[NFBJ] Scribes interested in learning about blindness

Sun Aug 23 14:53:14 UTC 2026

 Shalom, Rabbi:

I am very well aware that the Torah itself contains no trope signs. However, the Tanakh does. I have always felt deprived of a very basic right, perhaps a privilege, in Judaism, by not being able to read Torah. Since 1957 until now, all of my sighted Jewish friends and colleagues — whether in Hebrew School, Los Angeles Hebrew High School, Camp Ramah (in Ojai, CA), the Hebrew Teachers Institute (in Los Angeles), in Jerusalem (where I lived for many years), and now at Congregation Netivot Shalom in Berkeley, CA — have been able to read Torah and Hafarah. 

I firmly believe that your contribution to Judaism is stellar and extrepely pivotal. However, I feel equally strongly that Synagogues with blind Congregants should own Braille Sifrei Torah. Borrowing one for a few weeks won't allow us to read Torah whenever we wish to do so. The American Jewish -munity is extremely wealthy. It is time to seriously invest in accessibility specifically for blind Jews and generally for all disabled Jews.

Kol tuv,

Daveed Mandell    

----- Original Message -----
From: Rabbi Lenny Sarko via NFBJ <nfbj at nfbnet.org>
Date: Wednesday, August 19, 2026 02:16 PM
To: NFB in Judaism <nfbj at nfbnet.org>
CC: rabbi at rabbisarko.org
Subject: Re: [NFBJ] Scribes interested in learning about blindness

David,
There are no trope signs in a sefer torah.  A sefer torah, with a scribe 
or braille, costs in the order of $75,000.  No synagogue is going to 
fund this for one or two people.  It is why I developed the way for 
people to borrow the scroll when they wish to use it.
Thanks,
Rabbi Lenny
On 2026-08-18 12:30, Daveed Mandell via NFBJ wrote:
> About another approach, which I know is controversial: What if we could 
> read from the Torah with braille text, while someone such as the 
> Gabbai, pointered with the Yad to every word as we read? Could this be 
> a stop gap approach, until we are able to obtain a braille Torah scrol? 
> Rabbi Lenny has only produced a few Sifrei Torah, as wonderful as they 
> are. I would like to see one, but I'm on the West Coast. To borrow a 
> Torah scroll for two weeks is good as far as it goes, but we need to be 
> able to obtain braille Sifrei Torah for permanent retention. That is 
> going to be a huge problem, because they are not considered kosher, and 
> mass producing them would be unlawful. I would love to see one, to get 
> my hands on it, to actually read from it.
> 
> Another problem is Braille trope signs.
> Does anybody have any information on them? I have heard that Duxbury 
> contains Braille Trope signs in its Biblical Hebrew Braille code. Is 
> that true? I've been trying to find out about Braille Trope signs for 
> years. When I had my Bar Mitzvah, I made up my own Braille trope code. 
> It worked. I just did so again for a recent Haftarah that I chanted.
> 
> Yes, all this is interesting and exciting!
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
> On Aug 18, 2026, at 7:42 AM, mlevy--- via NFBJ <nfbj at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Can I contact "these gentlemen" on my own?
> 
> Thank you.
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NFBJ <nfbj-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Rachael D Hudson via 
> NFBJ
> Sent: Tuesday, August 18, 2026 10:19 AM
> To: Daveed Mandell <daveedmandell at gmail.com>; in Judaism NFB 
> <nfbj at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Rachael D Hudson <hudson.rachaeld at gmail.com>; nfbj at nfbnet.org
> Subject: Re: [NFBJ] Scribes interested in learning about blindness
> 
> good morning,
> It's very interesting to me as well.  I personally like Rabbi Lenny's 
> approach using just the braille itself..  I will definitely be wanting 
> to ask these gentlemen questions of my own…
> 
> For instance, we don't touch the Taurus role because we don't want to 
> smudge the letters - especially the Divine name!  G-D forbid!  So I'm 
> very curious about their plans and look forward to learning more from 
> them.  I also greatly value Rabbi Lenny Sarko's input on this 
> discussion and on any meeting we might schedule with the group here.
> 
> -Rachael Everhart Hudson (She/Her)
> 267-268-5780
> "Do the hard things while they are still easy... The journey of a 
> thousand miles begins with a single step."  -Lao Tzu 
> ________________________________
> From: Daveed Mandell <daveedmandell at gmail.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, 18 August 2026 10:13:08
> To: in Judaism NFB <nfbj at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Rachael D Hudson <hudson.rachaeld at gmail.com>; nfbj at nfbnet.org 
> <nfbj at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [NFBJ] Scribes interested in learning about blindness
> 
> Shalom:
> 
> This is very exciting! Torah reading is something I have longed to do 
> all my life. I was just recently thinking about a Torah with both print 
> and Braille. Wouldn't that be something? By the way, does anyone have 
> information on Braille trope signs for both Torah and Haftarah 
> chanting?
> 
> Kol tuv,
> 
> Daveed
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
> On Aug 17, 2026, at 4:32 PM, Rachael D Hudson via NFBJ 
> <nfbj at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Shalom y'all,
> A friend recently met a group of scribes at a maker space in Minnesota. 
> He connected them with me in the hopes that I could pass them on to 
> this group to help begin facilitating conversation.   It's my 
> understanding that these are orthodox or ultra orthodox scribes who are 
> inspired by Rabbi Lenny's approach to a braille Torres scroll, but want 
> to create something with the traditionally prescribed in and so on.  It 
> is their hope that we can also perhaps put together a call in which 
> they can learn from users of Hebrew Braille… Obviously, sometime after 
> the high holidays.
> 
> I agreed to send their message (below)
> 
> A new project is exploring the creation of sacred Jewish texts that 
> combine traditional handwritten Hebrew with Hebrew Braille, beginning 
> with a prototype Megillat Esther and working towards a complete, kosher 
> Torah scroll with Braille. The goal is to make communal ritual texts 
> more accessible to blind Jews while preserving the rigorous 
> requirements of Jewish scribal tradition. The project is feedback and 
> suggestions from the blind community to help shape the work, which is 
> being developed through the Kedusha Project: www.thekedushaproject.org 
> [1]<http://www.thekedushaproject.org><http://www.thekedushaproject.org<http://www.thekedushaproject.org>>
> 
> -Rachael Everhart Hudson (She/Her)
> 267-268-5780
> "Do the hard things while they are still easy... The journey of a 
> thousand miles begins with a single step."  -Lao Tzu 
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Links:
------
[1] http://www.thekedushaproject.org
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