What Mitzvah Can My Autistic Son Fulfill? A Rabbi’s Surprising Answer

Israeli media personality Avi Mimran shared on Tuesday morning a moving conversation he had approximately ten years ago with the prominent Kabbalist Rabbi David Abuhatzeira of Nahariya concerning his son, Itzik, who has severe autism and requires substantial support.

"I asked him, 'Honorable Rabbi, what mitzvah can my son Itzik fulfill? Should I even try to do something spiritual for him?'" Mimran recalled. "After all, he is exempt from all the commandments. He lacks the capacity for halachic understanding, he cannot communicate, and he is genuinely exempt from all the mitzvot. But perhaps there is something I, as a parent, can do for him that would bring spiritual merit to his soul."

Mimran explained that even putting on tefillin was not an option for his son due to the halachic requirements concerning bodily cleanliness. Still, he hoped there might be another mitzvah his son could fulfill. "What mitzvah can Itzik perform?" he asked the rabbi.

The Rabbi's Unexpected Answer

According to Mimran, Rabbi Abuhatzeira responded without a moment's hesitation. "He didn't need even a second to think. He told me, 'Take him with you to the polling station so he can vote for the party supported by the great Torah sages.'"

The rabbi explained that even someone who cannot comprehend the significance of voting could acquire spiritual merit through the act itself. The absence of intellectual understanding or conscious intention, he said, would not prevent Mimran's son from receiving the spiritual rewards associated with the mitzvah.

"You don't need intellectual understanding for this, and you don't need any great intention," Mimran quoted the rabbi as saying. "He will have fulfilled several mitzvot: following the guidance of Torah sages, sanctifying Hashem's name, and contributing to everything that ballot will subsequently accomplish for Judaism, the observance of mitzvot, the dissemination of Torah, and bringing merit to others. All of these merits will also be credited to his soul."

A Message Ahead of the Elections

Mimran said the rabbi's words had left a profound and lasting impression on him, offering a perspective on how his son could participate in a meaningful spiritual act despite his limitations.

"I took this lesson with me for life, and just before the elections, I feel it is important to share this story with as many people as possible," he said.

Concluding his account, Mimran emphasized what he viewed as the spiritual significance of voting for a party endorsed by leading Torah authorities. "If you stand behind the voting booth curtain and cast your ballot for a party that you know is supported by the great Torah sages, your soul gains spiritual merit," he said.