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Rosh Hashanah: What I Got Wrong About Sex, Gender, and G-d

Rosh Hashanah: What I Got Wrong About Sex, Gender, and G-d

Last updated on: September 10, 2026 at 1:59 pm by Rebecca Wallace Keene

Rosh Hashanah: What I Got Wrong About Sex, Gender, and G-d 2026-09-10T13:59:32-04:00 Rebecca Wallace Keene

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Rosh Hashanah: What I Got Wrong About Sex, Gender, and G-d made with ChatGPT by Rebecca Keene

Rosh Hashanah: What I Got Wrong About Sex, Gender, and G-d

On Rosh Hashanah we blow the shofar. The sound of the ram’s horn is a call to wake up and examine the person we have been and who we want to be in the future. It is also a time of repenting and forgiveness. This year, these themes have become very literal for me as I work toward being a more honest version of myself.

Teshuvah on Rosh Hashanah

Teshuvah isn’t simply about saying we’re sorry for wrongdoings. It means examining what happened, changing the behavior moving forward, and making amends where we can. As we approach Rosh Hashanah, I’ve spent a lot of time in self-reflection, and I’ve determined I now need to take action toward living a more authentic life, especially in relation to my writing.

Reclaiming MY Truth on Rosh Hashanah

I am not the same person I was when Reclaiming the Truth first began and I wrote Faith Under the Rainbow. Growth means that sometimes our opinions change as we become better informed, examine new things within ourselves, and focus on G-d rather than mankind and its problems. Sometimes that means that things we once defended we wouldn’t defend anymore.

If Reclaiming the Truth is going to stay true to its name, then I must stay true to my own truth. I’ve spent the year since last Rosh Hashanah avoiding saying things have changed, but now it is time for teshuvah, time to turn around. I still believe G-d loves all people and that the Hebrew Bible supports love between consensual adults, but if I were writing Faith Under the Rainbow today, I would do a lot differently.

Transgender

First and foremost, I would not defend transgender people. While the New Testament has language that is accepting of it, The Torah is quite clear that bodily mutilation is unacceptable. Deuteronomy 23:1 tells us, “No one who has been emasculated by crushing or cutting may enter the assembly of the LORD.” I’ve also learned a lot more about the operations themselves and that the person never truly changes sex. A male who becomes a woman still cannot become pregnant. A woman who becomes a man cannot produce viable sperm. Therefore, the procedure is mostly cosmetic and has been spoken against by G-d.

Consensual Relationships

Further, while I stand by the fact that the Hebrew Bible is supportive of adult consensual relationships gay or straight, I would encourage readers of my book to really sit with what actually caused their attraction to the same sex, not because it’s wrong or a sin but because sometimes, we look over things within ourselves that need healing. That being said, any adult consensual relationship is acceptable. The story of David and Jonathan certainly makes that clear, but if I were writing the book today, I wouldn’t want to say, well, you were born that way and leave the reader there. For some of us, that might be true. For others, however, myself included, something happened to us that caused attraction to shift. Neither answer makes the relationship a sin, but it’s good self-knowledge to have because healing should never be avoided.

Also, I would encourage each person to determine how G-d wants them to live out their sexuality for themselves. I really don’t think I or anyone has the right to make the call about what G-d feels is right for another human. Your relationship with G-d has to be your own. You are the one that has to live it daily, and that’s what I am trying to do now. I am trying to correct course and live out my sexuality in a manner that pleases both G-d and myself.

That is teshuvah. That is what the ram’s horn has called me to for the last two years on Rosh Hashanah. What is the sound of the Shofar saying to you this year? Whatever it is, I hope you follow The Voice, find renewal, and become the person G-d is calling you to become. Shana Tova!

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About Rebecca Keene

Rebecca Keene holds a B.S. in Psychology and Religion and is currently pursuing an M.A. in Women, Gender, Spirituality, and Social Justice. An ordained minister, Kabbalah student, and fierce advocate for the marginalized, she is the author of Faith Under the Rainbow: Reclaiming the Truth About Homosexuality and the Bible. Rebecca founded the social media community Reclaiming the Truth and lives in Kentucky, where she practices Non-Denominational Judaism. Read Rebecca's articles at Reclaiming the Truth. You can read more about the author here.

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