Rabbinic Judaism Rabbinic Judaism (), also called Rabbinism, Rabbinicism, Rabbanite Judaism, or Talmudic Judaism, is rooted in the many forms of Judaism that coexisted and together formed Second Temple Judaism in the land of Israel, giving birth to classical rabb ...

, an ayelonit ( "ram-like woman", ) is an individual assumed to be female at birth who later developed male

secondary sex characteristic A secondary sex characteristic is a physical characteristic of an organism that is related to or derived from its sex, but not directly part of its reproductive system. In humans, these characteristics typically start to appear during pubert ...

s and is assumed to be infertile. The secondary-sex characteristics referred to as "male" can include a deeper voice, painful intercourse, small breasts, a lack of

pubic hair Pubic hair (or pubes , ) is terminal hair, terminal body hair that is found in the sex organ, genital area and pubic region of adolescent and adult humans. The hair is located on and around the sex organs, and sometimes at the top of the inside ...

menstruation Menstruation (also known as a period, among other colloquial terms) is the regular discharge of blood and Mucous membrane, mucosal tissue from the endometrium, inner lining of the uterus through the vagina. The menstrual cycle is characterized ...

, and a normal

libido In psychology, libido (; ) is psychic drive or energy, usually conceived of as sexual in nature, but sometimes conceived of as including other forms of desire. The term ''libido'' was originally developed by Sigmund Freud, the pioneering origin ...

according to

Maimonides Moses ben Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (, ) and also referred to by the Hebrew acronym Rambam (), was a Sephardic rabbi and Jewish philosophy, philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah schola ...

' ''

Mishneh Torah The ''Mishneh Torah'' (), also known as ''Sefer Yad ha-Hazaka'' (), is a code of Rabbinic Jewish religious law (''halakha'') authored by Maimonides (Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon/Rambam). The ''Mishneh Torah'' was compiled between 1170 and 1180 CE ( ...

'', Hil. Ishus, 2:6. In traditional Judaism, gender plays a central role in legal obligations (see tractate Kiddushin 33b.). Thus, the archaic gender-sexual identities identified by the Talmud such as ayelonit, androgynos, tumtum, and saris, were created to fit into the legal system or

halakha ''Halakha'' ( ; , ), also Romanization of Hebrew, transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Judaism, Jewish religious laws that are derived from the Torah, Written and Oral Torah. ''Halakha'' is ...

and do not correspond well to the current understandings of

gender identity Gender identity is the personal sense of one's own gender. Gender identity can correlate with a person's assigned sex or can differ from it. In most individuals, the various biological determinants of sex are congruent and consistent with the in ...

Biological basis

The ay'lonit is not simply

infertile In biology, infertility is the inability of a male and female organism to reproduce. It is usually not the natural state of a healthy organism that has reached sexual maturity, so children who have not undergone puberty, which is the body's sta ...

. Based on the "male characteristics" described in the Talmud, the ay'lonit's condition is most similar to

Turner syndrome Turner syndrome (TS), commonly known as 45,X, or 45,X0,Also written as 45,XO. is a chromosomal disorder in which cells of females have only one X chromosome instead of two, or are partially missing an X chromosome (sex chromosome monosomy) lea ...

: * A genetic abnormality in which a woman is partially or entirely missing one of their

X chromosome The X chromosome is one of the two sex chromosomes in many organisms, including mammals, and is found in both males and females. It is a part of the XY sex-determination system and XO sex-determination system. The X chromosome was named for its u ...

s * Occurs in 1 out of 2,000-4,000 female births (only found in females) * Symptoms include: Infertility problems, webbed neck, short stature, metabolic issues, and delayed/absent sexual developments

References in holy texts

There are about 80 references in the Mishnah and Talmud and 40 in classical Midrash and Jewish law codes.

Examples

"A woman who is twenty years old and has not grown two pubic hairs... is classified as an Aylonit..." ( tractate Niddah, Chapter 5, 47b) "These are the signs that a woman is an ayelonit: She has not developed breasts, she has difficulty during sexual intercourse hat is, she has a diminished libido the mons pubis is lacking, and she has such a deep voice that it is indistinguishable from that of a man." (Mishneh Torah, Hil. Ishus, 2:6) " Rav Naḥman said that Rabba bar Avuh said: Our mother

Sarah Sarah (born Sarai) is a biblical matriarch, prophet, and major figure in Abrahamic religions. While different Abrahamic faiths portray her differently, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all depict her character similarly, as that of a pious woma ...

was initially a sexually underdeveloped woman yelonit as it is stated: “And Sarah was barren; she had no child” (Genesis 11:30). The superfluous words: “She had no child,” indicate that she did not have even a place, i.e., a womb, for a child." (

Yevamot Yevamot (, "Brother's Widow", also pronounced Yevamos, or Yavmus) is a tractate of the Talmud that deals with, among other concepts, the laws of Yibbum (, loosely translated in English as levirate marriage), and, briefly, with conversion to Jud ...

64b:2)

Distinction from ''saris''

The ''ayelonit'' refers to a person born female who later develops male characteristics. A ''saris'' (a term derived from the Akkadian term for a

eunuch A eunuch ( , ) is a male who has been castration, 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 2 ...

) was male at birth but later developed female characteristics. This can occur naturally (called ''saris hama'') or through medical interventions (called ''saris adam''). Though an ''ayelonit'' can be ''adam'' through the removal of their uterus or ovaries, it is more common for them to be ''hama''. The ''ayelonit'' and the ''saris'' also differ in their abilities to marry. While an ''ayelonit'' can marry, a ''saris'' has varying options. If he is ''saris hama'', he can marry without restrictions because he was born that way. If he is ''saris adam'', he cannot marry a Jewish woman because he cannot have children, and this could lead her to

adultery Adultery is extramarital sex that is considered objectionable on social, religious, moral, or legal grounds. Although the sexual activities that constitute adultery vary, as well as the social, religious, and legal consequences, the concept ...

according to Yevamot 76a:1. Additionally, if a ''saris adam'' was already married, he is required to divorce his wife.

Biological basis

References in holy texts

Examples

Distinction from ''saris''

References

Further reading