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Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz zt”l, writes that the explanation is that the
essence of Peor worship was the tearing down of all fences of restraint
– for even idolaters have restraints and must show their idol respect
and worship it. By contrast, Peor worshippers had no restraints, ut-
terly disgracing even their own idol. Their worldview contained no
value that demanded honor and respect. Moreover, they invented an
idol whose entire worship consisted of disgracing it and the worse
its adherents disgraced it, the better they were considered to be serv-
ing it. Its power of attraction is obvious, for it represented the idea
that there are no restraints on human conduct and that nothing is
off limits [i.e. anything goes, the more disgusting the better]. This
idea certainly exerts powerful attraction, for we see it persisting even
in our own times. Despite the inclination to worship idols having
been annulled, this worldview which espouses breaking down every
restraint, insisting that there is nothing that is forbidden and that
there is no check whatsoever upon anything a person wants to do,
exists even in our time and is gaining traction and persuading the
young generation.

According to what we have learned about the pull of Baal Peor,
which indulged the desire to break down all fences of restraint every
principle of morality, which is akin to sinning in provocation -- the
attraction of homosexuality can be understood in the same light.
There is nothing pleasurable about it, only the desire to rebel and to
provoke. The Torah therefore says about it “They angered Him with
abominations,” because homosexuality angers the Creator.

A further approach to understanding the lure of homosexuality
can be found in the Ramban’s comments on the passuk,“to add [pun-
ishment] for intoxication [i.e. for sins done mindlessly] to thirst [i.e.
sins done intentionally, with desire].” (Devarim 29,18) The Ramban
writes: “For the person who desires lechery with beautiful women,
once he is steeped in fornication will be stimulated to desire relations
with males and with animals, as is the pattern with other abomina-
tions.”

From his comments too we learn that homosexuality is not an in-
born mental aberration but moral deterioration following overindul-

332 1 Medical-Halachic Responsa of Rav Zilberstein