KI TEITSEI No Cross-Dressing
Why does the Torah prohibit in the strongest terms
dressing in clothes normally associated with
the opposite sex?
The source for this proscription is Deuteronomy 22:5. “No male article (of clothing) is to be worn by a woman, nor may a man wear a woman’s garment. All who do these things are to’eiva (morally repugnant) before G‑D.”
To’eiva is one of the strongest adjectives of disapproval used in the Torah. The Talmud (Nazir 59a) registers surprise. “Surely not to’eiva!” it exclaims in relation to this prohibition. Its answer: in itself maybe not, but the Torah is concerned with outcome. If a man wears women’s clothing, he will come to sit among women and vice-versa.
The Talmud rather coyly leaves it at that. It is left to the Rishonim (mediaeval commentators) to attempt to elucidate exactly what the Talmud means.
Ramban and Rashbam (one of the grandsons of Rashi) reason: the Talmud’s concern is that uncontrolled inter-gender mingling will lead to promiscuity and even adultery. The approach of Abarbanel is more psychologically subtle. He is most concerned with the attitude of mind adopted by the cross-dresser and opines that such gender-indiscriminate practice will lead inexorably to homosexual behaviour. (Were he to be re-incarnated into the twenty-first century he would discover how right he was!)
The first woman, Eve, was created as an ezer k’negdo for Adam. K’negdo means “a complementary opposite”. Thus the distinction between man and woman was part of the Divine plan of creation. Any attempt to conceal or obliterate these differences amounts to a denial of, or at least an ideological challenge to, this Divine plan.
How far does this prohibition extend? The Talmud (source as above) mentions a man shaving facial or body hair in order to look feminine (i.e. a close shave with an open razor which anyway is forbidden by the Torah, possibly also for this reason) or wearing women’s jewellery (this would extend to make-up, women’s perfume, etc.). The rabbis also warn against a man dyeing his hair in order to appear younger! As for a woman, she ought, says the Talmud, to avoid wearing military armour or weaponry (hence the halachic problems of women serving routinely in the front line in an army) or utilise any other deliberate means to look masculine.
A very prescient approach is taken by the 16th-century Radbaz (Rabbi David Ibn Zimra). His comments run much along the following lines: One may have thought that the issur (prohibition) would only go one way, that a woman would be permitted to dress as a man, for after all, wouldn’t you think she’d be ‘upgrading’ herself?! (Four centuries ago, there was an assumption in all societies outside Judaism that men were superior to women.) Answers the Radvaz: the Torah makes it clear that the issur extends both ways.
Clearly one may extrapolate that the Torah sees man and woman as distinctive but equal partners.