Bible Says What?! A woman should not wear men’s clothing and vice versa
Rabbi Leah Jordan reflects on a controversial subject in the Torah
“A woman should not put on the apparel of a man; nor should a man wear the clothing of a woman – for whoever does these things – it is a to’evah [completely off-limits behaviour] to the Eternal your God.” (Deuteronomy 22:5)
This one verse in the Torah is sometimes cited as support for modern strictness around the gender binary.
Some take the opinion that there are two fixed genders, and second that there are clear and agreed-upon rules for how those two genders should be expressed, especially where clothing is concerned.
However Keshet, the organisation that works for full LGBTQI+ equality and inclusion in Jewish life writes of this verse: “All of the mitzvot that are nestled around our verse point to a world of compassion, where we are careful not to damage relations between beings…
“According to Rashi this verse prohibits sexual betrayal, while for Rambam this verse prohibits idolatry. All of these readings understand the prohibition to be not about cross-dressing per se, but about damaging relationships between us, our neighbours, loved ones or God.”
Rabbis Elliot Kukla and Reuben Zellman further argue that Deuteronomy 22:5 teaches us we must not misrepresent our true gender to deceive someone else or in order to cause harm.
“When we try to conceal our uniqueness,” they write, “we cause ourselves pain. And when we ask others to obscure themselves, we cause harm to them.”
This echoes Rabbi Ethan Tucker who states that Jewish law makes allowance for difference and diversity and insists that we not erase our own.
Liberal Judaism celebrates this diversity as seen through ground-breaking projects, such as Twilight People, which celebrates the hidden history of transgender and gender-variant people.
Rabbi Leah Jordan is Liberal Judaism’s student chaplain
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
