Needless to say, rabbis do not often receive
a shaila like this—or so I thought. I was surprised to hear Rabbi
Goldberg say that when he brought the question to a recognized,
world-class posek, he was told that he receives this shaila several
times a week.
Rabbi Goldberg then went on to discuss sources suggesting
that transgenderism is not a new phenomenon, beginning with the creation of
Adam, who was initially created both male and female in one body.
His point was that we should approach this issue with
sympathy. People who struggle with it should not be ridiculed or ostracized.
They should be treated with the same loving-kindness we extend to anyone facing
challenges beyond their control. This, he emphasized, is the Torah’s way.
This has always been my view. But it is decidedly not the
view of general culture. Many have concluded that the only humane way to treat
transgender people is to regard their identities as entirely normal and to
celebrate their choices. Choices they are - in a free society - entitled to
make.
That is not, of course, the Torah’s perspective. What Rabbi
Goldberg did not say is that it is permitted for a person to change his or her
sex. According to Jewish law, it is forbidden. It is also forbidden for a
person to live as a member of the opposite sex even without surgery.
Cross-dressing is explicitly prohibited by the Torah.
Whether an exception could be made for someone who might be
suicidal if unable to transition is a question I do not believe has yet been
fully addressed by qualified poskim. It is also unclear whether threats of
suicide - or the high rates of suicide among transgender individuals - would
qualify as pikuach nefesh. A life and death issue which can override
Torah prohibitions.
This approach differs significantly from the current
progressive societal view, which does not take biblical values into account and
often discards them as inhumane. Advocacy groups such as LGBTQ organizations
argue that people should be free to live as they wish: “Who are they hurting?
Let people be who they want to be.”
Religious people see it differently. It is one thing to
empathize with human suffering; it is another to celebrate behavior long
considered outside the norm as fully normative.
In a First Things article, Carl R. Trueman, professor of biblical and religious studies at Grove City College, discusses both the positive changes and the ongoing challenges facing those who continue to value morality as defined by the Bible. A framework that guided society for thousands of years until things began to change in the mid 20th century...
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