Jerusalem – A new halachic ruling issued by Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger allows for deaf-mute boys to read from the Torah during their bar mitzvahs—a remedy disabled boys have been praying for, for decades.
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YNETnews.com (http://bit.ly/12TuKSJ) reports that Rabbi Metzger’s ruling comes in response to the ongoing request from Lend a Hand to a Special Kid—a Chabad-affiliated group that helps kids from the Hadvir Hachadash school with their bar mitzvahs.
In his ruling, the rabbi said that when deaf-mute boys are now called up to read a blessing from the Torah, they will sign-language the reading while an audience member verbally assists them.
Rav Yona Metzer is a Torah Giant of our day! This ruling is LONG overdue!
Mazal tov! As a deaf person some vocabulary should be worked on. We are not referred to as deaf-mute or disabled, just deaf. Gut Shabbos!
re: they will sign-language the reading while an audience member verbally assists them.
So in essence the “audience member” is the baal koreh – not the hearing/speech impaired young man.
While a great idea – in truth…no new “Halachic Ruling” and in reality no “Allows Deaf-Mute Boys To Read At Bar Mitzvah”
In our Congregation we have always had fathers accompany their speech impaired sons, when their son’s are called to the Torah, and make the brachos out loud together with their sons. Solves all the issues. But there is no NEW halachik ruling there.
As a mom of a deaf son, do not call anyone a “deaf mute”.
They are deaf. That’s all you need to know.My son can speak, think, is a college graduate and doesn’t need to see such words.Thank you.
I am no expert on this subject and am not taking a position but I thought the real question was whether a mute boy should have a bar mitzva at all or whether they are potur of mitzvahs as a cheresh. If that is the case they shouldn’t have an aliyah at all. Rabbi Metzger’s solution seems to remove any halacha issues from the reading but doesn’t take a position on that basic question, perhaps on purpose.
Why the need to differentiate if one can speak or not? That the beauty of being able to communicate more than one way (spoken or sign).