(יז) דַּבֵּ֥ר אֶֽל־אַהֲרֹ֖ן לֵאמֹ֑ר אִ֣ישׁ מִֽזַּרְעֲךָ֞ לְדֹרֹתָ֗ם אֲשֶׁ֨ר יִהְיֶ֥ה בוֹ֙ מ֔וּם לֹ֣א יִקְרַ֔ב לְהַקְרִ֖יב לֶ֥חֶם אֱלֹקָֽיו׃ (יח) כִּ֥י כׇל־אִ֛ישׁ אֲשֶׁר־בּ֥וֹ מ֖וּם לֹ֣א יִקְרָ֑ב אִ֤ישׁ עִוֵּר֙ א֣וֹ פִסֵּ֔חַ א֥וֹ חָרֻ֖ם א֥וֹ שָׂרֽוּעַ׃ (יט) א֣וֹ אִ֔ישׁ אֲשֶׁר־יִהְיֶ֥ה ב֖וֹ שֶׁ֣בֶר רָ֑גֶל א֖וֹ שֶׁ֥בֶר יָֽד׃ (כ) אֽוֹ־גִבֵּ֣ן אוֹ־דַ֔ק א֖וֹ תְּבַלֻּ֣ל בְּעֵינ֑וֹ א֤וֹ גָרָב֙ א֣וֹ יַלֶּ֔פֶת א֖וֹ מְר֥וֹחַ אָֽשֶׁךְ׃
(כא) כׇּל־אִ֞ישׁ אֲשֶׁר־בּ֣וֹ מ֗וּם מִזֶּ֙רַע֙ אַהֲרֹ֣ן הַכֹּהֵ֔ן לֹ֣א יִגַּ֔שׁ לְהַקְרִ֖יב אֶת־אִשֵּׁ֣י ה' מ֣וּם בּ֔וֹ אֵ֚ת לֶ֣חֶם אֱלֹקָ֔יו לֹ֥א יִגַּ֖שׁ לְהַקְרִֽיב׃
(כב) לֶ֣חֶם אֱלֹקָ֔יו מִקׇּדְשֵׁ֖י הַקֳּדָשִׁ֑ים וּמִן־הַקֳּדָשִׁ֖ים יֹאכֵֽל׃ (כג) אַ֣ךְ אֶל־הַפָּרֹ֜כֶת לֹ֣א יָבֹ֗א וְאֶל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֛חַ לֹ֥א יִגַּ֖שׁ כִּֽי־מ֣וּם בּ֑וֹ וְלֹ֤א יְחַלֵּל֙ אֶת־מִקְדָּשַׁ֔י כִּ֛י אֲנִ֥י ה' מְקַדְּשָֽׁם׃
(17) Speak to Aaron and say: No man of your offspring throughout the ages who has a defect shall be qualified to offer the food of his God. (18) No one at all who has a defect shall be qualified: no man who is blind, or lame, or has a limb too short or too long; (19) no man who has a broken leg or a broken arm; (20) or who is a hunchback, or a dwarf, or who has a growth in his eye, or who has a boil-scar, or scurvy, or crushed testes.
(21) No man among the offspring of Aaron the priest who has a defect shall be qualified to offer the Eternal's offering by fire; having a defect, he shall not be qualified to offer the food of his God.
(22) He may eat of the food of his God, of the most holy as well as of the holy; (23) but he shall not enter behind the curtain or come near the altar, for he has a defect. He shall not profane these places sacred to Me, for I the Eternal have sanctified them.
A blemish on him — These apparently redundant words imply: so long as he has the bodily blemish he is unfit for priestly service); consequently, if his blemish disappears, he becomes again fit for it (Sifra, Emor, Chapter 3 6).
- How does this passage treat a kohen who has a mum / defect?
- How are they treated like their brethren? How are they treated differently?
- What issue are at play and not at play in this passage?
- What are some problems one might have with this passage?
- What are possible ways to relate to this passage today?
(27) And God created humankind in the divine image, creating it in the image of God— creating them male and female.
- What does being made in God's image mean? [Note that being made in God's image in this verse is prior to being designated male and female.]
- How does this verse relate to the above passage?
- How does this verse relate to the above passage?
- In what ways is the above passage still relevant to our society today?
- Do we truly value the divine spark within each of us or do we seek perfection in those who lead us?
- How do we silence those who are different, subtly and explicitly, because their stories and experiences, their truths, make us uncomfortable?
- What does that say about the ways in which we subconsciously or otherwise dehumanize those without a perfectly normative presentation?
- When you look at your communities, how often do you see individuals with disabilities, subtle or explicit, exercising leadership?
- How does this focus on embodied perfection keep people out of positions of leadership?
- How does this focus affect people who are already in positions of leadership?
- How does all of this affect people who are marginalized who want to be part of a community?
https://www.jtsa.edu/torah/the-problem-of-embodied-perfection/
(ו) וַיְהִ֣י בְּבוֹאָ֔ם וַיַּ֖רְא אֶת־אֱלִיאָ֑ב וַיֹּ֕אמֶר אַ֛ךְ נֶ֥גֶד ה' מְשִׁיחֽוֹ׃ {ס} (ז) וַיֹּ֨אמֶר ה' אֶל־שְׁמוּאֵ֗ל אַל־תַּבֵּ֧ט אֶל־מַרְאֵ֛הוּ וְאֶל־גְּבֹ֥הַּ קוֹמָת֖וֹ כִּ֣י מְאַסְתִּ֑יהוּ כִּ֣י ׀ לֹ֗א אֲשֶׁ֤ר יִרְאֶה֙ הָאָדָ֔ם כִּ֤י הָאָדָם֙ יִרְאֶ֣ה לַעֵינַ֔יִם וַה' יִרְאֶ֥ה לַלֵּבָֽב׃
And if he had remained on Shmuel's human distinction he would have decided that he was unworthy, but God would see to the heart and know that from the goodness of his choice he would do justice and righteousness, and in the nature of the planted redness he would use to fight the wars of the Lord. "And from the city of the Lord all the workers of On, and the one who is desired in the eyes of the Lord, that when he finds a bad inclination in his nature, he will rule over it on the part of his righteousness and the goodness of his choice.
A person who sees a Kushit or a person who has a strange-looking face or an abnormal limb should recite the blessing:
"Blessed are You, God, Eternal One, Sovereign of the universe, who has altered [God's ] creations.
When one sees a blind man, a one-legged person, a person with skin boils or white blotches, or the like, he should recite the blessing "the true Judge."
If they were born with these afflictions, he should recite the blessing "who has altered [God's ] creations."
When one sees an elephant, monkey, or owl, he should recite the blessing: "Blessed... who has altered [God's ] creations.