A new book by a graduate of the prestigious Mercaz Harav yeshiva claims that Jewish law permits homosexuality among men as long as certain boundaries are kept.
Rafael J. Kelner Polisuk departs from the classic rabbinical interpretation of the Bible by writing that although the explicit sexual acts among men are forbidden, physical contact between men who are romantically involved – such as hugging – is permissible, as are other forms of acts aimed at expressing mutual love.
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Kelner Polisuk claims that Jews are commanded to be in a romantic relationship, and this can be in the form of same-sex partnership.
Kelner Polisuk, who is openly gay and an Orthodox Jew, writes in his book that the rabbinic prohibition on homosexuality among men is a form of discrimination and turns them into outcasts. "This is a misunderstanding of the humans' basic need to have stable life and love," he writes.
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