Moses then reviewed with the Jewish people the laws regarding inheritance, parental responsibility for their children’s behavior, returning lost items, helping others, and cross-dressing.
True Gender Equality
לֹא יִהְיֶה כְלִי גֶבֶר עַל אִשָּׁה וְלֹא יִלְבַּשׁ גֶּבֶר שִׂמְלַת אִשָּׁה וגו': (דברים כב:ה)
[Moses told the Jewish people,] “A man’s attire must not be worn by a woman; a man must not wear a women's garment.” Deuteronomy 22:5

This directive implies that men should strive to actualize all their G‑d-given potential as men, and women should strive to actualize all their G‑d-given potential as women, in accordance with the Torah’s guidelines for self-refinement. Although we all comprise male and female qualities, our biological gender clearly indicates which qualities we are meant to chiefly manifest.

Manifesting our G‑d-given potential – free of any societal pressure to be something we are not – is true “equal rights.” When a woman mistakenly thinks that she must behave like a man and pursue a man’s path, she implicitly affirms that women are intrinsically inferior to men. In order to cultivate a sense of self-worth, she must therefore compete with men. The Torah forbids such an affront to the status of women. Instead, it celebrates and values women’s femininity, encouraging them to develop their innate female qualities. In this way, women can make their unique and crucial contributions to society, bringing the world to its ultimate, Divine fulfillment.1