The Bi-gendered Being
אָמַר רַבִּי יִרְמְיָה בֶּן אֶלְעָזָר בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁבָּרָא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֶת אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן, אַנְדְּרוֹגִינוֹס בְּרָאוֹ, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (בראשית ה, ב): זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה בְּרָאָם.
Said Rabbi Yirmyah ben Elazar: When the Holy One created Adam, He created him as an androgynous person. This is as is written (Bereishit 5:2): "Male and female He created them."
אָמַר רַבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר נַחְמָן בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁבָּרָא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן, אַנְדְּרוֹגִינוֹס בְּרָאוֹ, אָמַר רֵישׁ לָקִישׁ בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁנִּבְרָא דוּ פַּרְצוּפִין נִבְרָא וּנְסָרוֹ וְנַעֲשָׂה שְׁנַיִם גַּבִּים, גַּב לְזָכָר גַּב לִנְקֵבָה
Said Rav Shmuel bar Nachman: When the Holy One, blessed be He, created the first man, he created him as an androgynous being. Reish Lakish: When it was created, dual faces [together] were created, and it was cut, and two were made. [One] back was male, [one] back was female.
Beyond Son's and Daughters
The generations after and including Seth are all born in this same way: a parent lives a certain number of years and begets one specific child; the parent lives a few more years and begets numerous unnamed "sons and daughters;" and then the parent's years are summed up, and they pass away.
Besides for the generations after Adam, the other place in Tanakh where we see a person set aside from, and compared to, "sons and daughters" is in Isaiah, who says that sarisim are beloved to Hashem, and will be given a "yad va'shem," a hand and a name, better than sons or daughters.
Sarisim are one of the 6 gender/sex categories laid out by our tradition. They are often referred to as "eunuchs;" they have been reclaimed as trans women; and they have the lexical foundation, from the root of the word saris, of being "uprooters," or radical presences in society.
Thus, Torah, when comparing a person to "sons and daughters," indicates that that person is distinct from the 'zachar u'nikeiva,' the male and female binary, and a trans figure themselves. Since Adam is known as androginos, and Seth is made in their image and set aside from sons and daughters; and Seth's child Enosh is also set aside from sons and daughters, and so on; we can carry this through from Adam to Noach in chapter 5, and then in Chapter 11, we see the same formula - beget a named child, live a few more years, beget unnamed "sons and daughters" - carry us from Noach all the way to Avram Avinu.
(ג) וַֽיְחִ֣י אָדָ֗ם שְׁלֹשִׁ֤ים וּמְאַת֙ שָׁנָ֔ה וַיּ֥וֹלֶד בִּדְמוּת֖וֹ כְּצַלְמ֑וֹ וַיִּקְרָ֥א אֶת־שְׁמ֖וֹ שֵֽׁת׃ (ד) וַיִּֽהְי֣וּ יְמֵי־אָדָ֗ם אַֽחֲרֵי֙ הוֹלִיד֣וֹ אֶת־שֵׁ֔ת שְׁמֹנֶ֥ה מֵאֹ֖ת שָׁנָ֑ה וַיּ֥וֹלֶד בָּנִ֖ים וּבָנֽוֹת׃
(3) When Adam had lived 130 years, he begot a son in his likeness after his image, and he named him Seth. (4) After the birth of Seth, Adam lived 800 years and begot sons and daughters.
(ז) וַֽיְחִי־שֵׁ֗ת אַֽחֲרֵי֙ הוֹלִיד֣וֹ אֶת־אֱנ֔וֹשׁ שֶׁ֣בַע שָׁנִ֔ים וּשְׁמֹנֶ֥ה מֵא֖וֹת שָׁנָ֑ה וַיּ֥וֹלֶד בָּנִ֖ים וּבָנֽוֹת׃
(7) After the birth of Enosh, Seth lived 807 years and begot sons and daughters.
