Torah Outlook on Disability

Question

I have a degenerative eye condition and want to know what the Torah and Chazal say about disability.

I really need some chizuk, as things have been very hard lately, and facing the prospect of totally going blind is terrifying.

Also, I kind of recall from high school a Medrish or Gemorrah about the Greeks having a statue of Avraham with a limp, and Yitzchak being blind, and I wanted to know if there was more to that, and where its from.

Thank you so much.

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Answers

  1. The Just Ask! - AskTheRabbi.org Team

    My heart goes out to you at this oh-so difficult time and I hope and daven that your Father in Heaven will send you a Refuah Shelaymah Bimheirah.

    I am not familiar with a Midrash that talks about the Greeks having statues of the Avos with their respective disabilities. What is absolutely true is that the Torah teaches us that Yitzchak was blind after the Akeida and that Yaakov limped after his encounter with Eisav, until Hashem cured him.

    While I appreciate that this may sound paltry compared to what you are facing, perhaps it might be possible to read (or listen) to some of the contemporary books that have been published about finding faith within adversity. The books by Rabbi Shalom Arush in English are famous for the way that they have brought life and clarity into people’s lives.

    Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team