Ayelonit


In Rabbinic Judaism, an ayelonit is an individual assumed to be female at birth who later developed male secondary sex characteristics and is assumed to be infertile.
The secondary-sex characteristics referred to as "male" can include a deeper voice, painful intercourse, small breasts, a lack of pubic hair, menstruation, and a normal libido according to Maimonides' Mishneh Torah, Hil. Ishus, 2:6.
In traditional Judaism, gender plays a central role in legal obligations. Thus, the archaic gender-sexual identities identified by the Talmud such as ayelonit, androgynos, tumtum, and saris, were created to fit into the legal system or halakha and do not correspond well to the current understandings of gender identity.

Biological basis

The ay'lonit is not simply infertile. Based on the "male characteristics" described in the Talmud, the ay'lonit's condition is most similar to Turner syndrome:
"A woman who is twenty years old and has not grown two pubic hairs... is classified as an Aylonit..."
"These are the signs that a woman is an ayelonit: She has not developed breasts, she has difficulty during sexual intercourse , the mons pubis is lacking, and she has such a deep voice that it is indistinguishable from that of a man."
"Rav Naḥman said that Rabba bar Avuh said: Our mother Sarah was initially a sexually underdeveloped woman , as it is stated: “And Sarah was barren; she had no child”. The superfluous words: “She had no child,” indicate that she did not have even a place, i.e., a womb, for a child."

Distinction from ''saris''

The ayelonit refers to a person born female who later develops male characteristics. A saris was male at birth but later developed female characteristics. This can occur naturally or through medical interventions. Though an ayelonit can be adam through the removal of their uterus or ovaries, it is more common for them to be hama.
The ayelonit and the saris also differ in their abilities to marry. While an ayelonit can marry, a saris has varying options. If he is saris hama, he can marry without restrictions because he was born that way. If he is saris adam, he cannot marry a Jewish woman because he cannot have children, and this could lead her to adultery according to Yevamot 76a:1. Additionally, if a saris adam was already married, he is required to divorce his wife.