Left Handed

A left-handed person (Itter Yad) is someone whose strength is greater in their left hand, and who performs most tasks requiring precision, such as writing and similar activities, with their left hand. This differs from the majority of people who are 'right-handed'.

Itter Yad in Halacha

A left-handed person has special laws in halacha with practical implications affecting several mitzvos, including:

1. Putting on tefillin - The left-handed person puts tefillin on the right arm, unlike a right-handed person who puts them on the left arm.
2. Mitzvos related to writing (such as writing STa"M [Torah scrolls, tefillin, and mezuzos], writing a get [divorce document], and the prohibition of writing on Shabbos) - Writing for a left-handed person is only with the left hand. If he writes with his right hand, it is not considered writing.
3. Service in the Beis HaMikdash - A left-handed kohen is considered to have a blemish and is forbidden to perform the service.
4. Taking the lulav - The left-handed person holds the lulav in the left hand and the esrog in the right.
5. Taking the cup for a blessing - The left-handed person holds the wine cup in the left hand for kiddush, havdalah, birkas hamazon, and similar occasions.

For other practical mitzvos such as affixing a mezuzah, reclining at the Seder night, and lighting Chanukah candles, being defined as left-handed has no significance; although according to some opinions these definitions do have an impact.

Additionally, the halachic difference between right-handed and left-handed individuals has practical expression in dozens of examples in daily life. The left-handed person washes hands and dresses differently than a right-handed person does, and so on.

The definitions for determining left-handedness: Rashi holds that it is defined by the hand that has greater strength; while the Rosh explained that the strong hand does not mean the one with greater strength, but rather the hand with which a person performs most daily activities. In the Shulchan Aruch it was ruled that the act of writing defines the dominant hand, so that a person who writes with his right hand, even if his left hand is stronger, is not defined by halacha as left-handed.

Itter Regel (Left-Footed)

In addition to 'itter yad' (left-handed), halacha also relates to 'itter regel' (left-footed) as Rashi defines it:

"When walking, he lifts his left foot first, which is not the way of most people."

This has practical implications for several mitzvos, including:

1. The mitzvah of chalitzah - When the husband is left-footed, some hold that the woman needs to remove the shoe from his left foot.
2. Service in the Beis HaMikdash - A left-footed kohen is considered to have a blemish and is forbidden to perform the service.

Sholeit Bishtei Yadav (Ambidextrous)

The poskim have written that a person who controls both hands equally, both in the strength of his hands and in delicate actions such as writing and the like, needs to put on tefillin on both arms (one after the other) because of doubt; and they have also written that such a person should not be a STa"M scribe.

The Tzemach Tzedek further added that the same applies even if one writes with his right hand but performs his other actions with his left hand.

See Also

• Laws of the Left-Handed Person (book)