Wrestling with God and Men: Homosexuality in the Jewish Tradition [Hardcover]

Steven Greenberg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 15, 2004

    For millennia, two biblical verses have been understood to condemn sex between men as an act so abhorrent that it is punishable by death. Traditionally Orthodox Jews, believing the scripture to be the word of God, have rejected homosexuality in accordance with this interpretation. In 1999, Rabbi Steven Greenberg challenged this tradition when he became the first Orthodox rabbi ever to openly declare his homosexuality.
    Wrestling with God and Men is the product of Rabbi Greenberg’s ten-year struggle to reconcile his two warring identities. In this compelling and groundbreaking work, Greenberg challenges long held assumptions of scriptural interpretation and religious identity as he marks a path that is both responsible to human realities and deeply committed to God and Torah. Employing traditional rabbinic resources, Greenberg presents readers with surprising biblical interpretations of the creation story, the love of David and Jonathan, the destruction of Sodom, and the condemning verses of Leviticus. But Greenberg goes beyond the question of whether homosexuality is biblically acceptable to ask how such relationships can be sacred. In so doing, he draws on a wide array of nonscriptural texts to introduce readers to occasions of same-sex love in Talmudic narratives, medieval Jewish poetry and prose, and traditional Jewish case law literature. Ultimately, Greenberg argues that Orthodox communities must open up debate, dialogue, and discussion—precisely the foundation upon which Jewish law rests—to truly deal with the issue of homosexual love.
    This book will appeal not only to members of the Orthodox faith but to all religious people struggling to resolve their belief in the scriptures with a desire to make their communities more open and accepting to gay and lesbian members.

 

2005 Finalist for the Lambda Literary Awards, for Religion/Spirituality

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Defying more than 3,000 years of Torah tradition and belief, Greenberg, an Orthodox rabbi who recently publicized his homosexuality, embarks on a thorough, if questionable, trek to reevaluate the overt biblical prohibition of male-male relations. Central to his argument is a rereading of Leviticus 18:22, "Do not lie with a male as one lies with a woman; it is an abhorrence" (JPS translation) to be understood as "And (either a female or) a male you shall not sexually penetrate to humiliate [;] it is abhorrent." The story of Sodom's destruction, the love between David and Jonathan and the creation of Adam and Eve figure prominently as sources of new and interesting perspectives, yet they are all based on subjective evaluations that bear no textual confirmation. While he is obviously well versed in Torah knowledge and rabbinic law, Greenberg admits that he is "not a disinterested party on the matter of homosexuality"; indeed, many of his arguments stretch the truth or omit vital segments of biblical text to reach their desired conclusion, and, in addition, are fraught with expressions of unease such as "maybe" and "perhaps." This is not to say that his attempt bears no fruit. He effectively portrays the plight of closeted and openly gay Orthodox Jews who struggle daily with their sexual desires and with the knowledge that the Torah and the rabbis forbid homosexuality. While Greenberg's controversial biblical claims on this long-taboo topic may infuriate some and gratify others, his book arouses deep empathy for Orthodox homosexuals.
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Review

"Wrestling with God and Men—as useful for Christians as it is for Jews—not only brings new and fresh thinking about our current debate over homosexuality but interweaves theology and history with Greenberg's own personal journey in a way that is enlightening, instructive, and inspirational. I heartily recommend this book to Christians who wish to take their Hebrew scriptures seriously and who are willing to examine their own responses to this raging debate."—The Right Reverend V. Gene Robinson, Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire

"[Greenberg] effectively portrays the plight of closeted and openly gay Orthodox Jews who struggle daily with their sexual desires and with the knowledge that the Torah and the rabbis forbid homosexuality."—Publishers Weekly

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 264 pages
• Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press; 1 edition (February 15, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0299190900
• ISBN-13: 978-0299190903
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,588,258 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Give a copy of this book to everyone whom you care about!, April 1, 2004

By 

"glenng126" (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wrestling with God and Men: Homosexuality in the Jewish Tradition (Hardcover)

"Wrestling with God and Men" is the most erudite, compelling, and utterly satisfying book on homosexuality in religion that I've ever read. Rabbi Greenberg weaves the scholarship of our ancestors into a glorious tapestry, demonstrating not just the fact of homosexuality within the fabric of Judaism, but the more fundamental necessity of this inclusion.

Rabbi Greenberg would seem to prefer we believe that he is like "Daniel the Tailor", the champion of the oppressed, who challenged his Rabbis for failing to balance their jurisprudence and values with the biblical concern for justice and fairness. (Greenberg, pg 212). However his holy scholarship suggests that Rabbi Greenberg is more like Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, former chief rabbi of Israel, who invited "Jews everywhere to return to their ancestral land and restore their ancient spirit" (Greenberg, pg 242).

In all likelihood, this book could not have been written in any other age. It needed the living experiences of an openly-gay Rabbinic mind to realize an honest gay perspective and approach to our sacred texts.

If you are considering buying this book, please buy several copies and donate them to your local Hillel, Chabad, Yeshiva and Shul. All people who are "wrestling with god" should read this book!

17 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book changed my life!, September 11, 2004

By 

Robert Horowitz - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wrestling with God and Men: Homosexuality in the Jewish Tradition (Hardcover)

It was Shakespeare who said, "To thy own self be true," but it was Rabbi Steven Greenberg who made this his mantra. As a (...)of the Jewish faith, I have wrestled with God and men, both figuritively and literally. Rabbi Greenberg's eloquant writing is equally compassionate and thought provoking. It is comfort; a warm glass of milk or a soft blanket, if you will. I feel more at ease being a (...)Jew after having read this book. I feel more at peace and more comfortable in this world. Buy this book and share it with those you love.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars should be widely read by people concerned with faith and sexuality, October 18, 2005

By 

B. F. Mooney "biologist" (Mooresville, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wrestling with God and Men: Homosexuality in the Jewish Tradition (Hardcover)

This book, while it may not be perfect or without some hesitencies and perhaps weaknesses, breaks important ground and is a work of courage. It should be read for that reason alone. It is a start that others can build on.

Just recently, I heard a prominent New Testment scholar speak in a seminar at a church on the vital, indeed pressing need for Christians to revist the entire question of the claimed biblical condemation of same-sex relationships. His arguments were very much anchored - not on theology - but on mistakes in interpretation of biblical words and phrases, based ultimately on flawed linguistic and (a)cultural misinterpretations. The parallels with Rabbi Greenberg's stuggle struck me; and all the more more so, when I saw the host Baptist church has a seminar WITH Rabbi Greenberg scheduled for November!

We must openly and honestly reconsider religious positions on the topic of homsexuality, and never has the time been more ripe for doing so. This is very appropriate to consider from several viewpoints, and yet another fruitful area for open and honest sharing of insights between Jewish and Christian communities. I believe OUR God - our common, one God - is first and foremost a God of infinite love, and that human love, betweeen two people, goes beyond mere or simple sexual orientation, that it is precious (as all love is) to our God.

Read the book; review the questions; and God bless all who do so with honesty and caring.