What Does the Torah Say About People with Disabilities?

The Aish Rabbi Replies

I’m sorry to hear about your condition. It’s actually interesting to note that the Torah and Talmud say very little about disabilities per se. And I believe the reason for this is actually inspiring: God does not view a disabled person as inherently different from anyone else. In the Torah’s eyes, there is no distinct class known as “invalids” or “disabled persons.” We all have our good and bad qualities, where we might be physically, intellectually or emotionally better or worse than many others. A person may be blind or wheelchair-bound – or he might be short, homely, anxious, spacey, shy, selfish, socially inept, prone to anxiety or depression, etc. Or he may be facing some other particularly difficult life challenge – such as loneliness, childlessness or unemployment. No handicap nor good or bad quality makes a person inherently better or worse than anyone else – or even inherently different. We are all God’s children – His rather imperfect children, each with his own God-given set of faults, challenges and limitations. And we are all charged with a mission to overcome our flaws and properly use our talents to become the best human beings we can. Whether we have handicaps which are readily visible to others or not, we all have our problems and failings. And in God’s eyes, we are all equal.

Thus, we generally do not find the Torah distinguishing between different types of people based on their abilities or disabilities. And neither should a person with a disability view himself as fundamentally different from everyone else. His shortcoming may be more noticeable than others and may even be more debilitating, but we all have our problems of so many different types, be they physical, financial or emotional. Yet despite that, we are all loved by God and we can all become equally great.

(The one exception is a person who is mentally incompetent (called a shoteh in Jewish literature). If a person is incapable of making responsible decisions on his own, he is generally not culpable for his actions – although any mitzvah he performs surely earns him reward. There are likewise practical exemptions for different types of disabilities – such as that a deaf person is obviously not obligated to hear the Megillah on Purim. He likewise cannot recite it for others since he cannot help others fulfill a mitzvah he cannot do himself.)

The Torah, however, does speak generally about unfortunates, such as orphans, widows, strangers, and the poor. The Torah many times warns us against mistreating the defenseless, whether financially or verbally, and to act towards them with special care and sensitivity. (See for example Exodus 22:20-26, Deut. 24:17, 27:19, Isaiah 1:17, Jeremiah 22:3.) The Torah further expressly warns that God will personally avenge any wrongs done to such people. See in particular Exodus 22:22-23: “…for if [the orphan] shall cry out to Me [due to your oppression], I shall surely hear his cry. My wrath shall blaze and I shall kill you by the sword, and your wives will be widows and your children orphans.” (See similarly Proverbs 22:22-23 regarding stealing from the poor.)

The Midrash (Mechilta to Exodus 22) further points out that widows and orphans are simply examples. We must be careful not to abuse anyone who is helpless – or extra-sensitive about any particular subject. But again, the issue is not one of having a specific handicap. Such verses apply whenever a person faces challenges or suffers disadvantages in life – as we all surely do.

There is one exception to this. The priests (Kohanim) who served in the Temple had to be physically whole and without blemish. This is because the Temple is a place where we become physically close to God’s Divine Presence (Shechinah), and for that physical perfection is required. See this past response where I discuss this at greater length.