Trans Spirituality – March 2021

We have just finished Black History Month and entered Women’s History Month. So I’d like to talk about one of the pivotal women in the Torah. Miriam, Moses and Aaron’s sister, the Prophet. When the Israelites crossed the Sea she led the women in song and dance, and some sources say her song and dance actually came before the men’s even though the men’s is stated first in the text.

But of course, we know that even great people have downfalls. The Bible is famous for them, because we learn so much from the downfalls of biblical characters.

So we find (Num. 12:1) (texts from sefaria.org)

Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman he had married: “He married a Cushite woman!

A couple points about this verse. Miriam is punished but Aaron is inexplicably not, for speaking out against Moses — thanks patriarchy. When they talk of the Cushite woman, in Hebrew, this literally means Ethiopian, but in colloquial speech it means The “N” Word!

Keep in mind that Aaron, Miriam and Moses are brown people from the land of Canaan. Tzipora, Moses’ wife is Midianite. She is African, Nubian, BLACK!

So when God punishes Miriam for slandering Tzipora, the punishment is very fitting (Num 12:10):

As the cloud withdrew from the Tent, there was Miriam stricken with snow-white scales! When Aaron turned toward Miriam, he saw that she was stricken with scales.

Miriam, a brown person, has now been stricken with Tzara’at, the Divine punishment for slander, and her skin is deathly white. She was a woman of color, she slandered a Black woman and now she is WHITE!

But what comes next is very haunting for me. . .(Num. 12:14)

But the LORD said to Moses, “If her father spat in her face, would she not bear her shame for seven days? Let her be shut out of camp for seven days, and then let her be readmitted.

Miriam afflicted with whiteness.

This is the basis in the Torah for determining how long a person with this affliction is to be isolated.

But let’s think about it from a trans perspective. Her father has spat on her and rejected her, she has been othered, and sent outside the camp! Sadly this happens all too often to our trans and queer siblings.

My mother, of blessed memory, told me that while she did not understand my being trans, she was my mother and would not turn her back on me. She did not understand how any parent could. . .

Yet the reality is that far too many parents, particularly in the world of the Church, take misunderstood readings of biblical verses such as this as justification to reject and abuse their children.

This is why it is so very critical to have deep scholarship of the Hebrew Bible democratized. This is why I harp on it so much. Because our oppressors do. They use it as a club to beat us with, so I respond with my deep scholarship to show how they are simply reading it incorrectly.

They may think this reading gives justification for rejecting your children, but that could not be further from the truth. This was an analogy to determine how long Miriam’s recovery time would be, and nothing more.

When people use English texts to tell you what the Hebrew or Greek says, they are showing their ignorance and bias. I’m not a student of the Greek, but I know people who are. Same with the Arabic for the Holy Qur’an.  We can always find out what the text REALLY says.

Knowledge is POWER. So be powerful. Keep reading and learning, so you can respond strongly to the oppressors out there, when they spew their hate!

Peace out,

Rona

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Tags: featured, religion, spirituality, Transgender

Category: Transgender Body & Soul