Dear Anna,
Yes, priests who had any deformity, permanent of temporary, were not
allowed
to perform sacrifices. Obviously, a priest who cannot perform sacrifices
is
also disqualified from the office of High Priest. In fact, Josephus
recounts
that one of the later Hasmoneans, I think Aristobolus III, chopped off his
uncle's ear, thus disqualifying him for the High Priesthood, so that he
could have the job. If I remember correctly, he was later drowned by King
Herod in a swimming pool. In any case, a list of these disqualifying
deformities is written in Lev. 21:17-23. "Left-handedness" (Hebrew
"Itter")
is not among them. But I would not be surprised if later halakhah (Jewish
law, such as the Talmud and Rambam) included left-handedness in the list.
Just a generation ago, left-handed people were considered handicapped. My
father is left-handed. I remember him telling me that when he was in
school,
his teachers forced him to write with his right hand.
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