By Rabbi Melvin Granatstein
Cleveland Jewish News [United States]
February 2, 2007
http://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/articles/2007/02/01/news/local/commentary0201.txt
I commend the Cleveland Jewish News for the two-part series on sexual abuse by clergy ("Reining in abuse," CJN, Jan. 19, 26).
Surely it should be possible to establish a wall-to-wall community policy on zero tolerance for both child sexual abuse and violent sexual imposition regardless of who the perpetrator may be.
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| Rabbi Melvin Granatstein |
If religious or educational institutions shield abusers, those institutions should be defunded. By shielding dangerous criminals, such institutions lose their raison d'ętre.
On another note, I read Rabbi Edward Bernstein's defense of Conservative halachic methodology ("Opposing responsa on homosexuality a strength," CJN, Jan. 26) with interest. While it is an overstatement to say "On any page of Talmud … one can find vigorous argumentation on almost every legal issue," it is certainly true that the main preoccupation of the Talmud is the dialectical analysis of issues of law, and a broad range of alternative viewpoints are considered.
However, this is a far cry from "balancing historical precedent with the reality of contemporary life." Woe to the client whose lawyer advises him or her to balance legal precedent and law against the need to make money. Such a client and such a lawyer may well end up sharing the same prison cell. In any legal system, the law, however inconvenient, must be obeyed. The legal innovator must prove the legality of his innovation by logical deduction from statute, procedure and precedent.
Halachah demands that we treat everyone with dignity and respect, and it is wrong to judge others negatively without standing in their place. This applies to sexual orientation as surely as it applies to other issues.
However, a permissive ruling on homosexual intercourse contravenes clear, irrefutable halachic statute. The officiant at a gay marriage violates at least three major halachic prohibitions. To claim that one recognizes halachah as binding while publicly endorsing halachic violations is self-contradictory.
Dr. Michael Kirsch's comments ("Conservative movement needs a single, binding opinion," CJN, Jan. 19) that Jewish legal authorities "must impartially apply the law and not their personal agendas" is right on target.
Rabbi Melvin Granatstein is spiritual leader at Green Road Synagogue.
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