וַיִּבְרָא אֱלֹהִים אֶת הָאָדָם בְּצַלְמוֹ בְּצֶלֶם אֱלֹהִים בָּרָא אֹתוֹ זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה בָּרָא אֹתָם:
Genesis 1:27, "God created the adam in God's image; in the image of God [God] created him— male and female [God] created them."
Rabbi Wenig, "Men, women, and every possibility in between were created simultaneously. This verse is a merism, a figure of speech in which a totality is expressed by two contrasting parts (e.g. "young and old," "thick and thin," "near and far."). . . God created male and female and every combination in between."
[From Jewish Mosaic, www.jewishmosaic.org]
Suggested Discussion Questions:
1. What are the implications of this interpretation for the role of gender in Judaism?
2. What does it mean for transgender Jews that there are "combinations" of male and female created at the beginning of time?
Time Period: Contemporary (The Yom Kippur War until the present-day)