Louis and Helen Padnos Lecture Series: "Intersex Bodies in Tosefta Bikkurim"

The androgynus is defined by the anonymous majority in Tosefta Bikkurim, chapter 2, as sometimes male, sometimes female, sometimes both and sometimes neither. A minority opinion even goes so far as to claim that the androgynus is sui generis. But does this definition, or even the Tosefta’s attempt at creating a halakhic framework for the androgynus, constitute “providing a means for integrating the androgynus into mainstream culture?” This lecture explores the question, “does the category of androgynus as defined by Tosefta Bikkurim offer us a new look at gender, or does it, once again, confine us to a binary system of male and female?” This will be explored through an examination of the halakhic status of the androgynus, as well as through a literary reading of the text itself.

Image: © Sharon Gershoni

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