Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

Another good one!

La Aroma De Cuba Edicion Especial or Illusione mk (Lighter smoke)
Dirty Vodka (or Sapphire) Martini
Asian Beef Salad
Minestrone Soup
Appetizer:
Eggplant Rollatini (parve:)) or something Mexican/avocado-y
Main Course:
Prime Rib (or Steak au Poivre or Certain cut Delmonico) (w/ a potato and a seasoned grilled tomato)
Wines: Aged Yarden Cabernet or Galil Yiron or Le Connelle
Something Cuban: Bolivar RC or a good Monte#2
Chocolate Ice Cream (parve):) or Dulce de Leche & Cream Cake (parve):)
18 year old Laphroig Single Malt
Something strong & long: Tatuaje Cojonu 2003 or Pardron 1926 #1
a good chair & book

:dr

Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

How much do you hate Christians?

Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

Originally Posted by ade06 http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/images...s/viewpost.gif
Do jews ever remorsefully discuss Jesus' death?

Has there been any sort of meeting to discuss whether or not you guys are going to try to kill Him again when he returns?

Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

wow @ the last 2 posts.......

Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

I always say Sabertooth tiger (smilodon). Usually takes people by surprise and some of them actually try to argue that it's not a vlid choice--as if whatever genie is turning me into an animal is limited by a species being extinct.


http://www.dragonsofpangea.com/images/Saber.jpg

I would spend all day hanging out on a rock, surveying my territory. Then I'd spot something and absolutely rocks its face.

Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

Not at all.

Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

That is the most ****ed up post I've ever read on a cigar board.

Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

No.



I was gonna meet with some friends about ordering your beads after our pleasant exchange of PMs, but the operative word is WAS...

Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

oy!

is just yo! backwards :)

Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

Cool choice. I just would prefer not to be extinct before I even exist.... ;)

Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

Here's an early/easy one for ya Rabbbi, is there such a thing as kosher livestock food to make the split hooved animals super kosher and also, is there a special guy who inspects the kosherization process?

Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

agreed.
My music and food choices must have gotten to people...
Who'da though Led Zep, Prime Rib and a Padron '26 #1 would be sooo controversial? ;)

Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

Shilala has been PMed. (so far)

Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

I'll let the Rabbi answer this, but just to let you know my dad koshers several food businesses including a chocolate factory! Its always fun to come home that day and have boxes (and I'm talking big ones) of chocolate waiting around for everyone.

Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

:dr

Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

Thanks.

No there is not feed I am aware of, though conspiracy theories abound... :D
(Most kosher butchers make a large portion of profit on selling the animals that are deemed not-kosher for non-kosher meat, as well.)

Yes there is a special guy who inspects "kosherization". He is called a Mashgiach - "Supervisor", he doesn't necessarily have to be a Rabbi, and his duties can vary according to what product he is the kashrus supervisor for. They are found in all Kosher (not Kosher-style) establishments, restaurants, factories, dairy plants, slaughterhouses etc. It can be a pretty intense job and also can pay very well, obviously depending on the situation. I have served as a Mashgiach before (in Hawai'i actually :dance:)

here is a great link on all things Kosher:

http://www.chabad.org/library/articl...h/Handbook.htm

Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

Whoops on the "non-secular" slip! Thanks for the correction.
Maybe I should have written dis-non-secular?:)

OK, let's get this back on track:

I presume from some of your comments that you were not religious for a good chunk of your life, & then experienced a spiritual awakening.
What caused you to embrace Judaism with such fervor?
Where & when did you pursue your rabbinical studies?

Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

Good questions!

Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

Simple question from me... I've just always assumed it was a language thing, but...

Hanukkah versus Chanukah

Why the spelling differences?

Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

My sincere apologies, Gentlemen.
I explained to Dave in a pm that my best friend growing up happens to be Jewish. We both share a "Monty-Pythonish" sense of humor about our religions, and have spent years one-upping each other. It's always been in jest, and he and I both respect each other's Faith, as well as others.
I hadn't immediately imagined I'd offend anyone when I made that post, nor was it my intent. I will admit I thought it might be a bad idea, and that's why I quoted the earlier joking comment. I thought the context and the content would make it obvious it was simply jest..
Had it not been so early, I'm sure I'd have known better. It was certainly not something I should have posted here.
htown, Tom and Dave, I hope you can forgive me. My intent was neither to upset or hurt any of you, but it's obvious I have.

Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

No sweat, Shilala -
I have the same problem sometimes with my humor.

That's why they won't let me attend the Zionist Conspiracy Conventions anymore.:ss

Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

I'm going to toss out a guess here, if I may? Transliteration or transcription?
Ive seen even more spelling variations of that word.
;)

Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

Thanks!

Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

:)

Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

I would really need an ice-cold bottle of vodka and an 'A' vitola cigar to go into all the details...

But, since you asked, I'll give some background info.

I grew up in a very secular/Reform household. Temple 2-3 times a year, no Kosher, No Shabbos, Nary a Mezuzah etc., didn't know what those things really were, but I grew up in a very warm, thinking, open-minded, moral, caring home. So I had that foundation. As I got older, I guess you could say I became a full-fledged 'hippie', although my environs were the LI suburbs, and eventually I left for college in Ann Arbor, I was kinda able to let my 'freak-flag-fly' and I was totally out there. I worked in the music industry throughout college. Lived a pretty psycedelic existance. I also studied different Cultural Literature extensively in college - Native American, Chinese, Latin American, Tibetan and of course Jewish literature - much of it mystical. I also studied religions and ethnobotany, in addition to my coursework in English Lit and Anthropology. This might be another foundation I built upon. During and after college I was always seeking, exploring, traveling etc. From Native American reservations to the Hawai'in rainforest etc., I was into the supernatural through au naturale. Eventually, I started having more of an awareness of my Jewish identity, meeting random, very diverse Jewish people, still reading etc. and came to the conclusion I needed to check out Judaism and see if I could find a more 'real' 'true' and 'vital' Jewish spirituality then the one I was raised with. After all I was a Jew, so I definitely owed it to myself to try to reconnect to that, in the midst of all of my other explorations. If it was to suit me, satisfy my spritual, intellectual cravings, and be a practical, vital way of life, great, if not, on to the next thing (which was going to be getting a horse and riding the length of S. America starting in Durango, Mexico :r). Alas, I met a whole diverse group of Jewish people from all walks of life at the national Rainbow Gathering in Montana. After I returned from Hawai'i by way of SanFran, I took a stripped and refurbed giant school bus, with wood-burning stove, electrice generator, oven and range top, couches, beds, foutons etc. with 21 friends out from Eugene, OR to the Continental Divide in Montana. There was a "Jerusalem Kitchen", the whole Rainbow is made up of different "kitchens"/camps (Jazz Kitchen, the Texas Kitchen , the blahblahblah kitchen etc... 30,000 people total) where you could find delicious food and every type of Jew you ever could imagine. I was pretty blissed-out and decided to stay in touch with some of the people I had met, learned from, gotten books, did the Shabbos thang, put on Tefillin and thought about going to Israel. Alas it didn;t come to fruition. I had moved back east to NY for family reasons, and two days before I was supposed to leave for Israel, the intifada broke out, and my parents asked me to at least postpone my trip (also, I did not have the understanding then of solidarity with the people living in Israel). So I did. I felt stuck back east, and began exploring different synogogues, you name the Jewish sect, I have been by their temple, or hung out with, learned from them. I met this pretty famous actor in Manhattan, who asked me about my funky hippie, Jewish look, turned out to be interested in his own Jewish background and he gave me his West Village apt. for as long as I wanted. I said great, moved in and began learning Torah part time in Hadar Hatorah yeshivah - the FIRST Yeshiva EVER for Jewish men who are as yet unobservant, with little or no Jewish knowledge. It was started by the Lubavitcher Rebbe in 1962. Why I decided to go there? No, not only because Bob Dylan would go there for a spell often, but after all my searching, I felt (and feel) that Chabad-Lubavitch Chassidus is the deepest, most spirtual and simultaneously real and practical for of Judaism on the face of the earth. I found that they follow Jewish Law 110% without compromise, follow and ACTUALLY LEARN OPENLY, in depth, Jewish mysticism also without compromise (aka Kabbalah (- not Hollywood style)) and do not isolate themselves from the world, but rather constantly engage the world (Jew and Non-Jew) and try to make it a better place. We are accepting of all Jews no matter their level of observance - non-judgemental. After learing in Hadar Hatorah for 2 years, I went to the central Lubavitch yeshiva at 770, world lubavtich hq and began learning for Rabbinical ordination, 2 years later I married my wonderful wife, learned for 1 year more in Kollel (yeshiva for married men) and then went to start a Chabad house on a college campus and taught Judaic studies as a professor there as well. We have 3 kids, B"H. phew... :tu

Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

My sister came back from living on a kibbutz one time , and my mom started buying kosher meat. It tastes better than regular meat in the many side by side comparisons i've done. yum :D

Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

Very frequent question.
Just a common variance in transliteration, there is no meaning/advantage to one or the other. There is no right or wrong way to transliterate, per se.

The word in hebrew is always spelled and pronounced the same.

Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

My sister also did side by side and Kosher won hands down!!

I say...
Stop with the side by side comparisons - GO KOSHER!!:D

True, Funny story...

I met this guy at a Pesach (Passover) seder, who only eats raw foods, including raw meat:jd. He started keeping Kosher and said the meat was the best! He especially liked meat with the CHK (Crown Heights Beis DIN) heksher.:tu

Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

Transcription as a mapping from sound to script must be distinguished from transliteration, which creates a mapping from one script to another that is designed to match the original script as directly as possible.


Transcription is often confused with transliteration, due to a common journalistic practice of mixing elements of both in rendering foreign names. The resulting practical transcription is a hybrid that is called both "transcription" and "transliteration" by the general public.

Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

Lol. here's a question are there any heksher wars, like the "war" between cheese from Wisconsin (far superior, no doubt) and the cheese (if you can call it that) from California?

Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

In winnipeg you can't buy kosher meat except frozen now. Omnitsky's closed. Frozen is never as good as fresh imo!

I am definitely not one to keep kosher, but if the meat was not too much more expensive and i could buy it fresh, i would just for the taste.

Incidentally and unrelated, the same sister who now lives in Toronto is pregnant, and her due date is rosh hashanah. :p

Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

Dude, that totally came out of leftfield, especially after our previous, very positive, exchanges about your beads (which I would still love to buy, but $ is tight). I can't imagine how anyone could NOT find that post offensive, even in jest.
Nevertheless, we of course forgive you and only look forward to good things.
Staying positive,
Rabs

Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

B'Shah Tova!! - (in a good, auspicious time!!)


excuses, excuses - Keep it Kosher!!:tu

Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

It can get political O-U vs. O-K, but nothing to write home about... Cheese fights are much more interesting!

Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

Another Question:
Do you listen to any Matisyahu at all?

Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

Under what circumstances would a Jew be permitted to perform their own ritual slaughter of a meat animal? Can you just be your own shochet and do it at home for your family's use?

Also, on the Jews killing Jesus thing.....I thought everyone who'd cracked a book or two knew that was a gross misstatement of the actual political climate of Rome at the time. There just wasn't any other way it could have turned out given the circumstances.

Basically you have a strongly expansionist Empire with the policy of managing subjugated peoples with considerable delicacy and tolerance for their diverse religious beliefs, but zero tolerance for inciting religious (and potentially armed) revolt against Rome. Governing all these far-flung conquered peoples is expensive, and they can't afford to piss off the indigenous people's fundamental beliefs and conservative elders too much, or their budget gets blown putting down too many revolts. Nope, they even build new and shinier temples to the gods of the folks they have conquered and propose to govern, because that's a strategy that works. They really work hard on keeping the conservative elements and the general populace happy. At the same time they have to firmly and swiftly put down any incitements to revolt at an early stage before they get expensive or impossible to manage. That's a delicate tightrope to walk.

