MORE ON LEVITICUS AND THE GAY BISHOP. A perspective from Liberal Judaism, "which for at least a decade has been ordaining openly gay and lesbian rabbis," by Rabbi Jonathan Kendall (TCPalm). Excerpt:

For thousands of years, from the priests in the Temple to the rabbis of the Talmud and onward into the last century, Jewish clergy had always been male. The role of women was secondary, even tertiary when it came to ritual, ceremony and officiation.

In 1972, the Reform Movement ordained the first woman rabbi. Today, more than half the students at the four campuses of our seminary are women.

And if this was so for women, what about gays and lesbians?

For us, the selective reading of Scripture is a dangerous exercise. Yes, the Torah tells us that homosexuality is an abomination. It also tells us that if the priest has a defect in his vision, he cannot serve in the sacrificial cult. Does this mean that every rabbi who wears glasses is disqualified from service? The Torah teaches that if one has a son who is uncontrollable, gluttonous and a drunkard, he is to be stoned to death. How would that play in Stuart or Port St. Lucie?

There is text and there is context; there is the letter of the law and there is its spirit.

We opt to read the text through two lenses. The first is clearly attached to our past. We are, as Elie Wiesel says, "Not just a people, but a people with a history." The other is bound to our sense of fairness, decency, love and compassion. It would be the height of arrogance to suggest that others follow our lead, but our path is clear and unshakable. It proclaims who we are and the ideals we embrace.