<b>And it came to pass that when Isaac was old (Gen. 27:1).</b> May it please our master to teach us whether a blind man is permitted to stand before the ark to lead the congregation in prayer. Thus did our master teach us: A blind man may recite the prayers preceding the Shema (“Hear, O Israel,” etc.), and he may also recite the Targum (Aramaic translation) of the Torah, but he may not lead the congregation in the prayers that follow the Shema, nor may he read from the Torah, nor lift his hands in the priestly benediction.<sup class="footnote-marker">3</sup><i class="footnote">For certain prayers the leader must be able to see the minyan. In addition, the law requires that the reader look into the Torah scroll as he reads it..</i> R. Judah, however, contended that a man who was born blind was prohibited from reciting the prayers preceding the Shema as well, for he would be acting as a false witness if he did so. He would be compelled to say: “Blessed be He who created the luminaries,” when, in fact, he had never seen them.
You find that everyone who becomes blind is considered as though dead. How do we know this? R. Simeon the son of Yohai said: The Holy One, blessed be He, never associates His name with righteous men during their lifetimes. He waits until they have died, as it is said: <i>As for the holy that are in the earth, they are the excellent in whom is all My delight</i> (Ps. 16:3). When are men regarded as truly holy? Only after they have been buried in the earth. During their lifetimes, however, the Holy One, blessed be He, does not associate His name with theirs. And why not? Because the Holy One, blessed be He, is not certain whether or not the evil inclination within them will ultimately lead them astray. When they are dead, however, He does couple His name with theirs. Nevertheless, we find that the Holy One, blessed be he, did couple his name with that of the righteous Isaac during his lifetime, when he said to Jacob: <i>I am the Lord, the God of Abraham, thy father, and the God of Isaac</i> (Gen. 28:43). R. Berechiah and the rabbis discussed this matter. The rabbis maintained that He considered Isaac’s ashes as though they were heaped upon the altar,<sup class="footnote-marker">4</sup><i class="footnote">Even though the sacrifice of Isaac was not completed, the Akedah was proof that Isaac would never succumb to the evil inclination.</i> while R. Berechiah insisted that he was considered as dead because he had already lost his sight. Because of his blindness he remained secluded within his home, and the result was that the evil inclination departed from him. Hence it is written: <i>And it came to pass that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim</i> (Gen. 27:1).