Into this mix comes a long haired bearded guy claiming the title of king of the Jews, preaching in the streets, upsetting the conservative folks in the temples and generally formenting discontent and uprising. The Empire's representative (in this case Pontius Pilate) did according to standard policy for dealing with folks who rocked this particular boat. They'd done this before with other cult leaders sowing discontent in the Empire, and they did it again. Because it was this particular cult that survived to dominate the region, we hear rather more about Jesus than about the last dozen guys they nailed to a cross for doing the same thing. But from the perspective of the Roman Empire, at that time, there was no difference. He got whacked for being a rabble-rouser, basically, and that was just what they did to rabble-rousers back then.

So. Jews, not guilty. Roman Empire, guilty, but what they were guilty of was enforcing their own laws and edicts. Whether the laws and edicts of their time were "moral" according to modern standards is highly debatable, but they were the laws of the day. I don't have a moral judgment here, only a historical footnote on the context of that era's political climate.

Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

He went to my Yeshiva, I knew him before he was observant right before he came to yeshiva and our families are now very close.

No, I don't listen to him. Ever since I lived with a Rasta in college, I think I have had enough Reggae for one lifetime.

Also, Matis music isn't very good, IMHO.:2 But he has bought some jewish-awareness...

Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

Very informative.

A Schochet must study for and pass a litany of tests as far as their skill and knowledge and level of observance, as well as hands-on tests. Then they are certified as a Kosher Shochet. Once they are a Shochet they can shecht for their own family if they wish or a whole community. I know people who do both.

Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

The comment I made is actually a tweaked Monty Python reference from the Movie "Life Of Brian". It's from a movie that's set in the time of the emergence of Christ, and makes light of all the happenings of the time, and just how difficult, confusing, and non-sensical things were.
Personally, I spent my first 35 years wondering why everyone hated Jews. Growing up with my buddy, and loving him and his family as much as I did (and still do), I could never make sense of it. Ultimately I did a lot of studying and became pretty well educated in regards to Judaism as it applies socially throughout the centuries.
I'm a Christian. I've been taught that in order to secure my place in God's Kingdom, I need to accept Christ as my Savior.
Had not Christ died at the hands of the people of his time, the prophecy would not have been fulfilled and I'd be left soulless.
Were it not for the hand that Jews played in Christ's death, and his consequent rebirth, I would stand damned.
Worse yet, I'd not have my Faith, and I'd not be filled with the Love that is my God.
When I see it that way, it just further confuses me as to why Christians would have any bone with Jews at all. The Jewish influence in Christ's death literally secured my opportunity to accept Christ's Love, His teachings, and my opportunity to gain eternal life. Aside from that, my peace and happiness all is a direct result of my Faith, and my desire to emulate Christ's Love.


I've been upset since I read it. Not only the inference that I was something that I am not, but being overtly threatened for posting in a thread that the rules clearly state shouldn't exist in the first place. "No threads that are political or religious in nature will be allowed."
That's not to say I blame Dave at all. My careless choice of words put me in the predicament where I now stand, and I shouldn't have been participating in a thread I knew wasn't supposed to exist.

I've spent my life liivng, working with, and loving many very good friends who just so happen to practice Judaism. I've long thanked Judaism for not only giving birth to my God, teaching Him, and making Him the person He was, but directly and/or indirectly insuring my salvation by sending Him to his death, and ultimately allowing me to find Christianity.
I'll answer to God tonight for the trouble I've caused today, and I'll pray on it while I work out in the shop this afternoon.

Rabbi, any transaction you and I may or may not have had pales in comparison to my desire for your love, understanding and forgiveness. Those things matter to me.

I hope this helps you all to understand a little better what I'm made of, even if it falls far short of God's intent for me.
I'll continue to work on my shortcomings just as I do every day with the help of Christ. Expect me to screw up again. It happens despite my best efforts and best intentions.
Fortunately, by the Grace of God, the mindless hurt I cause people tends to get further apart every day.
Again, I hope you can all forgive me foir being insensitive, unthoughtful, inflammatory, and unthinking. I certainly know better. It's the practice that sometimes gives me fits. :)

Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

Why do people hate Jews is a good question. It basically boils down to politics and economics, as it usually does whenever one group hates another. Environmental resources are generally scarce, so evolution hardwires us to compete for them.

