less than Divine. Let’s show God, and each other, how
seriously we take our place in Creation.
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