(לב) וַֽיְהִי־נֹ֕חַ בֶּן־חֲמֵ֥שׁ מֵא֖וֹת שָׁנָ֑ה וַיּ֣וֹלֶד נֹ֔חַ אֶת־שֵׁ֖ם
(32) When Noah had lived 500 years, Noah begot Shem
(11) After the birth of Arpachshad, Shem lived 500 years and begot sons and daughters.
(כז) וְאֵ֙לֶּה֙ תּוֹלְדֹ֣ת תֶּ֔רַח תֶּ֚רַח הוֹלִ֣יד אֶת־אַבְרָ֔ם
(27) Now this is the line of Terah: Terah begot Abram
(ד) כִּי־כֹ֣ה ׀ אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֗ה לַסָּֽרִיסִים֙ אֲשֶׁ֤ר יִשְׁמְרוּ֙ אֶת־שַׁבְּתוֹתַ֔י וּבָֽחֲר֖וּ בַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר חָפָ֑צְתִּי וּמַחֲזִיקִ֖ים בִּבְרִיתִֽי׃ (ה) וְנָתַתִּ֨י לָהֶ֜ם בְּבֵיתִ֤י וּבְחֽוֹמֹתַי֙ יָ֣ד וָשֵׁ֔ם ט֖וֹב מִבָּנִ֣ים וּמִבָּנ֑וֹת שֵׁ֤ם עוֹלָם֙ אֶתֶּן־ל֔וֹ אֲשֶׁ֖ר לֹ֥א יִכָּרֵֽת׃ (ס)
(4) For thus said the LORD: “As for the sarisim who keep My sabbaths, Who have chosen what I desire And hold fast to My covenant— (5) I will give them, in My House And within My walls, a monument and a name Better than sons or daughters. I will give them an everlasting name which shall not perish.
Tumtumim, Aylonit
Here in Masechet Yevamoys, we see Avram and Sarai described as nonbinary, and the kashe, or rabbinic difficulty, is not whether they are trans, but what type of trans they are, since Rabbi Nahman says Sarai was not a tumtum, but rather an aylonit.
אמר רבי אמי אברהם ושרה טומטמין היו שנאמר (ישעיהו נא, א) הביטו אל צור חוצבתם ואל מקבת בור נוקרתם וכתיב (ישעיהו נא, ב) הביטו אל אברהם אביכם ואל שרה תחוללכם אמר רב נחמן אמר רבה בר אבוה שרה אמנו אילונית היתה שנאמר (בראשית יא, ל) ותהי שרי עקרה אין לה ולד אפי' בית ולד אין לה
Rabbi Ami said: Abraham and Sarah were tumtumin, as it is stated: “Look to the rock from where you were hewn, and to the hole of the pit from where you were dug” (Isaiah 51:1), and it is written “Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you” (Isaiah 51:2), which indicates that sexual organs were fashioned for them, signified by the words hewn and dug, over the course of time. Rav Naḥman said that Rabba bar Avuh said: Our mother Sarah was an aylonit, as it is stated: “And Sarah was barren; she had no child” (Genesis 11:30). The superfluous words: “She had no child,” indicate that she did not have even a place, i.e., a womb, for a child.
A Feminine Soul
The fact that Sarah laughed when she heard this shows that trans children can and should be a source of joy. Sarah's laughter - the tumtum/aylonit parent of a transfemminine child - carries through the trans lineage of our people to this day.
Shem Mishmuel
Rabbi Shmuel Bornsztain, the second Sochatchover Rebbe, between the years 1910-1926
Source
The Na'ar
This is almost-definitely a grammar quirk arising from the development of the hey-suffix over time as tanakh was developed. But since other places in tanakh do use, the hey, and Rivka never has the hey used for "her," we can see a transmasculinity in her "lad"-ness.
