Course 2, Session 8:Medieval Rabbinic Queer Readings

Overview

• Lecture on medieval rabbinic commentaries about gender, sexuality, and queer readings.
• Instructor emphasizes pluralistic, plural-method pedagogy and invites student reflection.
• Focus: Leviticus prohibition (Do not lie with a male), rabbinic grammar debates, medieval halakhic rulings, gender-diverse categories, and queer readings of biblical stories (e.g., David and Jonathan).
• Goal: Equip students to interpret texts, reflect on positionality, and consider pastoral and teaching implications.

Key Topics Covered

• Pedagogical approach and pluralism

  • Multiple modalities (visual, auditory) offered for diverse learners.
  • Encourage feedback and collaborative exploration.
  • Rabbis interpret texts with spirit and pastoral concerns as well as scholarship.

• Structure of course readings

  • Biblical texts → Talmud → Medieval halakhic commentaries → Kabbalah/mysticism.
  • This session foregrounds medieval rabbinic commentary with a queer lens.

Leviticus 18:22 — Text and Early Questions

• Hebrew phrasing analyzed: plural form "mish‑isha" and vowelization creates interpretive moments.
• Key interpretive questions:
  • Does prohibition target specific acts (anal intercourse), incest, or same-sex relations broadly?
  • Does the verse criminalize active and passive partners equally?
  • How to reconcile literal grammar with broader moral or pastoral concerns?

Ibn Ezra, Ramban, and Other Medieval Readings (summary)

• Ibn Ezra

  • Focuses on grammar and plural usage; links to Genesis 19 (Lot’s daughters).
  • Notes plural form suggests variety of sexual acts or participants.
  • Ends by saying “unfit to dwell at length” — reluctance to expand speculation.

• Ramban (Nachmanides)

  • Emphasizes moral/teleological reason: such acts are “abominable” and do not preserve species.
  • Reads Lot episode as evidence that both initiator and recipient are culpable.
  • Discusses “seed” and biological theories of procreation; links fertility concerns to prohibition.

• Rabbi Hananel

  • Mentions people deceiving others by presenting as women, indicating concerns about gender presentation.

• Talmudic summaries (as presented)

  • Some rabbis focus on procreation as the only valid sexual purpose.
  • Interpretations extend prohibition conceptually to women (lesbianism) in some views.

Maimonides (Rambam) — Legal Details

• Male-male intercourse:
  • Liability and capital punishment when anal penetration occurs (adult partners).
  • Age thresholds matter: different liabilities if minor involved.
• Vaginal vs. anal intercourse distinctions:
  • Penetration specifics affect halakhic liability.
  • Emission of seed and procreation frequently drive legal distinctions.
• Emphasis in many halakhic texts: focus on act, liability, and public/legal consequences rather than modern identity categories.

David and Jonathan — Medieval Interpretations

• Medieval commentators (e.g., Radak, Rashbam/Raavad discussions referenced)
  • Debate whether “your love was more wonderful to me than the love of women” implies romantic/sexual relationship.
  • Some read it philosophically: love not dependent on procreative/heteronormative functions.
  • Other readings stress asymmetry: David’s wording (“your love,” not “our love”) suggests unequal intensity.
• Interpretive moves:
  • Queer-theoretical reading sees this as a space to discuss non-procreative, soul-based attachment.
  • Rabbis vary: some emphasize soul attachment and loyalty (not eroticism), others allow a reading of intense devotion.

Medieval Halakhic Categories For Gender Diversity

• Terms and categories (medieval rabbinic usage)
  • Androgynos: person with both male and female sexual characteristics; halakhic status often doubtful.
  • Tumtum: person with hidden or indeterminate genitalia.
  • Alun / Alon (castrated, emasculated): male organ removed or nonfunctional.
  • Še (she?): variations and naming inconsistent across texts.
• Signs used to evaluate sex/gender (per Maimonides):
  • Secondary sexual characteristics (breasts, beard, voice, body hair).
  • Urine characteristics, semen quality, physical markers cited.
• Consequences for personal status and rituals:
  • Marriage validity, seclusion (yichud) rules, and divorce (get) requirements vary by category.
  • Doubtful betrothals often require divorce to resolve uncertainty.
  • Some authorities permit certain betrothals; others dispute them based on certainty of sex.

