Frans Francken II (1581-1642) (studio of) - Abraham and Sarah Visited by Three Angels - 1401272 - National Trust

Tumtum ( he, טומטום, "hidden") is a term that appears in Jewish

Rabbinic literature Rabbinic literature, in its broadest sense, is the entire spectrum of rabbinic writings throughout Jewish history. However, the term often refers specifically to literature from the Talmudic era, as opposed to medieval and modern rabbinic writ ...

. It usually refers to a person whose

sex Sex is the trait that determines whether a sexually reproducing animal or plant produces male or female gametes. Male plants and animals produce smaller mobile gametes (spermatozoa, sperm, pollen), while females produce larger ones ( ova, of ...

is unknown because their genitalia are covered or "hidden" or otherwise unrecognizable. Although they are often grouped together, the tumtum has some

halachic ''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical commandm ...

ramifications distinct from those of the ''

androgynos In Jews, Jewish tradition, the term ''androgynos'' (אַנְדְּרוֹגִינוֹס in Hebrew language, Hebrew, translation "intersex") refers to someone who possesses both male and female sexual characteristics. Due to the ambiguous nature of ...

'' (אנדרוגינוס), who has both male and female genitalia.

Babylonian Talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cente ...

, Tractate Hagigah, 4a. Although ''tumtum'' does not appear in the Scripture, it does in other literature.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

Reform Reform ( lat, reformo) means the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The use of the word in this way emerges in the late 18th century and is believed to originate from Christopher Wyvill#The Yorkshire Associati ...

Rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

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."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 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.

Etymology

The eleventh century dictionary, the ''Aruch'', says the word ''tumtum'' came from ''atum'' (אטום) "sealed.""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

Physical characteristics

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. 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 adult ''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. This description does not exactly match any

intersex Intersex people are individuals born with any of several sex characteristics including chromosome patterns, gonads, or genitals that, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, "do not fit typical bina ...

condition known today.

Gender role

Scholars today differ in whether they see ''tumtum'' as a distinct gender. The 2nd century CE

Mishna The Mishnah or the Mishna (; he, מִשְׁנָה, "study by repetition", from the verb ''shanah'' , or "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first major written collection of the Jewish oral traditions which is known as the Oral Torah ...

, the oldest compendium of Jewish oral law, brings the opinion of

Rabbi Meir Rabbi Meir ( he, רַבִּי מֵאִיר) was a Jewish sage who lived in the time of the Mishnah. He was considered one of the greatest of the Tannaim of the fourth generation (139-163). He is the third most frequently mentioned sage in the Mishn ...

that ''tumtum'' is not a distinct gender but a state of doubt between male and female - "sometimes he is a man and sometimes he is a woman". This is the position of traditional Judaism. According to

Transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...

Rabbi Elliot Kukla ''tumtum'' is one of six genders in classical Judaism, along with

male Male (symbol: ♂) is the sex of an organism that produces the gamete (sex cell) known as sperm, which fuses with the larger female gamete, or ovum, in the process of fertilization. A male organism cannot reproduce sexually without access to ...

female Female (Venus symbol, symbol: ♀) is the sex of an organism that produces the large non-motile ovum, ova (egg cells), the type of gamete (sex cell) that fuses with the Sperm, male gamete during sexual reproduction. A female has larger gamet ...

, ''

'', '' ay'lonit'' (a person who was assigned female at birth, but is barren and perhaps masculinized), and ''saris'' (a

eunuch A eunuch ( ) is a male who has been castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function. The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2nd millennium ...

by birth either through human intervention, or a person who was assigned male at birth but later became feminized).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/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 This, he claims, is an example of how the Western

gender binary The gender binary (also known as gender binarism) is the classification of gender into two distinct, opposite forms of masculine and feminine, whether by social system, cultural belief, or both simultaneously. Most cultures use a gender bina ...

is not universal to all cultures. 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 A gender role, also known as a sex role, is a social role encompassing a range of behaviors and attitudes that are generally considered acceptable, appropriate, or desirable for a person based on that person's sex. Gender roles are usually cent ...

. 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''. 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.

Etymology

Physical characteristics

Gender role

See also

References

Further reading