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I read an opinion piece on this topic on Ynet and have also found information about this halachic topic referenced as being in R. Shemuel Balmas's Mishpat Gerim Vol. 1, Ch. 3 Sec. 3, p. 168.

From what I've gathered from there, this is because it will be very difficult for a deaf person to fulfill the mitzvot. There's no way he can learn Torah and understand the complexity of the Torah and verbally accept the yoke of the mitzvot. In particular, the prayers that require pronunciation with the mouth.

The curious thing here is that in modern times, there are hearing-impaired people who can speak and disabled people who cannot speak at all. The reason is that hearing aids and cochlear implant surgery exist due to advances in medicine.

So, unlike the halachic opinion cited in Mishpat Gerim (p. 168) mentioned earlier, does this also apply to hearing-impaired people who can read and pronounce the Torah directly?

Or, in the case of such disabled people, is conversion not unconditionally impossible, but rather dependent on the judgment of the beit din?

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A deaf mute is invalid for most things not because he is deaf and mute, but because it is assumed he cannot comprehend things.

It is in Gittin, but a deaf mute who can communicate with writing loses these characteristics and his transactions are valid.

If he can demonstrate that he is competent, then he can convert, even if he may be exempt from mitzvot that require hearing and speaking.

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  • where can i find that source in gittin ?
    – W.S
    Sep 19 at 14:36
  • I don't know. I was sneezing too much in Schul on Rosh Hashana so I went outside and read most of the artscoll Gittin in English for several hours. People were beginning to think that I was the shofar so I had to leave.
    – Clint Eastwood
    Sep 19 at 14:37
  • Also he article says she wanted to convert to marry her lover. That is also an impediment to conversion.
    – Clint Eastwood
    Sep 19 at 14:41
  • thank about your answer News is one example. The part I focus on is Mishpat Gerim 168. I was curious about the answer, and I think I got a hint from your answer. According to gittin, does this mean that there is a detailed distinction in halacha regarding the attributes of the deaf?
    – W.S
    Sep 19 at 14:48
  • sefaria.org/Yevamot.110b sefaria.org/Yevamot.56a.6
    – Rabbi Kaii
    Sep 19 at 14:52

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