Tumtum: Difference between revisions
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'''Tumtum''' (טומטום, "hidden") is a term that appears in Jewish Rabbinic literature. It usually refers to a person whose [[sex]] is unknown because their genitalia are covered or "hidden" or otherwise unrecognizable.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/gender-identity-in-halakhic-discourse |title=Gender Identity In Halakhic Discourse |first=Charlotte Elisheva |last=Fonrobert |website=Jewish Women's Archive |access-date=April 25, 2020}}</ref> Although they are often grouped together, the tumtum has some halachic ramifications distinct from those of the ''[[androgynos]]'' (אנדרוגינוס), who has both male and female genitalia.<ref name="Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Hagigah, 4a">Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Hagigah, 4a.</ref> | [[File:Tumtum_Pride-Flag.png|thumb|A pride [[flags|flag]] for people today who identify as tumtum, designed in 2016 by "Tikva" and "tumtum_and_androgynos," who described it this way: "the white and blue bars on both to represent a connection to Judaism. In particular, blue is considered a divine color, associated with the sky and G-d. Meanwhile white has a general symbolism of purity, as it does in many other cultures. The grey for tumtum is because I’ve found grey has an association with agender, which as I mentioned is probably the closest English equivalent to tumtum. Not to mention, grey can be seen as some obscure/not specific/hiding, similar to the idea of tumtum gender."<ref>https://www.deviantart.com/pride-flags/art/Tumtum-652431250</ref><ref>https://ask-pride-color-schemes.tumblr.com/post/154753324059/image-two-flags-both-are-spilt-into-three</ref>]] | ||
[[File:Frans Francken II (1581-1642) (studio of) - Abraham and Sarah Visited by Three Angels - 1401272 - National Trust.jpg|thumb|''Abraham and Sarah visited by Three Angels'', painted by an unknown artist between 1581 and 1642 CE. According to the Talmud, both Abraham and Sarah were born tumtum.<ref name="talmudology" />]] | |||
'''Tumtum''' (Hebrew: טומטום, "hidden", plural ''tumtumim'') is a term that appears in Jewish Rabbinic literature. It usually refers to a person whose [[sex]] is unknown because their genitalia are covered or "hidden" or otherwise unrecognizable.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/gender-identity-in-halakhic-discourse |title=Gender Identity In Halakhic Discourse |first=Charlotte Elisheva |last=Fonrobert |website=Jewish Women's Archive |access-date=April 25, 2020}}</ref> Although they are often grouped together, the tumtum has some halachic ramifications distinct from those of the ''[[androgynos]]'' (אנדרוגינוס), who has both male and female genitalia.<ref name="Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Hagigah, 4a">Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Hagigah, 4a.</ref> Although ''tumtum'' does not appear in the Scripture, it does in other literature.<ref name="encyclopedia">Avraham Steinberg. Fred Rosner, translator. "Ambiguous genitalia (tumtum)." ''Encyclopedia of Jewish Medical Ethics.'' Jerusalem, Israel: Feldheim Publishers, 2003. Page 50-53. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Encyclopedia_of_Jewish_Medical_Ethics/aaklGZAID08C?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22tumtum%22%20jewish&pg=PA51&printsec=frontcover&bsq=%22tumtum%22%20jewish</ref> Rabbi Elliot Kukla writes, "The ''tumtum'' appears 17 times in the Mishna; 23 times in the Tosefta; 119 times in the Babylonian Talmud; 22 times in the Jerusalem Talmud and hundreds of times in midrash, commentaries, and halacha."<ref name="kukla met" /> | |||
In the Talmud, Yevamot 64a, Rabbi Ammi says that the Biblical figures Abraham and Sarah were said to have been born ''tumtum'' and infertile, and then miraculously turned into a fertile husband and wife in their old age. Rabbi Ammi points to Isaiah 51:1-2, saying that the references to "the rock from where you were hewn, and to the hole of the pit from where you were dug" symbolize their genitals being uncovered and remade.<ref name="talmudology" /> | |||
== Etymology == | == Etymology == | ||
The eleventh century dictionary, the ''Aruch'', says the word tumtum came from ''atum'' (אטום) "sealed."<ref name="talmudology">"Arachin 4b ~ The Tumtum, the Androgyne, and the Fluidity of Gender." ''Talmudology.'' June 20, 2019. https://www.talmudology.com/jeremybrownmdgmailcom/2019/6/17/arachin-4b-the-tumtum-the-androgyne-and-the-invention-of-gender?rq=tumtum</ref> | The eleventh century dictionary, the ''Aruch'', says the word ''tumtum'' came from ''atum'' (אטום) "sealed."<ref name="talmudology">"Arachin 4b ~ The Tumtum, the Androgyne, and the Fluidity of Gender." ''Talmudology.'' June 20, 2019. https://www.talmudology.com/jeremybrownmdgmailcom/2019/6/17/arachin-4b-the-tumtum-the-androgyne-and-the-invention-of-gender?rq=tumtum</ref> | ||
== Physical characteristics == | == Physical characteristics == | ||
