Tazria-Metzorah
The world that we currently live in is becoming increasingly muddled, specifically the Western world. Concepts that have been the fabric of society for millennia have recently been tampered with and distorted beyond all recognition. One of these concepts is gender.
The beginning of our parsha details the halachot relating to a mother who gives birth to a male child or a female child. In this shiur we are going to attempt to restore some clarity to a subject that has been crystal clear to humanity since the dawn of time, until recent decades. We are going to discuss the Torah view on gender in the clearest possible way, without any ambiguity or apologetics, in an attempt to restore balance and sanity to an upside-down world.
HaKadosh Baruch Hu created a “bi-polar” world. I am of course not referring to the mental disorder that bears the same name, but rather to the fundamental foundation of Creation, that the world is built on the principle of opposing poles – male and female.
The English terms male/female do not sufficiently express the essence of these two poles. A more meaningful English expression of these poles is male/activity/provider vs. female/receiver/nurture. The “male” pole is typified by activity, the purpose of which is the creation of energy in order to provide. The “female” pole is typified by receiving this energy, nurturing it and exponentially upgrading it.
This is how our world began. On the first day of Creation created the first two poles, Heaven and Earth. The role of the Heaven/sky is energetic activity to form clouds and rain to provide to the earth. The earth receives the rain, nurtures it and uses it as a catalyst to produce something exponentially more valuable than water itself.
Also on the first day, HaKadosh Baruch Hu created another two opposite poles – light and dark. Light is energy and activity (waves/particles). Darkness receives light, nurtures it and then itself becomes illuminated.
On the second day HaKadosh Baruch Hu separated the waters into two opposing poles, the upper waters and the lower waters. The upper waters contain the spiritual energy to provide to the lower waters, which receive and nurture them to produce something exponentially more valuable than the lower waters themselves, salt used with Korbanot and the water libation on Sukkot in the Beit HaMikdash.
On the third day HaKadosh Baruch Hu separated our planet into two opposing “poles”, water and land. The water provides the energy to the land which receives it (via irrigation/rain), nurtures it and gives rise to something exponentially more valuable – plants.
On the fourth day HaKadosh Baruch Hu created two luminaries in the Heavens, two opposing poles – the sun and the moon. The sun is the energy/activity that provides light. The moon is the receiver of that light, it nurtures and reflects that light to provide something exponentially more valuable, the lunar cycle upon which life is based.
On the fifth day HaKadosh Baruch Hu created the fish and birds, each with their opposing poles – male and female. It does not state it specifically here in the first chapter of Breishit, but later when Noach gathered the creatures to the ark it does (Breishit 5:19).
On the sixth day HaKadosh Baruch Hu created all remaining creatures aside from fish and birds – crawling/flying creatures (insects, arachnids, reptiles, etc.), mammals, and humans, all of which are divided into male and female poles. It is a scientific fact that there are no known hermaphroditic species among mammals, birds, insects, arachnids and reptiles.
When HaKadosh Baruch Hu created humans the pasuk says that HaKadosh Baruch Hu created humans in His image, male and female (Breishit 1:27). What does this mean?
The image of G-d encompasses two opposing poles – male and female. What the “image of G-d – male and female” is referring to is the aspect of G-d that reflects these two opposing poles. HaKadosh Baruch Hu is “All,” “Everything.” He is both the Creator (male) and Creation (female).
HaKadosh Baruch Hu reflects the pole of Creator – activity/energy in originally creating the world – in the six days of Breishit and also the continual renewal of creating the world – every millisecond of every day. HaKadosh Baruch Hu also reflects the pole of Creation – presence/being.
HaKadosh Baruch Hu’s Presence, resides in His Creation, is present in Creation, in every component of Creation, every molecule and atom. Being present is not an activity/energy, it is a passive sense of simply “being.”
HaKadosh Baruch Hu therefore encompasses both poles (amongst His infinite other attributes) – Activity/Provider (of everything) and also Presence/Nurture/Receiver (He receives our prayers). Obviously HaKadosh Baruch Hu is neither male nor female, nor does the fact that we refer to G-d in the masculine (He, His, etc.) indicate that G-d has gender chas vechalila.
G-d has no physical form and is infinite. The reason that we refer to HaKadosh Baruch Hu in the masculine is simply indicative of the way we view our relationship with Him. In the context of our relationship with HaKadosh Baruch Hu – He is the Provider and we are the receiver.
Why have two opposing poles? Why is the Creation based on this fundamental property? The reason is because without them there is no growth, only stagnation. The tension between the two opposing poles creates movement and growth/life.
The Torah and Creation are based on this principle – hypothesis, antithesis, symbiosis and finally – synthesis. The tension between the two poles (hypothesis/antithesis) creates interaction between them, an intermingling of the poles (symbiosis), resulting in the creation of something new (synthesis).
This is the structure of the Mishna/Gemara. Someone proposes a hypothesis, another/others provide a counter antithesis. This creates interaction (symbiosis) between them (each arguing and bringing proofs for their “pole”) and the result is something new – a halachic ruling (synthesis).
This is the way procreation works. Sexual tension between the male and female gives rise to interaction between the two, resulting in new life.
HaKadosh Baruch Hu created Creation so that there should be growth, new life. Clear delineation between gender is essential for this purpose and any attempt to blur the boundaries between them, will ultimately lead to stagnation and extinction.
Parshat HaShavua Trivia Question: What is the shortest chapter in the Torah?Answer to Last Shiur’s Trivia Question: What were the names of the two cousins who helped drag Nadav and Avihu’s bodies out of the Mishkan? Mishael and Eltzafan (Vayikra 10:4).
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