Dear Sara,

Ahead of this week's parsha, Acharei Mot-Kedoshim, I would like to offer you some of my thoughts and resources for how we might make sense of Leviticus 18:22. I hope that these pieces will offer comfort and provoke thought for those in our community, wherever you are in your journey.

• In my recent article, Am I an Abomination? An Orthodox Publisher Speaks to Gay Teens, I share how Koren's new Humash for teens addresses Leviticus 18:22. The commentary does not hide the pain this verse has caused, and highlights the ongoing challenge this verse poses for the Jewish community rather than giving a single answer. Even more importantly, it centers the experiences of queer teens and stresses the need for them to feel loved and respected.
  
  
• In my conversation with Simon Eder on the podcast Between the Lines: Acharei Mot and Kedoshim, I shared some of the ways the prohibition is interpreted in the gemara: in the contexts of violence and idolatry. 
 
• Finally, a kavanah I wrote for this Shabbat, about turning to God for comfort. 

Remember: God created you the way God wishes you to be. 

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Steve Greenberg

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