The curious case of Michal's tefillin -- "Trans" Biblical characters in Jewish tradition? (Part 2 of 2):

The disturbing origin of oft-quoted religious narratives of "gendered souls".To watch this on video and for full access to notes and resources, go tohttps://shirabatya.substack.com/trans-biblical-characters-in-jewish2To watch part 1 (recommended), go tohttps://shirabatya.substack.com/p/trans-biblical-characters-in-jewish1“Queer” teachers such as Abby Stein have sought religious foundations in Judaism for the idea of true trans - that some people are born in the wrong body, with the soul of the opposite sex. They do this by appealing to narratives in Lurianic Kabbalah to do with reincarnation, and by projecting trans identities onto biblical personalities such as Joseph, Dinah, Isaac, and Michal. Such narratives have been promoted by organisations such as Keshet (the American Jewish LGBT charity, whose judgment in promoting these texts must be questioned).I have explored the texts behind these arguments, including quite a bit of halacha (Jewish legal texts) to do with Michal's tefillin. This quest took me on a very dark journey that ended with homophobia, misogyny and an accusation of witchcraft.Warning: You will be offended!This is the second half of a recording of a Zoom shiur (lecture) that I gave on Sunday 23 February. This is a more in depth and uncensored version of a similar session that I gave at Limmud Festival in December 2024 with a slightly different title.In Part 1, we explored the background to these narratives and the link with gender identity ideology, and I discussed the narratives relating to Dinah, Joseph, and Isaac. We discovered that far from being transgender, Isaac is understood to have been an immature boy with a “female soul” who matured into a proper man who could give his wife children.We ended Part 1 on the question of what the “soul” really means in these narratives, and whether Judaism is really compatible with the soul / body or mind / body dichotomy inherent in the idea of a “gender” separate from sex.Here in Part 2, we explore the complex case of Michal. The legend that she wore tefillin will lead us on a journey through the halachah (Jewish legal texts) to do with women and tefillin, and finally to the same text from Chayim Vital that Abby Stein credited for inspiring Stein’s transition when interviewed in 2019. You are best off watching this on video, as I speak quickly, and the slides contain important information. However, if you are on a podcast app, you can also download the slides with the link below and flip through them as you listen.Slide show here: https://docs.jcob.org/gender/GenderSoulPresentationSubstack.pdfYou can also read the full source sheet here: https://docs.jcob.org/gender/GenderSoulSourcesSubstack.pdfLinks:Stonewall list of LGBTQ termsRabbi Jack Abramowitz An Orthodox Rabbi Discusses Transgender Issues in Jewish Texts (Orthodox Union 2017).Keshet (USA) resource on Gender Fluidity in the Jewish TraditionJericho Vincent on our “trancestors”Jay Michelson: Kabbalah and Queer Theology (July 22, 2012).Much more in the full source sheet (see above)Rabbi Simchah Fuerman: article for NEFESH(International Network of Orthodox Mental Health Professionals)Ronit Irshai: superb article on cross-dressingAbby Chava Stein:source sheet from Limmud Festival 2019interview in 2019 describing how Sha’ar HaGilgulim changed Stein’s lifesource sheet on Sefaria (includes text by Rabbi Yechiel Michael of Zloczow)upcoming book “Sources of Pride” שורשי גאווהSefaria Source Links (misc):Talmud Berachot 60a: Leah’s child was originally male but Leah prayed that her sister Rachel should have a son so the sexes were switchedBeresishit Rabbah 72:6 sex switch because Rachel prayed for two sonsRabbi Eliyahu Munk on Dinah’s male natureBereishit Rabbah on Joseph’s laddishnessBereishit Rabbah 87:7: on Joseph finding himself not to be a man [ish].Or HaChayim on Isaac’s double birth (female then male)Source Links on Michal:Michal had no child until her dying dayProhibition of cross-dressing (Deuteronomy 22:5)Babylonian Talmud on Michal wearing tefillinJerusalem Talmud on Michal wearing tefillinRashba that Michal said the brachah (blessing)Kaf Hachayyim on Michal’s male soulYefeh Lalev (Rachamim Palaji): Michal had a male soulHalachah of Tefillin:Shulchan Aruch on clean minds (hase’ach da’at)Shulchan Aruch on clean bodies (guf naki)Targum Jonathan that tefillin is cross-dressing for womenSefer Hachinuch that women get a reward for wearing tefillinDeracheha: various sources on tefillin in practiceDeracheha on clean bodies (guf naki)Deracheha: various sources on tefillin in practiceRema: We protest against itChayim Vital:Sha’ar Hagilgulim: only male souls reincarnateSha’ar Hagilgulim: on male homosexuals reincarnated as womenChabbad website on infertility of Chayim Vital’s first wifeChayim Vital’s unhappy marriage (Wikipedia)Chayim Vital’s Freudian DreamUnusual bodiesWomen who transform into men (Yosef Palaji)Aryeh Klapper explains why the Tzitz Eliezer did not really rule that men can medically become womenThe Palaji / Falaji / Palacci / Palaggi brothers of Ismir: Wikipedia articleSubscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. https://shirabatya.substack.com/ This is a public episode. 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