Commandment Profile:

-40) No men wearing women’s clothes
Application to gentiles:
Required
Mandated punishment for violation:
From Heaven
Brief description:
For men not to wear any garments or jewelry that are culturally identifiable as women’s dress. Throughout history, cross-dressing has been practiced either for licentiousness, both heterosexual and homosexual, or as an aspect of pagan rituals (it is often seen in occult circles, especially in Satanic movements). In recent decades, Amaleki forces of evil have promoted cross-dressing to encourage both types of wickedness.

This commandment applies according to the traditional definition of men’s and women’s clothing within any given culture, which may vary somewhat. But the definitions that apply today would be those from the last century or more, and are not affected by recent subversion of cultural attitudes.

Women are also prohibited from cross-dressing under commandment -39, and both commandments implicitly mandate that society establish a clear distinction between men’s and women’s clothing to prevent confusion.

Examples:

  • For a man not to dress as a women for a costume party, nor as part of a comedy routine, nor for “educational” purposes.
  • For men not to wear earrings.
  • For men not to die their gray hair, nor to grow their hair long, nor to shave hair off other parts of their body.
Category:
Biblical source(s) (Rambam): Deut. 22:5
Biblical source (Sefer HaChinuch): Deut. 22:5
Number in Sefer HaChinuch: 543
Sources explaining relevance to gentiles:

  • Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Melachim 9:2
    All idolatry-related offenses forbidden for Jews, even without death penalty, are also prohibited to gentiles.

  • Rambam, Sefer HaMitzvos -39, -40
    Cross-dressing is part of idolatry as well as sexual immorality; gentiles implicitly criticized for this practice on both grounds.

  • Rashi, Bereishis 34:7; Bemidbar 22:5
    Gentiles restricted themselves from the arayos (i.e., all those not forbidden under the Noahide Laws).