(טז) והנער טבת מראה
(16) The young man/woman was very femme-beautiful
(כח) ותרץ הנער
(28) The young man/woman femme-ran
(יט) וענשו אתו מאה כסף ונתנו לאבי הנערה
(19) and they shall fine him a hundred [shekels of] silver and give it to the girl’s father
Femmey Drag King Momma’s-"Boy"
In order to mimick Esau, Jacob, though supposedly a "man," and no less our "patriach," had to put on drag in order to have enough boyd hair to pass. And through all this, who does our tradition choose to lead the people? The femmey, momma's boy, "soft man," or the burly, hairy hunter? The gender-outlaw, or the cis one who checks all the boxes?
Next time you're saying the amidah, see who gets named in the first paragraph:
A tumtum, a transfeminine soul, and a femme drag-king momma's boy!
(כה) וַיֵּצֵ֤א הָרִאשׁוֹן֙ אַדְמוֹנִ֔י כֻּלּ֖וֹ כְּאַדֶּ֣רֶת שֵׂעָ֑ר וַיִּקְרְא֥וּ שְׁמ֖וֹ עֵשָֽׂו׃ (כו) וְאַֽחֲרֵי־כֵ֞ן יָצָ֣א אָחִ֗יו וְיָד֤וֹ אֹחֶ֙זֶת֙ בַּעֲקֵ֣ב עֵשָׂ֔ו וַיִּקְרָ֥א שְׁמ֖וֹ יַעֲקֹ֑ב
(25) The first one emerged red, like a hairy mantle all over; so they named him Esau. (26) Then his brother emerged, holding on to the heel of Esau; so they named him Jacob.
(כז) וַֽיִּגְדְּלוּ֙ הַנְּעָרִ֔ים וַיְהִ֣י עֵשָׂ֗ו אִ֛ישׁ יֹדֵ֥עַ צַ֖יִד אִ֣ישׁ שָׂדֶ֑ה וְיַעֲקֹב֙ אִ֣ישׁ תָּ֔ם יֹשֵׁ֖ב אֹהָלִֽים׃ (כט) וַיָּ֥זֶד יַעֲקֹ֖ב נָזִ֑יד וַיָּבֹ֥א עֵשָׂ֛ו מִן־הַשָּׂדֶ֖ה וְה֥וּא עָיֵֽף׃
(27) When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the outdoors; but Jacob was a mild man who stayed in camp. (29) Once when Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau came in from the open, famished.
(כב) וַיִּגַּ֧שׁ יַעֲקֹ֛ב אֶל־יִצְחָ֥ק אָבִ֖יו וַיְמֻשֵּׁ֑הוּ וַיֹּ֗אמֶר הַקֹּל֙ ק֣וֹל יַעֲקֹ֔ב וְהַיָּדַ֖יִם יְדֵ֥י עֵשָֽׂו׃ (כג) וְלֹ֣א הִכִּיר֔וֹ כִּֽי־הָי֣וּ יָדָ֗יו כִּידֵ֛י עֵשָׂ֥ו אָחִ֖יו שְׂעִרֹ֑ת וַֽיְבָרְכֵֽהוּ׃ (כז) וַיִּגַּשׁ֙ וַיִּשַּׁק־ל֔וֹ וַיָּ֛רַח אֶת־רֵ֥יחַ בְּגָדָ֖יו וַֽיְבָרֲכֵ֑הוּ וַיֹּ֗אמֶר רְאֵה֙ רֵ֣יחַ בְּנִ֔י כְּרֵ֣יחַ שָׂדֶ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר בֵּרֲכ֖וֹ יְהוָֽה׃
(22) So Jacob drew close to his father Isaac, who felt him and wondered. “The voice is the voice of Jacob, yet the hands are the hands of Esau.” (23) He did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; and so he blessed him. (27) and he went up and kissed him. And he smelled his clothes and he blessed him, saying, “Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of the fields that the LORD has blessed.
(28) Isaac loved Esau because he had a taste for game; but Rebekah loved Jacob.
(28) “May God give you Of the dew of heaven and the fat of the earth, Abundance of new grain and wine. (29) Let peoples serve you, And nations bow to you; Be master over your brothers, And let your mother’s sons bow to you. Cursed be they who curse you, Blessed they who bless you.”
