that quote like “god gave us transness for the same reason he made grapes but not wine; yeast but no loaves — so we may partake in the divine act of creation”
- Julian K. Jarboe, quoted in Something That May Shock and Discredit You by Daniel M. Lavery
[id: screenshot of text from a book reading “going. As my friend Julian puts it, only half winkingly: "God blessed me by making me transsexual for the same reason God made wheat but not bread and fruit but not wine, so that humanity might share in the act of creation.”“]
Everyone quoting this but not quoting that it’s deeply tied to Jewish and trans identity and the original quote comes from Rabbi Akiva, which Julian says so themself.
In Midrash Tanchuma, Tazria 5:
It happened that Tyrannus Rufus the wicked asked R. Akiva, “Which works are the more beautiful? Those of the Holy One, blessed be He, or those of flesh and blood?”
He said to him, “Those of flesh and blood are the more beautiful.”
Tyrannus Rufus the wicked said to him, “Look at the heavens and the earth. Are you able to make anything like them?”
R. Aqiva said to him, “Do not talk to me about something which is high above mortals, things over which they have no control, but about things which are usual among people.”
He said to him, “Why do you circumcise?”
He said to him, “I also knew that you were going to say this to me. I therefore anticipated [your question] when I said to you, ‘A work of flesh and blood is more beautiful than one of the Holy One, blessed be He.’
Bring me wheat sheaves and white bread.” He said to him, “The former is the work of the Holy One, blessed be He, and the latter is the work of flesh and blood. Is not the latter more beautiful?”
Tyrannus Rufus said to him, “Inasmuch as He finds pleasure in circumcision, why does no one emerge from his mother’s belly circumcised?”
R. Aqiva said to him, “And why does his umbilical cord come out on him? Does not his mother cut his umbilical cord? So why does he not come out circumcised? Because the Holy One, blessed be He, only gave Israel the commandments in order to purify them. Therefore, David said (in II Sam. 22:31 = Ps. 18:31), ‘the word of the Lord is pure.’”
It’s a beautiful quote by Julian K. Jarboe, but lets not erase their relationship to Judaism and how it played into them quoting this. Here is the full thread where they address their complicated feelings about this quote being taken out of context. This quote is about the intersection of Jewish and trans identity. You’re welcome to find meaning in this quote no matter what your religion is, but lets not take the quote out of context.
