Judaism only seems to recognize Male and Female in the Torah, so aren’t the concepts of non-binary and transgender against Jewish values?

  • In the bible, G-d is said to have created Zachar and Nekeyva (Feminine and Masculine energies). According to Kabballah, these are different energies that all beings have access to.
  • This is how we can go from a gender dichotomy to a non-binary spectrum. If everyone has different amounts of Zachar and Nekeyva, then there are actually infinite diverse possibilities of gender.
  • The Torah itself describes 6 different gender labels, Zachar, Nekeyva, Andregonis, TomTom, Saaris, and Aylanis.
  • Biblical and Halachic language about gender and sexuality are often physical descriptions, not identities. It is helpful not to confuse technical objectifying language with the way we refer to people.