Sacred Work Requires Sacred Infrastructures: Including People with Disabilites

Sources from essay by Rabbi Ruti Regan
in The Social Justice Torah Commentary

Alongside the description of Moses consecrating the first priests, Parashat Tzav describes procedures for bringing personal offerings to the sanctuary. Those with a reason to bring an offering to the sanctuary acted on their own initiative, but they also relied on the sanctuary infrastructure and the ongoing work of the priests to make their offerings possible. Individuals, professionals, and communal institutions all played a critical role. So, too, the sacred practice of building disability equality into our communities depends on indi vidual initiative, communal infrastructure, and ongoing work. The sanctuary does not maintain itself. Whatever our role in our commu-nities, we all have a role to play in making them equitable.

-Rabbi Ruti Regan

Doing the right and necessary thing can be expensive. Those who brought grain offerings were required to use the highest quality flour, investing a valuable resource into sustaining the sanctuary. In the words of In Ezra, "It is not fitting to offer a meal offering to the Most High that is not of the highest quality." Similarly, failing to "bring our best" to ensure equal access is an affront to the One we seek to serve. In the times of the ancient sacrifices and today, desire to proclaim our values is not enough. We have to put our money where our mouth is. On both an individual and communal level, budgetary priorities embody our val-ues. Equality is only possible when communities are willing to devote resources to accessibility. In order to build equality into our most sacred spaces, we have to be willing to pay for it.

-Rabbi Ruti Regan

In addition to money, there is a spiritual price we need to pay as we strive toward equality. If disability equality is a mitzvah, then treating people with disabilities unequally within our communities is a sin for which we must do t'shuvah (repentance). We need to be prepared to face the fact that our communities have long made choices that have hurt Jewish people with disabilities very badly. When we exclude people, we don't have to see the consequences. When access to Jewish spaces is so rare that people feel the need to smile and express gratitude for anything at all, we can tell ourselves that they are always happy. When people with disabilities are so marginalized within our communities that they are afraid to speak up, we can ignore their pain. As we move toward greater equality, we are going to have to feel the weight of this pain and trauma. We have to accept the vulnerability that comes along with tshuvah. We have done wrong, and we need to do better.

-Rabbi Ruti Regan

We also need to keep in mind that seemingly small details can make the difference between a sacred offering and an offensive offering...In the times of sacrificial worship, those with something to celebrate could bring a well-being offering of meat, somewhat akin to a sacred barbecue party. Within the time limit, eating the food was accepted as a sacred practice; eating the food after the time had elapsed was offensive. Even if the food was still perfectly edible, and even if those eating it still had the same intentions, continuing to eat made them guilty of a serious sin.

In modern times, it may not be entirely clear why this particular detail mattered, but we know that the failure to follow sanctuary rules to the letter could result in severe consequences. When Nadab and Abihu offer strange fire instead of the commanded incense, they pay for that mistake with their lives (Leviticus 10:1-2). The dedication of the sanctuary should have been a time of communal celebration, but instead the community is forced to bear the trauma of the very public deaths of two sacred leaders. When we are in a position of power, we must attend to the consequential details, even when they seem small...

When disabled people talk about details that seriously affect our lives, it is important to acknowledge that we know what we're talking about. When others do things on our behalf that are unhelpful or even harmful, it's important not to expect us to treat these offensive offerings as though they constituted equal access. In our efforts to build disability equality into our communities, we must make a priority of actually succeeding, not merely displaying good intentions. When we inadvertently offer offensive offerings, it's important to recognize them as offensive and do t'shuvah. Ongoing work, including ongoing t'shuvah, makes it possible for us to embody our most sacred values.

-Rabbi Ruti Regan

Discussion Questions by Ariel Tovlev

1. How does Rabbi Regan compare the obligation of sacrifices to the creation/ maintenance of accessible spaces?

2. What are some ways our communities can do t’shuvah (repentance) for the wrongs we have committed against people with disabilities?

3. Rabbi Regan lists several ways in which small details can make a big difference. What are some of the examples listed? What are some examples you can think of within your community? How might we be more attuned to these details to avoid humiliation and offense?