(14) There are four levels of interpretation for every verse in the Torah. These layers of meaning are known by the acronym of their terms, Pardes, which stands for peshat, remez, derash, and sod. Peshat is the literal and simple meaning of a verse. Remez is the hinted meaning such as lessons from gematria [numerology] and roshei teivos [first letter acronyms]. Derash is the homiletical interpretation such as lessons that emerge from the rules for resolving Scriptural difficulties, i.e., grappling with contradictory verses and their resolutions. Sod is the secret, mystical meaning.
The Story of Ruth and Naomi (adapted from the Jewish Women's Archive):
Ruth is a Moabite woman who marries an Israelite immigrant in Moab, Machlon. Machlon, his brothers, and his father all suddenly die, leaving their childless, non-Jewish widows completely disconnected from the Israelites and their former husbands’ family. Though the widows of Machlon's brothers leave to find new husbands, Ruth chooses to accompany her mother-in-law, Naomi, to Judah. Naomi protests the decision, but Ruth perseveres. She pledges total loyalty, even unto death, to Naomi, her people, and to Judaism. They travel back to Israel together to seek support from Machlon's distant family.
One day, when searching for food, Ruth meets a wealthy man named Boaz, a cousin of Machlon. Boaz allows Ruth to take food from his field and arranges for her safety while traveling as a solo young woman. At the insistence of Naomi, Ruth agrees without question to pursue marriage with Boaz. Naomi's plan calls for her to visit him on the threshing floor after he has celebrated the harvest and gone to sleep. She is to uncover his “feet,” a euphemism for genitals, and then wait for him to speak. Boaz takes her as his wife, and does yibbum with her (having a child to inherit Machlon's land)- and Naomi, presumably, continues to live with them until the end of her life.
Though the story portrays complex (and sometimes manipulative) relationships between Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz, Ruth is exalted in the Hebrew Bible for her devotion to Naomi and the Jewish people. She is considered the first Jewish convert and is the great-grandmother of King David.
He [Rabbi Shmuel] did not allow them [his daughters] to lie next to one another. Let us say that this supports the opinion of Rav Huna, as Rav Huna said: Women who rub against one another motivated by sexual desire are disqualified from marrying into the priesthood. The act renders a woman a zona [whore]. It is prohibited for a priest to marry her (Tosafot).
From Peninei Halakha:
The Torah admonishes, “You shall not copy the practices of the land of Egypt where you dwelt…nor shall you follow their laws” (Vayikra 18:3). The Sages explained (Sifra ad loc.) that the “practices of the land of Egypt” are “a man marrying a man, a woman marrying a woman, and a woman marrying two men” (MT, Laws of Sexual Prohibitions 21:8; SA EH 20:2).
Some Tanna’im and Amora’im maintain that a woman who is intimate with another woman is considered a zona, who may not marry a kohen. The Torah restricts kohanim from marrying certain women: “They shall not marry a zona or ḥalala, nor shall they marry one divorced from her husband. For they are holy to their G-d” (Vayikra 21:7). However, in practice the halakha does not follow this opinion. While lesbian sex is considered promiscuous, a woman who engages in it is not considered a zona, and thus may marry a kohen. Certainly, a married woman who engages in it is not forbidden to her husband (as would be a woman who commits adultery), since this activity involves no penetration in the way that a man penetrates a woman (Yevamot 76a; Rambam ad loc.).[17]
From "Anarchism and Other Essays," Emma Goldman
Marriage and love have nothing in common; they are as far apart as the poles; are, in fact, antagonistic to each other. No doubt some marriages have been the result of love. Not, however, because love could assert itself only in marriage; much rather is it because few people can completely outgrow a convention.
Не хочу тебя сегодня.
Пусть язык твой будет нем.
Память, суетная сводня,
Не своди меня ни с кем.
Не мани по темным тропкам,
По оставленным местам
К этим дерзким, этим робким
Зацелованным устам.
С вдохновеньем святотатцев
Сердце взрыла я до дна.
Из моих любовных святцев
Вызываю имена.
"No, Today I Do Not Want You" by Sophia Parnok
No, today I do not want you,
Memory, so just hold your tongue,
You vainglorious procuress,
Don’t procure me anyone.
