Joseph: Liberation of a Soul (Parashat Vayigash)

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December 30, 2006 | By Mijael Vera

Topic(s): Transgender and Gender Identity

Media Type(s): Torah Commentary

Textual Source: Genesis

Torah Portion: Vayigash

This resource is part of the Torah Queeries collection.

The author explores Joseph's possible transvestism as reason for why his family did not recognize him when they came to ask for food during the famine. Further, Joseph's story is similar to that of many gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders in that, from an early age, they notice how their behavior and state of mind differs from those surrounding them. The other infers that Joseph is a character that can be classified as “transitioning.”

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