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Don’t know if it’s been covered but I need practical advice on what needs to go into shaimos. We have a huge stack of material in our garage – most of which I am skeptical needs to go into shaimos.
Examples:
Kid’s homework with pasukim (but no Shem HaShem)
News letters and print out (like Mishah Berura Yomi)
Yated and the like that will have divrei Torah in it.
Treif Kabbalah books that someone gave me that have the YKVK printed in it (obviously not printed lishmah).
Books written by reform and conservative “Rabbeim.” Some Jason Aronson books which deal with Gemara, etc. but not written by frum Jews.
Pamphlets passed out by Chabad Shluchim with Sichos of the Rebbe.
Pamphlets passed out by Breslov.
And the list goes on. Do all/any/none of these need to be buried in shaimos or can the be thrown out “respectfully” e.g. in a separate bag laid on top of the garbage or recycling?
Thanks for your help.
I can’t believe you posted this. Not only am I having the same problem, I even have some of the exact same stuff (Treif Kabbalah, breslev) I know some of the info but you could call the CRC and they will tell you. Or when I get my info I can tell you. I have 4 boxes full in my basement and I am cleaning out my parents stuff. My dad was given a “kameiah” from “some religious guy” that a non-frum relative went to. He opened it and it was a photocopy of some kabbalah stuff. He was told its garbage, that a mekubal doesn’t photocopy, but he must have been afraid to toss it cuz I found it yesterday.
I have been told it’s any actual printed copy of Torah. I have seen all of these in Shaimos boxes. Even the Reform and cons. if they have copy of Torah in there. Probably you can remove those pages from the books, that would apply to Orthodox books in Eng. as well.
the worst thing in Shaimos by boxes is mamash secular books like on Israel. I go thru this at my shule to ensure only the right things.
I have now loads of Torah cassettes and CD’s – I imagine they also have to be in Sheimos.
Hi YehudahTzvi and Syag Lchochma.
It’s difficult to say without seeing it, but I know that the Pesach book by Rabbi Blumenkrantz has a page at the front/back respectfully asking that it be treated as Shaimos and not thrown out. They even have an address to mail it to if you don’t have Shaimos deposits in your area. Now this book that I speak of does not appear to have Shem HaShem or much writing in Lashon HaKodesh.
Breslov Pamphlets usually have Tikkun HaKlali (the 10 Tehillim) printed in the back, so I think that definitely has to be treated as Shaimos.
Literatue that has Shem HaShem (even not Lishmah) has to be buried.
Most Shuls in my area have Shaimos rooms that allow people to drop off their stuff and Erev Pesach, a truck comes by to collect what people have.
Concerning books written by Reform, etc… (pure English) — it may be possible to donate them, make it Hefker (leave it out on your curb) in a box clearly marked, etc… I don’t know without seeing the contents, etc…
Hope this helps.
Rav Pam’s psak: Anything with an actual Name (the 7 sheimos sh’ainam nimchakim, plus the kinnuyim that we pasken are Kadosh cf RaMBaM yesodei Torah ch. 7) or a pasuk from tanach with or without a Name goes in sheimos. There is no din lishma. All other divrei Torah, regardless of language and ideological purity of the author gets disposed of respectfully but does not require geniza.
If I were you I wouldn’t go through the entire pile of reform scholarship to see what is Torah and what isn’t. Just dump the whole pile in paper recycling and be done with it.
Reform or Conservative things aren’t Shaimos. Sefer Torah Shek’savo Min Yisaref.
By “not lishma” I meant printed sefrei kodesh. Things written by heretical sects and other religions were outside of the scope of that psak which I heard from someone who was gabbai seforim there about sheimos generated in his yeshiva.
Sam2: The din of Sefer Torah sh’kasvo min is a special din in a kosher Sefer Torah. If Phil Berg’s books are to be burned they would be burned as tashmishei a”z, not under the din you mentioned.
Itche: Are you sure? I could be wrong (I don’t think so though but I always can be); I’ll look into it.
Please do. I was told that once when asked why we didn’t burn such-and-such (embarassed to say what) when I was 16, but in retrospect the rabbi could have just been trying to shut me up. 🙂
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