Anon asked Staff ago Dear Daat Emet,
Recently, for whatever reasons, I began taking an interest in Judaism.
A friend recommended I go to your site and hear the other side of the story.
The truth is, I didn’t understand it too well, and some of the things really don’t say anything to me. But one thing which incensed me and made me immediately disengage from Judaism is the treatment of the disabled. I am one who has, his entire life, struggled with the terrible difficulties of (partial) disability. In school I lagged behind the other children, I had problems getting work, etc, and now I can’t serve in the Holy Temple because I am not perfect, after all the suffering G-d caused me?
Thank you,
Aryeh Cohen
jsadmin Staff answered 21 years ago
Dear Aryeh,
In the public interest we will cite our words on the portion of Emor. Disabled priests are not permitted to serve in the Holy Temple. It is written in the Torah, “No man of your offspring throughout the ages who has a defect shall be qualified to offer the food [sacrifice] of his G-d” (Leviticus 21:17). This is not because the defect will get in the way of the actual sacred work, but the reason for the prohibition is, as Rashi writes on Leviticus 21:18, that it is not appropriate for a defective priest to serve in the Temple, even if the defect is something small, like having one eye larger than the other.
The Torah discriminates not only against women, gentiles, and apostates, but also against the disabled who fulfill the Torah and the commandments.
This goes to show how very much superior to Torah values are the modern values.
Sincerely,
Daat Emet