וַתֵּצֵ֤א דִינָה֙ בַּת־לֵאָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר יָלְדָ֖ה לְיַעֲקֹ֑ב לִרְא֖וֹת בִּבְנ֥וֹת הָאָֽרֶץ׃

Now Dinah, the daughter whom Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the daughters of the land.

Genesis 34:1

Discussion Questions

1. Where could queer women be “hiding” in the passage?
2. How does accounting for queer women impact the meaning of the text?
3. What are the broader implications of this passage and its commentary?

Supplementary Material

He [Shmuel’s father] did not allow them to lie next to one another. Let us say that this supports the opinion of Rav Huna, as Rav Huna said: Women who rub against one another motivated by sexual desire are disqualified from marrying into the priesthood. The act renders a woman a zona. It is prohibited for a priest to marry her (Tosafot). The Gemara rejects this: No, that is not necessarily so. Perhaps the reason for Shmuel’s father’s insistence was because he thought to prevent them from lying next to one another so that they would not become accustomed to sleeping with a foreign body, which could stimulate sexual desire.

Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 65a:17-65b:2

Nashim ha’mesolelot zoh b’zoh is a forbidden practice. It is one of the acts of Egypt that we were warned about. As it is said, “the doings of Egypt you shall not do.” The Sifra said, “What were these doings? A man would marry a man, a woman would marry a woman, and one woman would marry two men.” Although mesolelut is forbidden, they are not given lashes for it because no specific negative Torah prohibition is violated and it does not involve sexual intercourse at all. Therefore, such women are not prohibited from marrying kohanim or remaining with their husbands because there is no act of prohibited sexual intercourse. However, it is appropriate to flog them with lashes for rebellious behavior because they did something forbidden. A man should be strict with his wife in this matter and prevent the women known for these acts from coming in for her or her from going out to them.

Mishneh Torah, Forbidden Intercourse 21:8  (Hebrew)

“I only go to a movie if it satisfies three basic requirements. One, it has to have at least two women in it who, two, talk to each other about, three something besides a man. […] The last movie I was able to see was Alien. The two women in it talk to each other about the monster.”

Alison Bechdel, Dykes to Watch Out For, “The Rule” (1985) 

Commentary

Chava Session (Summer 2018)

Water

3 steps: humankind men women → → No mention of sexuality

Earth

Disagree – possibility of gender non-binary, fluidity, intersex in creation. Therefore, in Eden, zonot were not a possibility. First, because priesthood did not exist as a structure; second, because not necessarily strictly male and female sex/gender.

Fire

What is God’s image? “God is queer”

Instead of “disagree” it should be agree, there is no mention of sexuality + NB + other queer-isms.

Folks say God created all his children in his image + therefore God’s children are perfect.

Therefore God made queers. Queers are perfect.

Air

Here G-d is referring to themselves in the plural and singular. Although G-d refers to G-dself as male grammatically, when G-d refers to the Earthlings, the reflection of G-d’s self, they are reflected as both male and female (not necessarily separately). G-d does not exist in gender binary. Earthlings, as a reflection of G-d, do not either.

Rivka Session (Summer 2019)

Due to the prohibition of writing on Shabbat, this session was never recorded in written, audio, or video form.