Mitzvah —
157
Not to have homosexual sexual relations
This page is incomplete.
Help complete the
Mitzvah Minute website.
Do a Mitzvah — Join us in building a living digital Beit Midrash — your partnership makes it possible.
-
וְאֶ֨ת־זָכָ֔ר לֹ֥א תִשְׁכַּ֖ב מִשְׁכְּבֵ֣י אִשָּׁ֑ה תּוֹעֵבָ֖ה הִֽוא׃ - פָּרָשַׁת אַחֲרֵי מוֹת
-
Leviticus 18:22 - "You shall not lie down with a male, as with a woman: this is an abomination."
This Mitzvah's Summary
מִצְוָה עֲשֵׂה - Positive Commandment
מִצְוָה לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה - Negative Commandment
Holiness – קְדוּשָּׁה
Forbidden for a man to have homosexual relations with another man.
This mitzvah prohibits male homosexual relations. The Torah defines such an act as a to’evah (abomination), emphasizing its severity and its contradiction to the sanctity of Israel’s moral code. While Torah law demands compassion and dignity toward all people, it also establishes clear sexual boundaries that preserve holiness, family life, and societal order.
Commentary & Classical Explanation:
- Rambam (Hilchot Issurei Bi’ah 1:14): Rules that homosexual intercourse is a capital offense, categorized among the arayot (forbidden unions).
- Sefer HaChinuch (Mitzvah 209): The root is to distance Israel from depraved practices of surrounding nations and to sanctify intimate life.
- Talmud (Sanhedrin 54a): Discusses the details of liability and punishment, underscoring the Torah’s view of its severity.
Commentaries
(Source: Chabad.org)
