On Coming Out

As God blessed our ancestors as they came out from Egypt, may you be blessed as you come out as lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender/queer.  Let the wisdom of your ancestors guide you as you begin this new journey through life.  May you learn from Moses to enjoy every day of the journey, because there is no guarantee of reaching the Promised Land.  May you learn from Lot’s wife to keep your gaze on the horizon, because living in the past freezes you in your tracks.  May you learn from Joseph that there is a place in the world for a dreamer.  May you learn from Ruth and Naomi that love, friendship and loyalty are not the entitlements of family, but its main ingredients.  And may you learn from Caleb and Joshua to have the courage of your convictions and to find sweetness and hope in all that you set your eyes upon.

בְּרוּכֵים אָתֶּם בְּבֹאָכֶם וּבְרוּכִים אָתֶּם בְּצֵאתְכֶם
May you be blessed in your coming home and in your coming out.
 

Originally published in Siddur B’chol L’vavcha by Congregation Beth Simchat Torah (pg. 173, 2008 edition). Used here with permission of CBST

 

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