Selected Halakhic Positions (summarized)

• Maimonides (Mishneh Torah)
  • Specifies liability for male-male intercourse and age rules.
  • Lists visible signs of ambiguous sex and implications for marriage and ritual.
• Shulchan Aruch / Later codes
  • Treat lesbian acts as prohibited as “deed of Egypt”; often no lashes because no penetration.
  • Men are instructed to prevent wives’ involvement in such acts and to restrain contact with women known for it.
• Kiryat Sefer commentary
  • Tends to treat some female-female acts as biblically prohibited (isur de-oraita) by linking to “deeds of Egypt.”
• Rambam on seclusion and gender presentation
  • Androgynos may be permitted to seclude with men if perceived as male; majority appearance guides rulings.
  • Halakhic focus often on social perception and risk (seduction), not modern identity.

Theoretical Observations / Themes

• Medieval rabbis discuss gender and sexuality along multiple axes:
  • Biological/physiological (semen, genitals, fertility).
  • Performative/expression (hair, clothing, voice).
  • Social/perceptual (how others regard a person influences status).
  • Desire/pleasure (who one derives sexual pleasure from can tip halakhic classification).
• Continuum of gender:
  • Medieval texts show conceptions resembling a gender continuum rather than binary extremes.
  • Determinations often pragmatic (majority of traits or social presentation).
• Interpretive caution:
  • Many texts that are deployed in modern queer readings were primarily addressing procreation, incest, or child protection.
  • Instructor highlights risk of anachronistic readings but supports creative pluralistic engagement.

Kolonus Ben Meir (Evan Bohan) — Notable Medieval Text

• Background:
  • Translator, physician, poet active in Provence, Italy, and Catalonia (circa early 1300s).
  • Wrote satirical rhymed prose critiquing community practices.
• Evan Bohan excerpt:
  • Satirical monologue of a male lamenting birth as a son and wishing to be a woman.
  • Imagery invokes domestic female life, spinning, marriage joys, and ritual roles (Shabbat, menstruation).
  • Expresses desire for sex, affection, and social roles attributed to women; asks God for transformation.
• Significance:
  • Rare medieval Jewish literary voice explicitly imagining gender transition/switch.
  • Can be read as satire, social critique, or proto‑gender-affirming narrative.
  • Raises questions: authorial intent vs. canonized reading; how community context shapes interpretation.

Questions For Reflection / Teaching Considerations

• How faithful should a rabbi or teacher be to literal text versus pastoral/ethical reinterpretation?
• Which medieval texts legitimately support modern LGBTQIA+ claims, and where do they primarily address other issues (fertility, incest, child protection)?
• How to teach sensitive material in diverse congregational settings without causing harm?
• How do positionality and personal values shape reading and transmission of these texts?
• Practical pastoral queries: how to apply halakhic categories (androgynos, tumtum, alon) to contemporary gender diversity with compassion and nuance?

Key Terms and Definitions

Action Items / Next Steps (for students)

• Re-read assigned medieval commentaries (Ibn Ezra, Ramban, Rambam, Maimonides, Kolonus excerpt).
• Reflect in writing on how your positionality affects your reading; prepare one pastoral teaching plan addressing these texts.
• Prepare to compare halakhic rulings with contemporary responsa in forthcoming classes (Course #3 and Course #9 focus areas).
• Consider possible excerpts from these texts for use in teaching—note audience sensitivity and framing.

Closing Notes

• Instructor reiterates pluralistic aim: provide multiple interpretive tools, encourage evolution of understanding.
• Final synthesis and reflection planned at the end of the course to assess how students’ readings and pastoral approaches have evolved.