Monday, May 31, 2010

Shut

This Thursday, the Yedidyah-Kibbutz Dati evening Beit Midrash is hosting an evening on Halakhah and physical disability. This is to launch a new book of responsa by Rabbi Shaul Anvari relating to the halakhic ramifications of physical disabilities.
I thought to mention that recently I was studying a manuscript responsum from the 14th century on the question of whether a blind person could be called up to read from the Torah. The respondent considered the question ridiculous - if he is blind, how can he read? I was surprised to find an extremely long list of rabbis throughout the centuries who have taken the opposite position. I assume this has much to do with the question of whether the 'oleh' reads from the Torah personally, or has the Torah read for him by the reader.

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