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| Yeshiva University Wilf campus in Washington Heights (JTA) |
"Yeshiva University has revoked its recognition of a campus LGBTQ+ club just two months after approving it. The Modern Orthodox flagship is alleging that the club, Hareni, breached the terms of the settlement agreement that allowed for its formation."
In this case, ‘alleging’ is the wrong word. The club did violate the agreement:
The co-presidents of Hareni, Hayley Goldberg and Schneur Friedman, wrote an op-ed in the YU Observer explaining the club’s aims. They added:
“What we will not be doing as a club is writing the egregious statement, ‘This club is for students who seek to fully maintain traditional halachic standards of sexual morality as defined by the Shulchan Aruch,’ on our posters and communications.”
The Shulchan Aruch is not a book of suggestions. It is our code of Jewish law. This refusal is not a minor detail. It’s a fundamental
rejection of the terms of their agreement with YU.
I had previously responded to this statement, urging YU to
take exactly the action it has now taken. As the Roshei Yeshiva have noted, there is
no place in a yeshiva for a club that refuses to clearly commit to ‘fully
maintain traditional halachic standards of sexual morality as defined by the Shulchan
Aruch’. A club cannot possibly receive the Yeshiva’s imprimatur or be
counted among its officially sanctioned clubs.
I also agree with the recent sentiments strongly expressed
by Rav Mayer Twersky, Rosh Yeshiva at YU:
"When a lawsuit is brought to force Y.U. to allow self-identifying LGBTQ students and their allies to form a club, prudence and pragmatism should be non-factors in determining our response. Identification with the LGBTQ acronym entails identification with a heretical, nihilistic philosophy which champions and celebrates all forms of sexual deviance in a Nimrodian, brazen defiance of הקב"ה. We must unconditionally reject their demands and can never settle. Whether this position seems practical is irrelevant. We stand uncompromisingly firm because that is who we are, that is what we believe."
My total rejection of an LGBTQ movement that celebrates a
lifestyle fundamentally at odds with Halacha should surprise no one. But some may
wonder where all my compassion and empathy for individuals with same-sex attraction
(SSA) or gender dysphoria has gone.
The answer is: it hasn't gone anywhere. I have always drawn
a clear line between what Halacha demands and what empathy entails. Halacha
rejects any lifestyle that proudly defies it. There should be no more pride in
being gay than there is in being a kleptomaniac. The fact that someone may
struggle psychologically with certain urges does not mean those urges should be
celebrated.
At the same time, I fully reject treating people with these
challenges as pariahs or pushing them out of the religious community. We must
show compassion to those who struggle with desires that go against Halacha. We
must empathize with the pain they feel when they are ridiculed or excluded by others,
especially when they are sincerely trying to live religious lives. We must
condemn those who treat them with cruelty or disregard their humanity.
But their acceptance into our community must be based on
their commitment to Halachic standards. If they refuse to uphold these
standards, or if they insist on celebrating lifestyles that contradict them, then
compassion is no longer the issue. They are, in effect, advocating rebellion
against the Torah.
If someone is a truly God-fearing Jew, they will accept the
dictates of the Torah, no matter how difficult. And let’s be honest: the sex
drive is a powerful force in human nature. It takes enormous willpower and
courage to live with those urges and yet resist them for a lifetime. That’s
where our empathy must focus. If someone must remain celibate, that’s a huge
burden to carry. But it is not impossible. Many people live celibate lives by
choice. One of them was just elected Pope.
I recall many years ago when a popular mechanech
(educator) came out of the closet. At the same time, he publicly affirmed his
commitment to Torah and his decision to remain celibate. To the best of my
knowledge, to this day he continues teaching Torah to young students.
I also recall another case where a married man with
children came out as gay. He struggled deeply, but after consulting a
compassionate rabbi and coming out to a very understanding wife, he remained in
his marriage. He shared how much he valued his family, and that he does not
regret his choice. To the best of my knowledge, he remains happily married.
Is it hard to be gay and live fully according to the Torah?
Absolutely. But if you believe in God and His Torah, then ultimately you have
no choice. Pride in a lifestyle that contradicts the Torah has no place in a
religious Jewish framework. Instead, anyone who seeks to be part of a yeshiva
community must commit to “fully maintain traditional halachic standards of
sexual morality as defined by the Shulchan Aruch.”