(מ) וְעַל־חַרְבְּךָ֣ תִֽחְיֶ֔ה וְאֶת־אָחִ֖יךָ תַּעֲבֹ֑ד
(40) Yet by your sword you shall live, And you shall serve your brother
(כג) וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהוָ֜ה לָ֗הּ שְׁנֵ֤י גיים [גוֹיִם֙] בְּבִטְנֵ֔ךְ וּשְׁנֵ֣י לְאֻמִּ֔ים מִמֵּעַ֖יִךְ יִפָּרֵ֑דוּ וּלְאֹם֙ מִלְאֹ֣ם יֶֽאֱמָ֔ץ וְרַ֖ב יַעֲבֹ֥ד צָעִֽיר׃
(23) and the LORD answered her, “Two nations are in your womb, Two separate peoples shall issue from your body; One people shall be mightier than the other, And the older shall serve the younger.”
Beautiful Queer Youth Scorned
(יז) רָחֵל֙ הָֽיְתָ֔ה יְפַת־תֹּ֖אַר וִיפַ֥ת מַרְאֶֽה׃
(17) Rachel was shapely and beautiful.
(ו) וַיְהִ֣י יוֹסֵ֔ף יְפֵה־תֹ֖אַר וִיפֵ֥ה מַרְאֶֽה׃
(6) Now Joseph was "well built and handsome." (i.e. shapely and beautiful)
(3) Now Israel loved Joseph best of all his sons, for he was the child of his old age; and he had made him an ornamented [flamingly gay, femme and sparkly] tunic.
(4) And when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of his brothers, they hated him so that they could not speak a friendly word to him.
(כג) וַֽיְהִ֕י כַּֽאֲשֶׁר־בָּ֥א יוֹסֵ֖ף אֶל־אֶחָ֑יו וַיַּפְשִׁ֤יטוּ אֶת־יוֹסֵף֙ אֶת־כֻּתָּנְתּ֔וֹ אֶת־כְּתֹ֥נֶת הַפַּסִּ֖ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָלָֽיו׃
(23) When Joseph came up to his brothers, they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the ornamented tunic that he was wearing
A Women's Beauty, like Pomegranate Seeds
And the final connection: when asked why she doesn't invite the evil eye on herself, says she is from the "seed" of Joseph.
Thus we have an unbroken chain from Elohim to Rabbi Yochanan that carries transness through the torah to our rabbis. After Rabbi Yochanan comes all the queer and transness of Judaism since - the yeshiva bochurs cavorting on the rooves of their study halls; the trans rabbi of the Betul"a" of Ludmir; the gay love poetry of Sefarad; Magnes Hirschfeld and his archives; Leslie Feinberg; and yes - you <3
אמר רבי יוחנן אנא אישתיירי משפירי ירושלים האי מאן דבעי מחזי שופריה דרבי יוחנן נייתי כסא דכספא מבי סלקי ונמלייה פרצידיא דרומנא סומקא ונהדר ליה כלילא דוורדא סומקא לפומיה ונותביה בין שמשא לטולא ההוא זהרורי מעין שופריה דר' יוחנן
With regard to Rabbi Yoḥanan’s physical features, the Gemara adds that Rabbi Yoḥanan said: I alone remain of the beautiful people of Jerusalem. The Gemara continues: One who wishes to see something resembling the beauty of Rabbi Yoḥanan should bring a new, shiny silver goblet from the smithy and fill it with red pomegranate seeds [partzidaya] and place a diadem of red roses upon the lip of the goblet, and position it between the sunlight and shade. That luster is a semblance of Rabbi Yoḥanan’s beauty.
יומא חד הוה קא סחי ר' יוחנן בירדנא חזייה ריש לקיש ושוור לירדנא אבתריה אמר ליה חילך לאורייתא אמר ליה שופרך לנשי
The Gemara relates: One day, Rabbi Yoḥanan was bathing in the Jordan River. Reish Lakish saw him and jumped into the Jordan, pursuing him, in lust after Rabbi Yohanan's physical, feminine beauty. Rabbi Yoḥanan said to Reish Lakish: Your strength is fit for Torah study. Reish Lakish said to him: Your beauty is fit for women [i.e. a woman].
