Ask the Rabbi: Jewish Law and Disability
Written by Rabbi Dr. Jonathan Romain Monday, 12 April 2010
Rabbi Dr. Jonathan Romain of Maidenhead Synagogue addresses your questions. This week's question: "I came across a Cohen once who was unable to give the Priestly Blessing due to a disabled arm - he was unable to lift it. Was this a personal matter or are there also any Jewish laws regarding disablements?"This goes back to the Bible where a cohen - the priests in ancient Judaism - who was not fully able-bodied was barred from serving in the Temple (Leviticus 21.18). A long list of examples is given, including someone who is lame, blind, has a damaged limb or is even unusually tall. The verse uses the word ‘blemished’ - the same word used for barring any animal that was deemed unsuitable for sacrifice - and so both bans have the common theme that anything less than perfect was not appropriate for the Temple rituals. Although animal sacrifices ceased when the Temple was destroyed in the year 70, the Orthodox retain the notion of the priesthood and maintain many of the rules associated with them, including this one. So when the cohanim/priests bless the congregation in Orthodox synagogues, those with ‘a blemish’ do not participate.
This does not apply in Reform synagogues. First, because we no longer use cohanim/priests in an active way, on the grounds that the sacrificial duties they had in the past no longer apply today. Second, we hold that anyone who has a role in the community should earn it through merit and personal behaviour, not through being part of an hereditary system. In addition, we do not discriminate against someone who has a disability. Being disabled does not lessen one’s value as a person, and one can be just as learned or kind or ethical as anyone else. The blessing in Numbers 6.24, once given by the priests, takes place in Reform synagogues at the end of the service and is given by whoever is leading it, which is often the rabbi but not exclusively so.
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