Editing Jewish views on homosexuality (section)

===Prohibitions for homosocial interaction===

The laws of {{transliteration|he|[[negiah]]}} prohibit affectionate touch between an unmarried man and woman (except close relatives), [[Judaism and sexuality|because this touch is considered "approaching" a forbidden relationship.]]<ref>[[Sifre]], Acharei Mot, 13:2; [[Mishneh Torah]], Issurei Biah 21:1; Maimonides and Nahmanides debate whether this law is biblical or rabbinic.</ref> As gay male sex is included in the category of {{transliteration|he|[[Forbidden relationships in Judaism|arayot]]}} along with other sexual prohibitions,<ref>[[Mishneh Torah]], Issurei Biah 1:4</ref> the prohibition of {{transliteration|he|negiah}} would seem to also apply between two [[gay men]]. Nevertheless, some sources raise the possibility that the law may be more lenient for two men than for a man and a woman.<ref>For example, [[Yosef Shalom Elyashiv]] (Kobetz Teshuvot 3:184): דווקא בבא על הזכר, אבל בבא דרך איברים על הזכר לא שייך איסור וחיוב מלקות על הקריבה... שהרי לדעת הרמב"ם בכלל איסור קריבה גם חיבוק ונישוק, ואיסור זה לא שייך באיש לאיש... אמנם ודאי חיבוק ונישוק זכר לזכר אין בכלל הלאו הנ"ל, ובזה יש לומר דהוי ליה כאב לבתו ואם לבנה... אבל בזכר הבא על אחר דרך איברים מנא לן לחלק בזה, והרי לפי המנחת חינוך בבא על הזכר חייב גם על הקריבה? אכן ממה שכתב הרמב"ם בפרק א' מאיסורי ביאה... וכתב המגיד משנה... משמע שאין בזה אלא איסור מדבריהם..."</ref> The consensus seems to be that touch between gay men which involves sexual desire is rabbinically forbidden, while touch which does not involve sexual desire is permitted.<ref name=yr>Yonatan Rosensweig, התמודדות מקראית פרשנית הלכתית ומחשבתית עם משכב זכר</ref>

Another issue is the prohibition of {{transliteration|he|[[yichud]]}} (seclusion of two individuals together in a manner that would allow them to have sex). The Talmud records a debate over whether {{transliteration|he|yichud}} applies to any two men.<ref>Mishna Kiddushin 4:14; Kiddushin 82a</ref> [[Maimonides]], [[Arbaah Turim|Tur]], and [[Shulchan Aruch]] rule leniently that {{transliteration|he|yichud}} of two men is permitted, because "Jews are not suspected of homosexual sex".<ref>[[Mishneh Torah]], Issurei Biah 22:2; Tur Even Haezer 24:1; Shulchan Aruch Even Haezer 24:1</ref> Nevertheless, the Shulchan Aruch recommended to avoid such {{transliteration|he|yichud}}, "in these generations where promiscuous people are common" (possibly a reference to the use of [[Köçek]] dancer-prostitutes in the Ottoman Empire at the time). However, this recommendation was not repeated by later authorities.<ref>For example: Yam Shel Shlomo, Kiddushin 4:23; [[Moshe Isserles|Rema]], Yoreh Deah 153:1; [[Vilna Gaon]], Yoreh Deah 153:3; [[Aruch Hashulchan]], Even Haezer 24:6</ref>

Based on the precedents that {{transliteration|he|yichud}} can apply to two men in a circumstance where homosexual behavior is a concern, a modern [[Halakha|halakhic]] authority rules that two men cannot be alone together if both of them are homosexual.<ref name=stav>[https://www.tzohar.org.il/wp-content/uploads/memalef.pdf דיני ייחוד לבעלי נטייה חד־מינית] (p. 81-100)</ref> Opinions also exist that the prohibition only applies to two men who are in a relationship with each other, or that there is no technical prohibition at all if they are confident they can avoid forbidden touch (but they should still avoid sharing a bedroom).<ref name=yr/>