Parashat Emor פָּרָשַׁת אֱמוֹר

As we know, the Torah can be both a source of enlightenment and wisdom as well as quite frustrating and controversial. Contained in this Torah portion of Emor is one of those troubling passages.  There, as we will soon read, we are told that all animal sacrifices, all offerings must be without blemish. 

And the same is true of the priests.

The priests - the Kohanim - are prohibited from offering sacrifices if they have defects of any kind. These defects include blindness, being lame, short limbs, a hunchback, boils, growths, and so forth.

How do we address these issues?  (Obviously, these were pre-ADA times)  But doesn’t this prohibition seem inconsistent with the inclusiveness that we associate with Judaism?

• Why should someone with a disability not be allowed to offer sacrifices like any other Kohen?
• Aren’t we all created in God’s image? 
• Don’t all the positive messages of the Torah seem to contradict such an outright discriminatory attitude? 
• If your child has this parsha as their bar or bat mitzvah portion, what would you tell them? 
• How do we teach children about such passages in the Torah?
• Passages that trouble us or even that we find wrong? 

Think about the broader message of the Torah. That message seems overwhelmingly to be one of widening the circle of inclusiveness and of empowering and protecting those who are at risk. This is clear from our Exodus foundation story; it is also clear from the number of times the Torah explicitly states that we should protect the widow, orphan, poor and so on. In fact, at the end of this week’s parsha, the Torah states, “You shall have one standard for stranger and citizen alike: for I the Lord am your God.”

We need to protect the legal rights of strangers and treat them equally.  And let’s not forget that there are even Torah-based restrictions on what we can do to slaves.

Judaism developed over many centuries and under many internal and external influences. By valuing everyone as equally important, Judaism was revolutionary. Our world continues to struggle with this concept. It is probably unfair to hold the Torah and early rabbis to all of today’s standards. But it is important to apply the underlying principle of elevating the worth of every person.

We should teach our children that our Torah is a living document that has the capacity to grow over time. We need to balance the respect for tradition with the need to evolve. This may lead to tough decisions and conversations that won’t always be completely satisfying, but taking an open and honest approach to the Torah is the best way to ensure it remains relevant in our lives and the lives of future generations.