In Parshat Kedoshim (Vaykra 19:14) we read: “You shall not
curse a deaf person and before a blind person you shall not place a stumbling
block; you shall fear your God, I am God.”
It is clear this pasuk that people with special needs should
not be taken advantage of or mistreated. We can learn from here that all people
should be treated properly and respected whether or not they have special
needs.
It has taken society in general and society in
particular a long time to reach the point where we can say that those with
special needs are truly being treated as equal members of society and not
looked down upon.
This past Yom HaAtzmaut (Israel Independence Day),
recognition has been given to citizens of
for the State of Israel, some of whom have special needs.
Toby Klein Greenwald points out that Rami Levy, founder of
the third largest supermarket chain in Israel who was invited to light one of
the torches on Erev Yom Haatzmaut at Har Herzl acknowledged in his speech how
thankful he is to have been able to come this far in the business world despite
having dyslexia.
Pvt. Dan Korkowsky lit the torch on behalf of the IDF’s
special needs soldiers. Pvt. Korkowsky
was diagnosed as being on the spectrum for autism and he is part of the IDF’s
special intelligence unit 9900.
On Yom HaAtzmaut, the Israel Prize for Literature was
awarded to Erez Biton who has been blind since his childhood yet being blind
did not stop him from writing five books of poetry.
Chaim Topol, most famous for his role as Tevya in Fiddler on
the Roof won the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Israel Prize Ceremony for
his work with children with special needs. Topol is a founder of “Variety” and
chairman of the
life threatening illnesses.
It is about time that
of people with special needs and those who work on behalf of those with special
needs in the workplace, in our cultural institutions and in the army.
It is not enough to “not curse a deaf person” and “not put a
stumbling block before a blind person”, we must give honor to those who deserve
it no matter what physical or emotional challenges they may face.
