This week we enter into the Torah portion Ki Teitzei, which begins in Deuteronomy 21:10. This week's Torah portion contains 74 mitzvot or commandments. There are 613 commandments listed in the Torah, and this week's Torah portion contains the greatest number. This portion is always read in the Jewish month of Elul as we prepare for Rosh Hashanah, and with all of the commandments mentioned in this week's Torah, it serves as a reminder to us as we end the year and prepare for the next that we must be especially careful about our behavior towards others.
The teachings of the Torah have been the cornerstone of Jewish morality and ethics. Some believe many of the teachings in the Torah or outdated. I disagree. The teachings are timely reflections on contemporary society. Ki Teitzei, a portion rich in its commandments, provides an opportune moment to contemplate issues of identity, especially in light of the transgender community and the many politicians trying to pass laws aimed at hurting people.
Today's transgender community is under attack because of lies and misinformation; trans people deserve basic human rights. Some have used the verse Deuteronomy 22:5 to weaponize and hurt Trans people and non-binary folks. The verse reads:
A woman must not put on man's apparel, nor shall a man wear woman's clothing; for whoever does these things is abhorrent to the LORD your God.
Some will also use this verse to delegitimize the experiences of transgender and non-binary people. However, such interpretations are reductive and fail to appreciate the depth and nuance of Jewish thought.
Both Rashi and Maimonides, seminal Jewish scholars from different generations, have indicated that the prohibition is not about the act of wearing clothing traditionally assigned to another gender. Instead, it's about intent and the potential outcomes of such actions. If a person cross-dresses with the intention of committing adultery or idol worship – essentially actions that lead one away from God and harm relationships – then it becomes a concern. Transgender people, in expressing their true gender identity, do so to be more authentic to themselves and, in many ways, to be closer to the image of the Creator in which they were made.
To regard transgender individuals as simply 'cross-dressing' or misrepresenting themselves is a grave misunderstanding. A transgender woman wearing a dress is not a man wearing women's clothing; she is a woman wearing women's clothing. The same goes for a transgender man wearing a suit. They are not misrepresenting themselves but rather aligning their external appearance with their true, inner self.
It's worth noting that many transgender individuals describe their pre-transition period as a time of immense concealment and misrepresentation. In essence, when they were not allowed or did not have the means to express their authentic gender, they felt they were in violation of the Torah's spirit, having to hide their divine reflection.
In light of this, supporting transgender rights becomes not just a secular or political stance but a deeply spiritual and Jewish one. By supporting transgender people in their journey, we acknowledge that every soul is a reflection of the Divine and deserves to express that image in its fullest, most authentic form. We should remember that every morning we are to take upon ourselves the commandment of The Creator To love my neighbor as myself. In supporting and standing beside our transgender brothers and sisters, we embody this commandment.
To conclude, as we reflect upon the teachings of Ki Teitzei and move forward in our lives, let us strive to cultivate understanding, empathy, and solidarity. Let us recognize the Divine image in every individual, irrespective of their gender identity, and support their right to live authentically and joyously.
A Playlist for the Month of Elul. To help us reflect on this past year as we head into our holy season.
Sandra, this is beautifully said and written with a real understanding and clarity. My daughter is 25 and transgender and while I don't recall seeing a lot of her angst about being in the wrong body until she transitioned around 15 years old, the emergence of this woman into a smart talented and confident person was obvious. She's stepped into who she really is...and I couldn't be prouder .
I also want to express some thoughts on that final paragraph. And when I'm studying Torah so much of my study comes from trying to look at the text as metaphor... And as I read this text about wearing the clothing of the other gender I'm taken not from outward appearance rather from a sense of roles - or outward expression. For so long we've looked at men or masculine and female or feminine as their own specific roles with specific actions, feelings, expectations, and expression of emotion for example.
Likewise I think it also discusses the inward expression of this binary. The idea of taking on the roles or the emotions or the actions that might be considered feminine or masculine from our inward feelings of who we are. And I really think that this text is so much bigger than the binary. In fact as I write this I think it's really telling us not to engage in the binary. By suggesting that a man shouldn't wear the clothing of a woman with a woman shouldn't wear the clothing of a man I think it's offering a broader invitation to suggest that perhaps these two categories aren't enough to embrace who we are as a whole person. That perhaps we all wear aspects of the male and the female; the Divine Masculine and the Divine Feminine, and that we ought to step outside of these labels and embrace being Human which is different in all of us. And that humanity is the key to being a global community.
Rabbi, I hear what you are trying to say, but I find myself disagreeing with it. Transgender people are not just being true to themselves, they are also making demands on others that others are often uncomfortable meeting. Also, they often undergo severe medical procedures that drain the medical system and compromise their own health in incalculable ways for the rest of their lives. No matter what they do and how they feel about themselves, a biological male cannot be a woman, and a biological woman cannot be a man.