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"If
someone is blind, has a sunken nose, long eyebrows, or
crushed testicles among other “blemishes”, the Torah states that they
are disqualified from certain religious worship (1)in the temple’. We have
not had a temple for 2000 years so this particular law is theoretical, but I
still felt uncomfortable when I read this in the Torah portion last week. In
this post I explore how Judaism deals with disability.
The Torah is
explicit about overt disrespect toward and unfair treatment of the blind and
deaf. “Do not curse the deaf” and “do not put a stumbling block
before the blind (2)”. The Torah, more generally, forbids discrimination
against anyone with less power than others, such as the stranger (3), and this
surely should apply to many people with disabilities. Included in the
commandment to love others like ourselves is the requirement that we must treat
others as we would want to be treated, that is to be included, and to have
one’s dignity and wishes considered by others.
We must
avoid hurtful speculation about links between physical conditions and virtue. Unfortunately,
one commentator suggests that Aaron could not possibly have any physical
blemishes at any time in his life because “he was holy to God, all of him
beautiful, there will not be a blemish in him (4)”. What does that imply
about people with disabilities?! Another commentary states that “One who
accepts bribes will eventually become blind… one that has an “arrogant foot”
will eventually come to have a broken leg… (5)” However, our tradition
insists that we cannot understand why things happen in this world, e.g. neither
the “suffering of the righteous, nor the tranquillity of the wicked (6)”
because the ways of God are a mystery. In
the Torah at least three of our heroes had imperfections. Both Isaac and Jacob were affected by degrees
of blindness late in their lives, while Moses had a speech impediment. None of
these conditions are presented as punishment!
Representations
(7) are an important part of positioning people in terms how others relate to
them. Dr. Ruth Calderon offers an insightful analysis of the contrasting attitudes
toward disability in the Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmuds (8). Calderon discusses
the representations of blind people in the Jerusalem Talmud. In a story, the
blind person is anonymous and his character remains static rather than develops.
He is not the hero of the story. He is merely there to support the main sighted
character whose name we are told, Rabbi Hoshia the great. This Rabbi Hoshia would
normally have a daily meal with his child’s blind teacher, but one day he fails
to invite the blind man because “he didn’t want to embarrass him(9)”. He
apologises to the blind man who prays for him.
The blind person is the weak party who the sighted person must be
careful not to hurt.
Calderon
contrasts this kind of representation with the powerful vibrant characters we
encounter in the Babylonian Talmud. One
of these is Rav Sheshes. “Rav Sheshes was blind. Everyone was going to see
the king. He went with them. He met up with a Sadducee, who said "we take
intact vessels to draw water” (and not broken vessels! Why did you come?
You will not see anything’(10)). Rav Sheshes replied: You will see that I
know more than you do. A throng passed. When it became noisy, the Sadducee said
"the king is coming!" Rav Sheshes said, he is not coming [yet]. A
second throng passed. When it became noisy, the Sadducee said "the king is
coming!" Rav Sheshes said, he is not coming. A third throng passed. When
it became quiet, Rav Sheshes said "surely, now the king is coming!" The
Sadducee: How do you know? Rav Sheshes replied: Earthly kings are a semblance
of the Heavenly King… When the king came, Rav Sheshes blessed him. The Sadducee
(continued to mock him): Do you bless someone you do not see?! What happened to the Sadducee?... Rav Sheshes
put his eyes on him and he became a pile of bones (11)”.
These
differences in the kinds of stories that are told are consistent with
approaches to participation. While in the Babylonian Talmud Rav Sheshes is a
full participant in many debates and is regarded as a significant authority,
his very credibility is questioned in the Jerusalem Talmud. The argument put
forward is that for someone’s teachings to be credible they need to be a
sighted person so that they can see the person from whom they hear the
tradition(12)”.
Associations
made between physical perfection or ‘blemishes’ and degrees of worth are of
concern to me. One approach locates the problem with the blemished priest, in
the man himself. The exclusion of a blemished priest is justified by comparing
it to the situation in which someone would not dare to offer damaged goods as a
gift to a political figure one was seeking to ingratiate oneself with (13). Another approach locates the problem in the
(flawed) inclination of people who see the priest in his service to react with
“disgust” toward the worship itself if it is carried out by someone with a
deformity (14). The former approach I think devalues the person with a physical
variation; the latter is a concession to human superficiality. The subjective
approach is used to create a dispensation that would permit a priest who is
blind in one eye whose community is familiar with him to perform the priestly
blessings because they are unlikely to be distracted by his condition (15).
While text
is important, the most important question is what is happening in practice. At
a conference to grapple with challenges of people with disabilities relating to
Judaism (16), questions were raised about access to places of worship and
support for people with disabilities who wish to perform rituals. One of my
most cherished moment of my Rabbinical career was the Bat Mitzvah of someone I
will call Cara. She was the first person with cerebral palsy I ever met. Her
mother approached me about Cara having the opportunity to participate in a Bat
Mitzvah ceremony just as her twin sister was planning to. I said yes, we would
do it. Thanks to a young teacher whose name I don’t remember and Rebbetzin
Fruma Schapiro of Chabad House North Shore, Cara was able to celebrate and feel
no less than her twin. Cara’s demeanour communicated “Dignity and pride”. As
Jews, commanded to treat others as we wish for ourselves, we dare not settle
for anything less.
For further
discussion of this issue, See https://jewishdisabilityunite.wordpress.com/2010/01/28/disability-and-judaism-societys-influence-on-halacha-rabbi-dr-benjamin-lau/
which discusses changes in the reality of deaf people for example and how this
impacts Halacha about their status and degree of inclusion, the inclusion of
blind people in being called to the Torah by overcoming technical/legal
concerns, and more.
Notes:
1) Leviticus 21:17-23
2) Leviticus 19:14
3) This commandment is repeated several
times in the Torah, the link to power is made by Ibn Ezra on Exodus, Sidra
Mishpatim
4) Ramban on Leviticus 21:17
5) Klei Yakar, on Leviticus 21:17
6) Pirkey Avot 4:15
7) Hall, S. (1979) in Representation: Cultural Representations
and Signifying Practices
8) Calderon, R, Doctoral Thesis, send
to me in a private message via Facebook 1/05/2014
9) , ירושלמי פאה פ"ח
ה"חJerusalem Talmud, Peah, Chapter 8, Halacha 8, cited in Calderon,
10) Translation and explanation mostly
from http://www.dafyomi.co.il/berachos/points/br-ps-058.htm
11) Babylonian Talmud, Berachot, 58a, בבלי ברכות פרק ט' נח' ע"א
12) ירושלמי שבת פ"א ה"ב ג"א Jerusalem Talmud, Shabbat Chapter 1, Halacha 2, cited
in Calderon
13) Rashi, referring to Malachi 1
14) Abarbanel
15) Maimonides, Yad
Hachazakah, book of Love, Laws of Prayers and Lifting the Hands 15:2,
Furthermore, based on the custom today is for the community not to look at the
Cohanim/Priests as they perform the blessings there is no risk of distraction
based on blemishes and therefore blemishes should not be a reason to exclude
anyone according to Shulchan Aruch Orach Chayim 128. See also, Lau, Rabbi https://jewishdisabilityunite.wordpress.com/2010/01/28/disability-and-judaism-societys-influence-on-halacha-rabbi-dr-benjamin-lau/ who brings further sources regarding
this law and others regarding the blind and deaf
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