Transgendered Bracha Throwdown, Round 2

All my radical chevre:

I got a great private reply to my last posting. Needless to say, some concerns about my being not only a squaresville rabbi but also an offensive, not funny rabbi, were raised. I posted my response below. Feel free to complain or berate: thats what the internet is for.

L'Shalom,

The Radical Cleric



Dear Plonit,

Thanks for taking the time to address your concerns. It's a vessel for growth for all involved.

I think, if you re-read my blog, you'll see that that I pretty much start off by stating that I'm wrestling with this issue, and that I'm being honest in saying that I'm not totally comfortable with Transgendered issues. This is in stark contrast to 99% of individuals who deal with Queer issues, who hide their discomfort and don't embrace it. Everybody is a little gay, a little straight, a little effeminate, a little masculine, a little racist, a little homophobic. I am merely using the blog format to aknowledge an area in which I am, honestly, a little uncomfortable.

Humor is an important part of who I am. Some jokes are bound to offend. I apologize for the remark. But I think it's important not to take ourselves as people so seriously. To me punany is a slang term for vagina, and appending pseudo to it evokes the reality that it was made and fashioned by human hands. It's just a funky twist of the tongue meant to aknowledge the reality that we humans cannot accurately and successfully reconstruct male and female reproductive organs.

You're right, I don't know many transsexuals. I feel I tried to focus the details of my blog on my critiques of the potential for rituals of changing gender, because I wanted to deal with theory and law, not people and events. I agree with the idea of changing genders. We are lucky to live in a world where medical science can aid someone who feels they were mis-assigned their gender at birth. I agree with having a ritual for it. I think mikvah and/or some kind of public ritual is a good idea. I don't think a bracha with shem and malchut is the right way to go; I personally don't make up blessings with shem and malchut, but I will use 'yehi ratzon milfanecha' and conclude with 'baruch ata... shome-ah tefillah'. In fact, as I'm sure you know, the Talmud in masechet Brachot makes it fairly clear that blessings with Shem and Malchut have been reserved for the Tannaitic generation. Of course, the Kulanu book is a Reform publication, so I doubt they care about my halachic observations.

I do the best I can to be open-minded. I accept everybody mostly on their terms, but at some level, we all deal with people and things on our terms. I've always felt that Gay and Lesbian issues were an important fight that the Conservative movement needed to be in, despite growing up with a multitude of influences that pressed me to ostracize Queers. I'm not that far along the curve regarding transgendered/transsexual individuals, and I'll admit that. But remember that I believe in halacha, and I'm a Conservative Jew. I'm about as progressive as progressive as we get, so remember that I'm not perfect but I'm still, at the end of the day, an ally.

Essentially, what I really want is to find an authentic and still Conservative way to affirm transgendered issues. Because until we do, honestly, I believe most Jews will not take these blessings, these rituals, or these individuals seriously.

I really respect your criticicism, and will take it to heart. I still have a way to go, I know, in really being fully comfortable with transgendered individuals. But I'm trying my best to understand and love everyone equally, because at the end of the day, that's what God demands and Torah expects.