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Happy Thursday once again everyone. This week’s parsha was Kedoshim. Typically we would read Kedoshim along with last week’s Parsha- Parsha Acharaie Mot, but since this year is a leap year, it’s divided up.
Kedoshim is full of controversial prohibitions around sex. Highlights include: no same sex relations between men (possible to interpret differently), no sex during menstruation, and lots of death penalties for committing any offense:
If a man commits adultery with another’s wife—committing adultery with the wife of his fellow [Israelite]—the adulterer and the adulteress shall be put to death. If a man lies with his father’s wife, it is the nakedness of his father that he has uncovered; the two shall be put to death—and they retain the bloodguilt. If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall be put to death; they have committed incest—and they retain the bloodguilt. If a man lies with a male as one lies with a woman, the two of them have done an abhorrent thing; they shall be put to death—and they retain the bloodguilt. If a man marries a woman and her mother, it is depravity; both he and they shall be put to the fire, that there be no depravity among you. If a man has carnal relations with a beast, he shall be put to death; and you shall kill the beast. If a woman approaches any beast to mate with it, you shall kill the woman and the beast; they shall be put to death—and they retain the bloodguilt.
If a man marries his sister, the daughter of either his father or his mother, so that he sees her nakedness and she sees his nakedness, it is a disgrace; they shall be excommunicated in the sight of their kinsfolk. He has uncovered the nakedness of his sister, he shall bear the guilt. If a man lies with a woman during her menstrual condition and uncovers her nakedness, he has laid bare her flow and she has exposed her blood flow; both of them shall be cut off from among their people. You [males] shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister or of your father’s sister, for that is laying bare one’s own flesh; they shall bear their guilt. If a man lies with his uncle’s wife, it is his uncle’s nakedness that he has uncovered. They shall bear their guilt: they shall die childless. If a man marries the wife of his brother, it is indecency. It is the nakedness of his brother that he has uncovered; they shall remain childless.
The primary focus of the laws is how to be kadosh (holy and/or separate). In my weekly parsha group we discussed how the laws laid out can be viewed as practical, with regard to parentage. Alternatively, the laws may come from a desire to keep a new people separate and different from those around them. So this could be seen like kashrut- making rules around sex that help keep Jewish people distinctly Jewish.
However, the seeming bigotry is hard to ignore. Have at it in the comments. I am sorry this isn’t longer, I am not okay, and was barely able to slop this out.