Yes, very probably. Nothing in the Law of Moses forbade a disabled person from being in the outer courts of the Temple. However, several nuances must be added.
Did the Law Exclude the Disabled from the Temple?
The answer is no. People suffering from a physical disability were not considered impure and could take part in the religious life of Israel.
The passage often invoked is Leviticus 21.17-23, but it concerns only the priests who were descendants of Aaron. A priest who was blind, lame, or had some other disability could not officiate before the altar, but he kept his priestly rights and could eat the sacred offerings.
This restriction did not apply to the people in general.
Where Was the Lame Man?
Luke specifies that he was placed "at the gate of the Temple called Beautiful" (Acts 3.2). He does not say that he was inside the sanctuary itself.
The "" is generally identified with the Nicanor Gate, which separated the Court of the Women from the Court of the Israelites. If this identification is correct, the lame man was sitting in the immediate vicinity of an area much frequented by the faithful coming to pray.
Other scholars think it was an outer gate giving access to the Temple Mount. In either case, nothing indicates that he was in a place forbidden to him.
Restrictions Arising from Jewish Tradition?
Certain later rabbinic traditions seem to have established limitations concerning people with certain impurities or disabilities. However, these prescriptions do not come directly from the Law of Moses, and it is difficult to know to what extent they were already applied at the beginning of the first century.
Moreover, the community of was much stricter. The Temple Scroll and other Dead Sea texts excluded the blind, the lame, and various disabled people from certain sacred areas. However, these rules did not represent the official practice of the Temple in Jerusalem.
An Important Clue
After his healing, Luke specifies:
"Leaping up, he stood and began to walk; and he entered the Temple with them, walking, leaping, and praising God" (Acts 3.8).
The fact that the former lame man enters the Temple with Peter and John without provoking any hostile reaction shows that there was in all likelihood no legal prohibition preventing him from going there before. His disability therefore did not constitute a legal obstacle.
A Symbolic Significance
It is even possible that Luke wished to underline a theological idea. For more than forty years (Acts 4.22), this man had remained at the gates of the Temple to beg. Now healed, he is no longer simply sitting at the entrance: he enters the house of God, praising his Creator.
This scene recalls the messianic prophecy:
"Then shall the lame man leap like a deer" (Isaiah 35.6).
Thus, nothing suggests that the lame man of Acts 3.1-11 was at that place illegally. On the contrary, everything indicates that he was free to frequent the courts accessible to Israelites, even if his disability obliged him to stay daily near this gate where pilgrims were numerous.