You’re invited to hear the story of Batya Sperling Milner’s bat mitzvah, the first held in an Orthodox synagogue in which the Torah portion was chanted from braille. 

Through the voices of Batya herself, as well as her mother, Aliza Sperling, we hear about the experience and the process that led to it: the groundbreaking scholarship on blind people reading Torah within the bounds of Jewish law and the first ever braille trope (Torah Cantillation Marks) system — one created specially for Batya. 

Listen to hear Batya’s love of Torah, her commitment to Jewish law, and her desire to be recognized for who she is, rather than be defined by a disability.

Listen to: The Torah at her Fingertips, an episode of Can We Talk?, The Jewish Women’s Archive Podcast, hosted by Nahanni Rous.