Homo sapiens, and indeed almost all social mammals, are fundamentally wired to think in terms of "my tribe" and "not my tribe". The reasons for this are fairly obvious; it has a direct impact on genetic survival. Primates in particular are wired to be aggressive and ugly to competing members of the same species who fall into the "not my tribe" category. Basically, we're still naked apes, only now it's nuclear warheads we're hurling instead of feces.

The rationale can be anything, really. It can range from what name you call your deities to what food you eat to making up factually inaccurate accusations (eg, "The Jews killed Jesus") to inflame hatred. It doesn't matter; we're still talking about the psychology of in-group versus out-group dynamics. And that's the game that monkeys play. It's a highly useful and functional game in terms of evolution and genetic survival, which is why we are unlikely to see it abandoned any time soon.

In case you can't tell, my religion is basically science. I don't generally have a very high personal opinion of any beliefs that can't be backed up in a peer-reviewed journal, though I do respect and sometimes admire the spirituality of others. Whether an individual believes in G-d, Satan, Almighty Isis, pink unicorns or the Flying Spaghetti Monster, it is not something I consider any of my business. It's personal to them, and as long as they don't try to pass laws to make everybody obey their particular religious taboos, we will get along just fine. Unfortunately monotheists have a tendency to do just that, and it annoys me rather a lot.

I do have a serious question for the rabbi. I am largely agnostic myself, but was raised in the Wiccan faith. My parents told me quite seriously that I should favor Jews over Christians in business dealings, because during hard times, Jews had a history of compassionately helping Witches, Romany gypsies, midwives, folk healers and others who were persecuted mercilessly by the Christians as "evil". In short, Christians would burn us or try to forcibly convert us, and Jews would respect us and help us. So that was their version of the in-group/out-group story. Any historical verification from the Jewish end possible here?

Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

That's all well and good, but do dogs really go to heaven? Pets? My mother seems to be under the impression that they do, but I have a much more metaphorical view on the afterlife (and considering animals do not really think...)

http://anination.free.fr/images/affiches/charlie.jpg

Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

Be well my friend!
Love, Understanding and forgiveness are wonderful traits to foster.

Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

:r no afterlife :r but we do miss my childhood dog Scooter...

Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

Jewish religion mandates respect for others and their beliefs. As mentioned in an above post, we do not preach, aim to convert or forcibly subject any non-Jews to embrace Judaism. This might be unique amongst world religions/philosophies. We are a "role" oriented faith, we have ours, you have yours... a non-Jewish persons role includes observing the 7 Laws of Noah (see www.noahide.org) consciously. Most of the nations of the world have embraced them, including our great country the USA.

The Seven Laws of Noah were recognized by the United States Congress in the preamble to the bill that established Education Day in honor of the 90th birthday of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the leader of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement:

Whereas Congress recognizes the historical tradition of ethical values and principles which are the basis of civilized society and upon which our great Nation was founded; Whereas these ethical values and principles have been the bedrock of society from the dawn of civilization, when they were known as the Seven Noahide Laws.

Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

Actually, the entire category of "Mystery Traditions" were right there before you.

In a mystery tradition, seekers must go through ordeals to qualify for initiation, and/or prove to their teachers that they are worthy and deeply committed before they are permitted to join the faith and given the key to the initatory mysteries. A fairly large number of indigenous and "folk" faiths would qualify for this designation. Wicca definitely does, as the most popular modern survival of the ancient British folk traditions.

The members of a non-proselytizing faith are still not immune from making war on out-groups, since they still compete for resources. Jews do have a significantly better track record in that department than other monotheists, and it's observed and appreciated.

If a fundamental principle of your faith is "live and let live, we do not need to make others follow our religious taboos", why is a prohibition against immoral sex acts included in the Noahide laws? Does any particular sex act between two or more consenting adults qualify as "immoral" by rabbinical judgment? If so, why?