The classical description of the physical characteristic of tumtum | The classical description of the physical characteristic of ''tumtum'' says they have a flap of skin or a membrane hiding ordinary female or male genitals. One form of a ''tumtum'' has exposed testicles and an unexposed penis.<ref name="Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Hagigah, 4a" /><ref name="encyclopedia" /> As long as the skin covers their genitals, they are considered doubtful men and women. As long as the skin is present, they are not able to be circumcised or have sex. Their status as ''tumtum'' can be changed by surgery, though they will still always have different rights and duties than those of other men and women. In the Talmud, one ''tumtum'' from the town of Bairi had surgery to cut away this skin, so he was able to be re-categorized as a man. He later fathered seven children. Rabbis differ in whether ''tumtum'' are legally obligated to have that surgery.<ref name="encyclopedia" /> This description does not exactly match any [[intersex]] condition known today.<ref name="talmudology" /> | ||
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== Gender role == | |||
== | Scholars today differ in whether they see ''tumtum'' as a distinct gender. According to Rabbi Elliot Kukla, ''tumtum'' is one of [[gender variance in spirituality#The six genders in classical Judaism|six genders in classical Judaism]], along with [[male]], [[female]], ''[[androgynos]]'', ''[[ay'lonit]]'' (a person who was [[AFAB|assigned female at birth]], but is barren and perhaps masculinized), and ''[[saris]]'' (a [[eunuch]] by birth or through human intervention, or a person who was [[AMAB|assigned male at birth]] but later became feminized).<ref name="kukla forward">Rabbi Elliot Kukla, "For centuries, Jewish tradition has recognized trans people." ''Forward''. October 26, 2018. https://forward.com/opinion/412749/for-centuries-jewish-tradition-has-recognized-trans-people/</ref><ref name="medwed">Robbie Medwed. "More Than Just Male and Female: The Six Genders in Classical Judaism." ''Sojourn'' (blog). June 01, 2015. Retrieved July 14, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150714011440/http://www.sojourngsd.org/blog/sixgenders</ref> This as an example of how the Western [[gender binary]] is not universal to all cultures, and is not scientifically based.<ref name="kukla forward" /> The gender binary only appears widespread from the perspective of the modern world due to Western colonialism, and the erasure of intersex and gender-variant people. Rabbi Kukla points out that the binary that is familiar to us today came from Victorian-era efforts to find supposedly scientific evidence of intrinsic superiority and inferiority in binaries of sexes, races, and classes, in order to defend systems of oppression against emancipation movements.<ref name="kukla met">Rabbi Elliot Kukla. "A Created Being of Its Own: Toward a Jewish Liberation Theology for Men, Women and Everyone Else." 2006. ''TransTorah.'' http://transtorah.org/PDFs/How_I_Met_the_Tumtum.pdf</ref> Other scholars say that ''tumtum'' is not defined as a separate gender, but rather a state of doubt: a ''tumtum'' must be either male or female, but we do not know which one.<ref name="chabad">{{cite web |url=https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/912371/jewish/Avodat-Kochavim-Chapter-Twelve.htm#v4 |title=Avodat Kochavim - Chapter Twelve |website=Chabad.org |access-date=April 25, 2020}}</ref> | ||
Although the definition of ''tumtum'' is based on physical characteristics, this is used as a basis for social roles, duties, and prohibitions. This can be considered effectively a [[gender role]]. The strictest gender-dependent obligations or prohibitions apply to ''tumtum'', because if the ''tumtum'' might really be a man or woman, laws for neither men nor women should be broken. Positive commandments from which women are exempted are considered binding on a ''tumtum''.<ref name="chabad" /> The Mishnah (Zavim, 2, 1) says that ''tumtum'' and ''androgynos'' have both men's and women's ''khumrot'', meaning that where the law is stricter towards men than women, they are treated as men, but where the law is stricter towards women, they are treated as women.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://learn.conservativeyeshiva.org/zavim-2-1-htm/ |title=Zavim, Chapter 2, Mishnah 1 |first=Dr. Joshua |last=Kulp |access-date=April 25, 2020}}</ref> | |||
== | == Identity == | ||
Some people today choose to call themselves ''tumtum'' as an identity. In the 2019 Worldwide Gender Census, 5 of the respondents called themselves ''tumtum''.<ref name="2019 Gender Census">"Gender Census 2019 - The Worldwide tl;dr." ''Gender Census'' (blog). March 31, 2019. Retrieved July 7, 2020. https://gendercensus.com/post/183843963445/gender-census-2019-the-worldwide-tldr Archive: https://web.archive.org/web/20200118084451/https://gendercensus.com/post/183843963445/gender-census-2019-the-worldwide-tldr</ref> | |||
== See also == | == See also == | ||
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{{Reflist}} | {{Reflist}} | ||
== | == Further reading == | ||
* | * Rabbi Elliot Kukla. "A Created Being of Its Own: Toward a Jewish Liberation Theology for Men, Women and Everyone Else." 2006. ''TransTorah.'' http://transtorah.org/PDFs/How_I_Met_the_Tumtum.pdf | ||
[[Category:Spirituality]][[Category:Identities]] | [[Category:Spirituality]][[Category:Identities]] | ||