Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 22:5/אבן עזרא על דברים כ״ב:ה׳
אלא יהיה כלי גבר. נסמכה בעבור צאת למלחמה כי האשה לא נבראת כי אם להקים הזרע ואם היא תצא עם אנשים למלחמה תבא בדרך לידי זנות וכן לא ילבש גבר והטעם זכר שלא נתמלא זקנו יתערב עם הנשים וינאף הוא והן ואינו יודע וזה יורה כי מנהג ישראל היה וכן ברובי המלכיות להיות מלבוש האנשים איננו כמלבוש הנשים רק הפרש ביניהם וי״א על חוץ לדרך ואין צורך רק השם יתעב מי שישנה מעשה השם:
1A WOMAN SHALL NOT WEAR THAT WHICH PERTAINETH UNTO A MAN. This law was stated here because Scripture deals with going out to war. Women were created only to have children.11 If a woman joins men in going to war she will come to engage in illicit sexual relations on the way.12 The law that states neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment is similar.13 The reason for this law is as follows. If a male who does not have a full beard14 mixes with women, then he and they will have sexual relations without anyone knowing.15, as in Vat. Ebr. 38. A male dressing as a female has access to women. Rashi has a similar explanation. This law indicates that the custom of Israel was for the garments of men to be unlike the garments of women. There was a definite difference between the garments.16 This is also the practice in most countries. Some say that our verse speaks of unnatural intercourse.17 However, there is no need for this interpretation.18 The fact is that God abominates the one who changes the works of the Lord.19