MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER WANTS TO TRANSITION ΤΟ A BOY

ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE FOR THE SPIRITUAL TRAVELER

- RABBI RAMI SHAPIRO

 

Q This is a very difficult question for me to ask. My teenage daughter wants to transition to a boy. I love my daughter and I support her decision, but I love my Bible too, and I’m told I must choose between them. I am desperate for you to show me otherwise.

RABBI RAMI: What a blessing that the love you and your child share is strong enough to work through this together. Let’s see if we can do the same with the Bible by engaging in a close rabbinic reading of Genesis 1:26: “Let us make adam in our image, after our likeness;” and Genesis 1:27: “God created adam in God’s image, in the image of God, God created him; male and female God created them.”

First, the Hebrew word adam (pronounced ah-dahm) usually translated as “man,” comes from the Hebrew adamah and is best translated as “earthling.” Indeed, “man” (ish in Hebrew) doesn’t appear in the Bible until after woman (ishah) is removed from adam’s side (not rib) in Genesis 2:24. Technically, woman is created before man in the Bible.

Second, notice the pronouns referring to adam in verse 27: him and them. According to ancient rabbinic commentators, the singular pronoun him reveals that only one adam/earthling was created; the plural pronoun them reveals that this one adam was an androgyne: a being both female and male. From this, the rabbis spoke of six possible sexes: ishah (female), ish (male),