Who Is Obligated to Appear Before the LORD on the Three Festivals

"Three times you shall keep a feast to Me in the year" (Exodus 23:14): All are obligated in the appearance [at the Temple], except for a deaf-mute, an imbecile, a minor, one of indeterminate sex, a hermaphrodite, slaves who have not been freed, the lame and the blind, the sick and the aged, and so on. "All" comes to include what? To include one blind in one of his eyes. And this is not according to that Tanna, for it was taught: Yochanan ben Dahavai says in the name of Rabbi Yehudah ben Teima, one blind in one of his eyes is exempt from the appearance, as it is said, "Three times in the year shall every male appear [yera'eh / yir'eh]" (Exodus 23:17). Read it both as "he shall be seen" and "he shall see": just as one comes to see, so he comes to be seen; just as he sees with two eyes, so he is seen with two eyes. Rabbi Tanchum said: one deaf in one ear is exempt from the appearance, as it is said "in their ears" (Deuteronomy 31:11). But that phrase is needed for "in the ears of all Israel"! That requirement is derived from "before all Israel" in the same verse. And Rabbi Tanchum said: one lame in one leg is exempt from the appearance, as it is said "regalim" [feet/times]. But that word is needed to exclude those who walk on artificial stumps! That exclusion is derived from "pe'amim" (Exodus 23:17), for it was taught: "pe'amim" means nothing but feet, and so it says, "the foot shall tread it down, the feet of the poor, the steps [pa'amei] of the needy" (Isaiah 26:6), and it says, "how beautiful are your feet [pe'amayikh]" (Song of Songs 7:2). Our Rabbis taught: "regalim" excludes those on artificial stumps, the lame, the blind, the sick, the aged, and one who cannot go up on his own feet; it comes to include the pampered, as it is written, "when you come to appear before Me, who has required this" (Isaiah 1:12). "Three times you shall keep a feast to Me": why is this said? Because it says, "three times in the year" (Exodus 23:17; Deuteronomy 16:16), I might understand at any time he wishes; therefore Scripture says, "on the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and on the Feast of Weeks, and on the Feast of Tabernacles" (Deuteronomy 16:16). If on the Feast of Unleavened Bread three times and on the Feast of Weeks three times, and so on, therefore Scripture says, "three feasts you shall keep to Me in the year." "Regalim" means those who walk on their feet. "He shall appear" excludes the blind. "Your males" (Deuteronomy 16:16) excludes women. "All your males" excludes one of indeterminate sex and a hermaphrodite. "You shall read this Torah" (Deuteronomy 31:11) excludes converts and slaves. "In their ears" excludes the deaf. "And you shall rejoice" excludes the sick and the minor. "Before the LORD your God" excludes the ritually impure. From here they said: all are obligated in the appearance, except for a deaf-mute, an imbecile, a minor, and so on.