"The Holy Angels Are in Their Council": the Exclusion of Deformed Persons From Holy Places in Qumranic and Rabbinic Literature

Abstract

"THE HOLY ANGELS ARE IN THEIR COUNCIL": THE EXCLUSION OF DEFORMED PERSONS FROM HOLY PLACES IN QUMRANIC AND RABBINIC LITERATURE* AHARON SHEMESH Bar-Ilan University The comparison of Qumranic and rabbinic halakhah, now an inte- gral part of scholarly research, yields results enriching our understand- ing of both fields. On occasion, later rabbinic literature facilitates the interpretation of poorly preserved or laconic earlier sectarian halakhot; in other cases, Qumranic writings reveal alternative interpretive options for rabbinic sources. This applies particularly where intuitive associa- tions sparked by sectarian law contribute to a new reading of early rabbinic sources that differs from their