Rabbi Mati Kirschenbaum
This week’s Torah portion, Emor, describes the requirements that the priests who served in the Temple were supposed to meet. These expectations stemmed from the role the priests played in serving the Eternal:
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]They shall be holy unto their God, and not profane the name of their God; for the offerings of the Eternal they do offer; therefore they shall be holy. (Leviticus 21:6)[/perfectpullquote]
Our parashah describes rules that the priests were supposed to live by to maintain their holiness. It prohibits them from coming in contact with dead bodies, it forbids them to shave their heads and the corners of their beards, and bans them from marrying a former prostitute.The rules are even stricter with regard to the High Priest.
The Italian rabbi Owadia ben Jacob Sforno (1475-1550) claimed that these requirements stemmed from equating the dignity of priests with that of the Eternal. Sforno was of the opinion that the priests, by violating the commandments designed to protect their dignity, were also bringing dishonor to the Eternal One.
The commandments described above imposed numerous restrictions on the priests. It is worth noting, however, that any priest who refrained from certain actions could meet their requirements. Our parsha, however, contains a commandment relating to innate qualities that prevented those of the priestly caste from serving in the Temple:
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Whosoever of your descendants according to their future generations shall have any blemish shall not be able to approach to offer the food of their God. No man who has a blemish shall be allowed to approach – neither the blind, nor the lame, nor those who have a misshapen face, nor the crippled, … nor the hunchbacked, nor the retarded, nor those who have whites in their eyes, … nor those who have crushed testicles. (Leviticus 21:17-20)[/perfectpullquote]
Individuals belonging to groups “with a blemish” were allowed to eat the food received by the collective priests from the rest of the people of Israel; this Torah provision secured their economic livelihood. In ancient times, ignorant of social benefits for the disabled, this was an extremely progressive solution. This does not change the fact that priests “with a blemish” may have felt they were “second-class citizens” in the priestly community. After all, they belonged to a group proud of their ability to serve the Eternal. I think they didn’t want to be a dependent group of the People of Israel solely because of their membership in the priestly caste. I am convinced that they wanted to feel needed.
In rabbinic literature, we find examples of jobs that the priestly caste assigned to priests “with a blemish.” In tractate Yoma 54a of the Babylonian Talmud, for example, we read that priests “with a blemish” checked the wood used from the sacrifices for worms that would make it unclean. Thus, these priests participated indirectly in the sacrificial process.
Modern views of disability differ significantly from the realities of the era in which the Torah was written. Today we are convinced that people with disabilities should have the right to participate fully in society, to realise their potential. However, this does not mean that they do not face manifestations of structural discrimination and personal prejudice. Our tradition, which has developed over time, teaches us that these obstacles should be removed both by introducing supportive social benefits for people with disabilities and by implementing programs that enable them to actively participate in the labor market. This Shabbat, I encourage you to take a look at your attitude toward people with disabilities and to examine your attitude toward the assistance society provides them. I hope that, like the Torah and Talmud, you recognize active support for people with disabilities as an essential part of modern societal life. Shabbat Shalom!
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