Don’t seduce me down dark alleys,
To the places left behind –
To the bold or to the timid
Lips I’ve kissed so many times.
Sacrilegiously inspired,
I have ploughed my heart soil up, –
Rooting out the names of lovers
From my sacred calendars.
מצד אחד, הרגשתי שמשהו בי לא בסדר. לא ידעתי להגיד שאני לסבית, אבל היו לי קשרים עם חברות נפש ושם זה הרגיש נכון, זה הרגיש בטוח. מצד שני, הייתי לקראת סיום י"ב וכל החיים לימדו אותי שבחורה בגילי צריכה להתחתן וחיי נישואים זה מה שנכון וזו דרך התורה.
חודש לפני החתונה הפנו אותי לטיפול של רב גדול מבני ברק. הלכתי עם ההורים שלי והוא אמר לנו שצריך לבטל, אם זה המצב... באותו זמן הכרתי את מי שהיום היא ארוסתי ובעזרת השם תהיה אשתי בחודש הבא.
אבא שלי הוא איש ציבור, אז מן הסתם שאני עוזרת לו במה שצריך, בגביית כספים ובחגים. והוא אפילו דורש שאני אעזור ורוצה שאני אגיע לאירועים. הוא לא מחביא אותי. וחברה שלי באה איתי לכל מקום, אבל לא אומרים לנו שום דבר, לא מדברים על זה. לא שואלים שאלות. יודעים ומסכימים. אני לא באה איתה ואומרת: 'זו בת הזוג שלי', אבל אני מניחה שהם מבינים. לפעמים, אי קבלה היא גם סוג של קבלה אם מכבדים אותנו.
אני נגד הבריחה לתל אביב, ואני קוראת לזה בריחה כי דווקא כאן חשוב להראות שיש קהילה גאה. אני לא עושה דווקא, לא פוגעת באף אחד, לא מתנשקת ברחוב מתוך צניעות. ואני מצפה לאותו כבוד. אני החרדית היחידה באזור שיודעת שהיא לסבית.
Racheli (pseudonym), 27 years old, eldest among seven siblings, grew up and was educated in Haredi settings in a small town in central Israel. Now, she is out of the closet and intends to marry another Haredi woman and raise children together. Read the whole article here.
...
"On the one hand, I felt that something was wrong with me. I didn't know how to say that I was a lesbian, but I had soul connections with female friends and there it felt right, it felt safe. On the other hand, I was nearing the end of the 12th grade and my whole life I was taught that a girl my age should get married and married life is what is right and is the way of the Torah."
...
"A month before the wedding [to a man], I was referred to the care of a great rabbi from Bnei Brak [Haredi neighborhood] and he told us that we should cancel... At that time I met the person who today is my fiancée and, with G-d's help, will be my wife next month."
...
"My father is a public figure, so I obviously help him with what is needed, collecting money and on holidays. He even demands that I help and wants me to come to events. He does not hide me. And my girlfriend comes with me everywhere, but no one says anything about it. They don't ask questions. I don't come with her and say: 'She's my partner,' but I guess they understand. Sometimes, non-acceptance can also be a form of acceptance, if they respect us."
...
"I am against fleeing to Tel Aviv, and I call it fleeing because it is important to show that there is a proud community here. I don't hurt anyone, I don't kiss in the street out of modesty. And I expect the same respect. I am the only Haredi woman in the area that knows she is a lesbian."
From "Lesbian Rabbis: The First Generation":
Some of choose the rabbinate and the study of Judaism because we hope to come home to a world of moral discourse and ongoing conversation of the ingredients of a just, inclusive society that we believe is our inheritance as Jews. When we enter the world of Jewish studies, however, we often find ourselves in a hierarchical, heterosexist, deeply patriarchal universe. We marvel at the ability of our teachers, many of whom we respect and admire, not only to make peace with, but to become advocates for a tradition that can seem elitist, particularistic, and narrow... Others of us come to the rabbinate out of a conviction that the experience of the outsider, or the outlaw, is essential to understanding the human condition, and that those who ask questions from a particularly lesbian perspective will help Judaism to survive.