To Understand Is Not To Condone
Olivia Wiznitzer
Issue date: 10/3/08
http://media.www.yuobserver.com/media/storage/paper989/news/2008/10/03/ThoughtsOfStudentLeaders/To.Understand.Is.Not.To.Condone-3468312.shtml?reffeature=recentlycommentedstoriestabThere are many of us who struggle with our Judaism. Perhaps some of you have been blessed so that you do not have any such struggle, and the tenets of Judaism and its laws are as clear as day. But there are many of us who lack such clarity. And there are many of us who sin, whether it is knowingly or unknowingly. And yet, despite our sin, we struggle and strive to remain part of the Jewish community, to be better, or at least to focus on everything that we can do, everything that is in our ability. There are those of us who have gossiped about our peers, engaging in lashon hara [evil speech.] There are those of us who have broken the parameters of shomer negiah [not touching a member of the opposite sex.] There are doubtless those of us who have lied or have stolen. There are those of us who have embarrassed others in public, who have hurt others' feelings, or who have cruelly manipulated others for our own personal gain. And indeed, there are those of us who are homosexuals who practice mishkav zachar [lying with a male] and there are those of us who are transsexuals who transition.
