Haftorah Beam - Toldot

This week's Haftorah is a bit disturbing, from a special-needs perspective.  The prophet Malachi decries the people dishonoring G*d by offering "imperfect" animal sacrifices:

 ⁷ You offer defiled food on My altar. But you ask, "How have we defiled You?" By saying, "The table of the Lord can be treated with scorn." ⁸ When you present a blind animal for sacrifice-it doesn't matter! When you present a lame or sick one-it doesn't matter! Just offer it to your governor: Will he accept you? Will he show you favor?-said the Lord of Hosts. ⁹ And now implore the favor of God! Will He be gracious to us? This is what you have done-will He accept any of you?

and again a bit later:

¹³ You say, "Oh, what a bother!" And so you degrade it-said the Lord of Hosts-and you bring the stolen, the lame, and the sick; and you offer such as an oblation. Will I accept it from you?-said the Lord.
¹⁴ A curse on the cheat who has an [unblemished] male in his flock, but for his vow sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord! 

How does this square with a vision of universal divine love, and acceptance of all?  This passage is certainly more in line with the pagan notions of examining entrails of sacrificed animals.  How do we read this in a more elevated interpretation, consistent with modern sensibilities?

I struggled with this for a while, but then I looked back to the Torah portion. This is, after all, the story of Jacob and Esau competing for the birthright and their father's favor. Isaac directed Esau to "make him an offering" not unlike the ones offered to G*d in the Haftorah:

¹ When Isaac was old and his eyes were too dim to see, he called his older son Esau and said to him, "My son." He answered, "Here I am." ² And he said, "I am old now, and I do not know how soon I may die. ³ Take your gear, your quiver and bow, and go out into the open and hunt me some game. ⁴ Then prepare a dish for me such as I like, and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my innermost blessing before I die."

Jacob, at the direction of his mother Rebekah, brings a dish of prepared goat under the pretense of being Esau.  Although Isaac seems suspicious, he does in fact give Jacob the blessing intended for his brother.  This is but one in a string of deceptions which characterize Jacob's life.  Is he in fact the "cheat" referred to in verse 14 above?

¹⁴ A curse on the cheat who has an [unblemished] male in his flock, but for his vow sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord!

Granted, there is no reference in the Torah reading to blemished animals.  However, Jacob's offering was clearly NOT what his father had requested!  If he wanted to usurp his brother's place, should he not have at least earned it by hunting down game as Esau was bidden to do?  At the very least, should he not have prepared the meal himself rather than have his mommy do it for him?! Certainly seems like the spirit of the cheater who takes the easy way out of fulfilling his duties.  And yet, he received his father's blessing.

The Haftorah asks several times, "Will such an offering be acceptable?"  This is presented as a rhetorical question, and yet, the very beginning of the reading states,

² I have shown you love, said the Lord. But you ask, "How have You shown us love?" After all-declares the Lord-Esau is Jacob's brother; yet I have accepted Jacob ³ 

G*d has already accepted Jacob's offering! In spite of all his faults, Jacob is beloved.  The answer to the seemingly rhetorical question is, surprisingly, YES.

The real question is not "Will G*d accept disabilities?" but.... Will we?

31 4 21 Impact

Ever wonder how a child with T21 might impact her siblings? This little boy not only learned how to be helpful without being suffocating when he plays with his sister, but was able to find his voice -- despite being naturally shy -- to explain her differences to other children.  Now the other children learn acceptance ("she is different, but normal and okay") but he has learned the strength one gains from being a stand for another.

31 4 21 What is disability?

I just came upon this article by a physically disabled woman.  She bucks the trend of "people first language", insisting that she is NOT a "person with a disability":

The main argument in favor of the phrase “person with a disability” is that it’s “person first.” Whaaaat? No one has ever told me that I should describe myself as a “person with gayness” or a “person with womanliness.” I’m gay and I’m a woman -- no need to qualify that I’m a person too. But I have been told that I’m wrong for calling myself “disabled” rather than a “person with a disability.” 

However, unlike "gay" and "woman", she sees "disabled" as relative to society as opposed to an intrinsic aspect of her being:

Most people look at the word “disabled” and assume it means “less able.” It doesn’t. It means “prevented from functioning.” When I turn the wireless connection off on my computer, I get told that the connection has been “disabled”:Does this mean that my wifi has suddenly become less able or broken? Has my wifi acquired a disability? Of course not. It has been prevented from functioning by an external force. In a very similar way to how I’m disabled by bus drivers that just won’t stop if they see me -- a wheelchair user -- waiting at the bus stop.

I find this a fascinating construction of the concept of disability, especially as it relates to my own writing on this subject.  How would Lisa's understanding of her own condition change if instead of creating "accessible environments" society responded by inventing step-climbing wheelchairs?


...and made them widely and cheaply available?

I imagine the result would be similar to nearsightedness, which is no longer truly considered a "disability".

What would it take to do this for people with T21?  To create not only accessible environments via inclusive educational opportunities, but to actually give them the tools with which they can function without disruptive impairment?

Many T21 spokespersons worry about this devaluing people with T21 and their unique perspectives and contributions.  I believe that creating technologies, whether mechanical or medical, which address the specific needs of the people themselves, is the best way of VALUING them.  Was the wheelchair in the video above invented by engineers who devalue people with mobility impairments?

Haftorah Beam - Chayei Sarah

The connection between the Torah reading and the Haftorah this week (well, last week....) is the theme of an elder leader planning for his succession.

In the Torah portion we see Abraham, returning from the trauma of the near-sacrifice of Isaac, as well as grieving for his beloved wife. He finds a suitable burying ground, buries Sarah, and sets about finding a wife for Isaac.

In the Haftorah we see King David on his deathbed, learning about the treachery of Adonijah, and scrambling to set the record straight, crowning his son Solomon within his own lifetime.

This reading lacks the poetry and deep meaning of some of the other Haftarot.  It is very matter-of-fact, and discusses King David's failings, both as a leader and as a man:

¹ King David was now old, advanced in years; and though they covered him with bedclothes, he never felt warm. ² His courtiers said to him, "Let a young virgin be sought for my lord the king, to wait upon Your Majesty and be his attendant; and let her lie in your bosom, and my lord the king will be warm." ³ So they looked for a beautiful girl throughout the territory of Israel. They found Abishag the Shunammite and brought her to the king. ⁴ The girl was exceedingly beautiful. She became the king's attendant and waited upon him; but the king was not intimate with her.

Where other Haftarot seem to take a theme from the Torah reading and develop it to a deeper level, this one seems to expose the harsh reality of imminent death and human frailty.

31 4 21 Down syndrome off the clock

This is a few years old, but I just saw it now.  It's a great way to understand acceptance of disability!

http://davehingsburger.blogspot.com/2010/07/down-syndrome-off-clock.html

31 4 21 Blog Hop!

I joined another 31 for 21 blog hop.
This one is all about ACCEPTANCE.  Acceptance of differences, not just special needs, but acceptance of each and all of us, with our individual strengths and weaknesses.

31 4 21 Hey Jude

Hey Jude, don't make it bad

Take a sad song and make it better

Remember to let her into your heart

Then you can start to make it better

Hey Jude, don't be afraid

You were made to go out and get her

The minute you let her under your skin

Then you begin to make it better

And anytime you feel the pain, hey Jude, refrain
Don't carry the world upon your shoulders
For well you know that it's a fool who plays it cool
By making his world a little colder