Editing Synagogue (section)

== Guide Dogs in the Synagogue ==
The Rebbe discussed permitting guide dogs in synagogues (regarding a blind person who needed one). The Rebbe rejected evidence from the Sifri and Kli Yakar which seemed to prohibit this, reasoning that practical law cannot be derived from homiletic biblical interpretations, and that the phrasing in Kli Yakar ("it is not proper to bring them to a holy place") is not definitive. The Rebbe challenged these sources using the Talmud Yoma and Rashi's commentary, and the Zohar, which prove that there were actual dog and lion forms in the Temple, regarding the fire that burned there and the coal that fell in Solomon's time. The Rebbe also cited the halachic obligation to pray in synagogue and concluded that possibilities for permission should be sought due to potential distress for the blind person and the importance of synagogue prayer.