Q&A: Do Not Stray
Do Not Stray
Question
Hello Rabbi, is it forbidden for a man to entertain sexual thoughts about another man? And does the sexual orientation of the person doing the thinking make any difference?
Answer
It seems to me that it is forbidden. What difference would it make?
Discussion on Answer
Thoughts about forbidden sexual acts and incestuous prohibitions are forbidden thoughts. Why should there be such a distinction? Some have defined the forbidden thought as a thought that could lead to a forbidden sexual act.
Who are the ones who defined the prohibition only if it would lead to a forbidden sexual act?
And did their definition refer only to the Torah-level prohibition, or was that how they understood the prohibition on the rabbinic level as well?
I don't have time to look it up right now. See, for example, here:
https://ph.yhb.org.il/14-04-06/
Is there not an understanding among the halakhic decisors that the prohibitions of sexual immorality in thought apply only to a man thinking about a woman? I seem to remember a halakhic discussion in which it was agreed by all sides that there is no prohibition on masturbation, and more generally it seems that all the laws of modesty speak about a woman's body. And if the Rabbi sees this as a prohibition, is he claiming that the prohibition is sexual thoughts regardless of the object of the thought? An extreme example could be animals or even inanimate objects that some rare individuals are attracted to.