“Shomei Keoneh” (Hearing Legally Counts as Speaking): Creating a Community Which is Inclusive of the Blind, the Deaf and the Infirm

A virtual event presentation by Rabbi Ysoscher Katz

EVENT CO-SPONSORED BY:

ABOUT THE EVENT:

Halakha has certain mechanisms which allow people to perform mitzvot vicariously. One of those mechanisms is Shomei Ke’ona; hearing equals reciting. We will explore how this “legal fiction” can be utilized to create a halakha which is inclusive of people with certain disabilities, particularly the person who is deaf or blind.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Rabbi Ysoscher Katz is the Chair of the Department of Talmud at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. Rabbi Katz received ordination in 1986 from Rabbi Yechezkel Roth, dayan of UTA Satmer, and studied at Yeshivat Beit Yosef, Navaradok for over ten years. A graduate of the HaSha’ar Program for Jewish Educators, Rabbi Katz has taught at the Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls and SAR High School.