איני והאמר מר שופריה דרב כהנא מעין שופריה דרבי אבהו שופריה דר' אבהו מעין שופריה דיעקב אבינו שופריה דיעקב אבינו מעין שופריה דאדם הראשון ואילו ר' יוחנן לא קא חשיב ליה שאני ר' יוחנן דהדרת פנים לא הויא ליה
The Gemara asks: Is that so? Was Rabbi Yoḥanan so beautiful? But doesn’t the Master say: The beauty of Rav Kahana is a semblance of the beauty of Rabbi Abbahu; the beauty of Rabbi Abbahu is a semblance of the beauty of Jacob, our forefather; and the beauty of Jacob, our forefather, is a semblance of the beauty of Adam the first man, who was created in the image of God. And yet Rabbi Yoḥanan is not included in this list. The Gemara answers: Rabbi Yoḥanan is different from these other men, as he did not have a beauty of countenance, i.e., he did not have a beard.
ר' יוחנן הוה אזיל ויתיב אשערי טבילה אמר כי סלקן בנות ישראל מטבילת מצוה לפגעו בי כי היכי דלהוו להו בני שפירי כוותי גמירי אורייתא כוותי
The Gemara continues to discuss Rabbi Yoḥanan’s beauty. Rabbi Yoḥanan would go and sit by the entrance to the ritual bath. He said to himself: When Jewish women come up from their immersion for the sake of a mitzva, after their menstruation, they should encounter me first, so that they have beautiful children like me, and sons learned in Torah like me. This is based on the idea that the image upon which a woman meditates during intercourse affects the child she conceives.
אמר להו אנא מזרעא דיוסף קאתינא דלא שלטא ביה עינא בישא
Rabbi Yoḥanan said to them: I come from the offspring of Joseph, over whom the evil eye does not have dominion
- Adam is bi-gender and in god's image
- Adam begets Seth in "his [bigender] likeness and image" separate from other 'sons and daughters', a lineage which continues until Avram
- See: difference between "sons and daughters" and sarisim in Isaiah
- Abraham and Sarah are tumtumim, Sarah maybe an aylonit
- Isaac has a feminine soul, Rebecca is a na'ar
- Jacob takes on feminine appearance and gender roles and is chosen by "his" "mother," and the tradition, vs. the masculine ideal in Esau
- Joseph is beautiful like "his" mother and chosen by "his" "father" to carry the femmey dreamcoat, ultimately stripped away by queerphobic brothers
- Yochanan is "in the line of Joseph," and just transfemme on so many levels it's ridiculous
Rabbi Dev Noily
Abby Stein
Maggid Jhos Singer
Micah Bazant
Rabbi Elliot Kukla
Kehilla, Jenna, Queer Torah class
Benay and Svara, always
Keshet, Ariel, Gene
My mom and gammy
The trans Jewish community here in the Bay - full of living-dreams and future-elders
Sojourn Blog
chabad.org (yes, truly)
transtorah.org
(א)בְּי֗וֹם בְּרֹ֤א אֱלֹהִים֙ אָדָ֔ם בִּדְמ֥וּת אֱלֹהִ֖ים עָשָׂ֥ה אֹתֽוֹ׃ (ב) זָכָ֥ר וּנְקֵבָ֖ה בְּרָאָ֑ם וַיְבָ֣רֶךְ אֹתָ֗ם וַיִּקְרָ֤א אֶת־שְׁמָם֙ אָדָ֔ם בְּי֖וֹם הִבָּֽרְאָֽם׃ (ס) (ג) וַֽיְחִ֣י אָדָ֗ם
(1) When God created man, He made him in the likeness of God; (2) male and female He created them. And when they were created, He blessed them and called them Adam.— (3) And Adam lived