In an interview (in Hebrew) that was sharply criticized even by some rabbis who generally identify with him, Rabbi Shlomo Riskin opined that the Biblical prohibition on homosexual relations only applies to one who voluntarily chooses homosexuality, but that one who considers himself wired as homosexual and feels that he can only experience intimacy with another man is exempt from the prohibition. Rabbi Riskin applied the Talmudic axiom of “ones Rachmana patreh” — that the Torah does not hold one accountable for an involuntary act — as his source for this whopper of a “heter” (halachic leniency).
Hence, Rabbi Riskin and others who invoked “ones Rachmana patreh” to permit homosexual relations are wholly in error and are contradicted by the Talmud and all halachic codes. This important point needs to be made.
Furthermore, how could Rabbi Riskin and others sincerely believe that this gaping-hole exception exists, in light of the fact that it is totally absent from the Talmud, all subsequent halachic codes and all writings of rabbinic commentators? Such a massive exception would surely have appeared in large print, so to say, in the canonical sources of Jewish Law.
Sorry Rabbi Walder and Rabbi Eichenstein, planned suicide after threats to esihes ish, and keeping a loaded revolver in tefillin bag, are not permitted by the Torah.
ReplyDeleteWell taken to its logical, if absurd conclusion, given that liberals are trying to bestow "personhood" on higher animals like apes, Riskin might conclude that in certain cases bestiality would be permissible. (Assuming the gorilla didn't rip him to shreds first)
ReplyDeleteRav Ariel shlita clearly disagrees with R Riskin
ReplyDeletehttps://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4829648,00.html
what is wrong with giving personhood to apes? They are smarter than some humans.
ReplyDeleteKinder. Not smarter.
ReplyDeleteI don't get how Rabbi Riskin got to be a chief rabbi. It wasn't based on his paskening ability.
ReplyDeletealso
ReplyDeleteIt is very simple. He is not cheif rabbi he just calls himself that
ReplyDelete. Under current Israeli law, the post of Chief Rabbi exists in only four cities (Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Beersheba). In other cities there may be one main rabbi to whom the other rabbis of that city defer, but that post is not officially the "Chief Rabbi".
In other words he has been lying about that for umpteen years.
This explains loads about him.