Some other faiths, including the one I grew up in, have a rede to the effect of, "An it harm none, do as you will." In short, anything two (or three, or four, or five....) healthy consenting adults of any gender configuration choose do together in their own homes, in love or in lust, harms no one and should be fine by everyone. Consequently the only reason for passing a law against it is that it violates your own religious taboo or your personal sensibilities.

So.....if that's one of the Noahide laws that non-Jews are expected to abide by, what is the rationale behind it? And what constitutes sexual immorality according to this codification?

Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

Rabbi...

paper or plastic? :D

Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

probably paper, but I reuse my plastic as trashcan liners and for stinky diapers ;)

Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

Firstly, all of actions (even our speech and our thoughts) have an effect.

Secondly, the Noahide laws were given to Noach (and his family) after the flood, as he was to be the progenitor of all humanity and the world would not fail again. These are the pillars of a civilized society.
This book, Seven Colors of the Rainbow, by Yirmeyahu Bindman is one of the best, if not the best book on the Noahide Laws.

The following is from this website: http://www.hasidicuniversity.org/ind...acy/th_toc.htm
DISCLAIMER: I cannot say whether or not it is reputable, but they seem to know their stuff.
Search this website for further answers to your question(s).
Commandments Against Immoral Relations
(32 commandments)




Biblical:
+212)
To have multiple children

+213)
To marry a woman

+214)
For a groom to rejoice with his wife for one year


- 52)
No intermarriage between Jews and gentiles

- 262)
Not to withhold food, clothing, or intercourse from one’s wife

- 311)
Not to send a groom to duties away from home in his 1st year of marriage

- 330)
No relations with one’s mother

- 331)
No relations with one’s father’s wife

- 332)
No relations with one’s sister

- 333)
No relations with one’s father’s daughter

- 334)
No relations with one’s son’s daughter

- 335)
No relations with one’s daughter’s daughter

- 336)
No relations with one’s daughter

- 337)
No relations with a woman and with her daughter

- 338)
No relations with a woman and with her son’s daughter

- 339)
No relations with a woman and with her daughter’s daughter

- 340)
No relations with one’s father’s sister

- 341)
No relations with one’s mother’s sister

- 342)
No relations with the wife of one’s father’s brother

- 343)
No relations with the wife of one’s son

- 344)
No relations with the wife of one’s brother

- 345)
No relations with the sister of one’s wife

- 346)
No relations with a woman in her monthly period

- 347)
No adultery with a married woman

- 348)
For a man not to have relations with an animal

- 349)
For a woman not to have relations with an animal

- 350)
No homosexual relations

- 351)
No homosexual relations with one’s father

- 352)
No homosexual relations with the brother of one’s father

- 353)
No immodest contact that draws close to forbidden relations

- 355)
Not to have intercourse outside of formal marriage

- 356)
Not to remarry one’s divorced wife after she has remarried

Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

Thank you for answering, Rabbi. So is significant anti-gay prejudice encouraged by Jewish religious authorities? Eg, vote no on gay marriage and that sort of thing? Or do they take a more "let your own conscience be your guide" stance? What about gay Jews? Are they treated differently, or told not to have any relations, or told to "convert" to heterosexuality? What about intersexed and transgendered individuals?

Science says that this kind of thing is biological hardwiring, not a choice, so that makes it ethically kind of tough to condemn people who get born that way. How does the Jewish religion handle that?

Re: Ask The Rabbi!!
 

TanithT your questions (& responses:)) are very thought provoking, and also very lengthy, so you will excuse me if I refer you to sources, which are better anyway, for those who truly wish to explore (especially than my quick one-off answers).

This is the quintessential book on the subject:
Judaism and Homosexuality by Rabbi Chayim Rappaport (Vallentine Mitchell, 2004)
Being an extremely sensitive issue, Rabbi Rappaport does a brilliant job at portraying the Torah viewpoint towards homosexuality. Using a combination of Torah, medical, and psychological sources he uses an extremely empathetic tone in discussing the challenge of the homosexual as well as how the Jewish community should relate to these individuals. A brief article written by Rabbi Rappaport, “Judaism and Homosexuality”,


I hope this helps.