Proper Disposal of Holy Objects

Question:

Rabbi,

1. Sometimes I print out pages from the web that contain G‑d's name. If I need to discard them, should I give them any proper care? Is it necessary to even bury them like one does a prayer book?

2. A related question: Perhaps I'm being ridiculous, but don't a lot of newspapers and magazines mention G‑d, whether using the term G‑d or even other names? Do any of these items need proper care too?

Answer:

Great questions!

Here are some guidelines on this subject prepared and distributed by the Association of Chabad Rabbis of Illinois:

Objects which are used for holy purposes acquire holiness themselves. Depending on the particular use, there are guidelines for how to treat and dispose of these objects.

Generally, they fall into the following categories:

Holy Objects:

These must be set aside (in "shaimos" or "geniza") and are subsequently buried.

Included in this category are such things as:

• Torah scrolls, their mantles and sashes; tefillin, their straps, covers and bags; mezuzah scrolls, wrappings and cases; a parochet (cloth ark covering) and bima (Torah reading table) cover; tzitzit or tallit fringes; Torah books, their covers, dust jackets, slip covers or other parts.
• Materials containing: (a) G‑d's name, (b) three consecutive words of a biblical verse, when written on one line with the intent to quote the verse, or (c) other written or printed Torah ideas or laws.
• Schoolwork, homework and test papers may be included in this category if they contain any of the above.

All these materials are considered holy objects whether they are in Hebrew or another language, in Braille or on microfilm.

It is not proper to use the lettering used for writing Torahs, tefillin and mezuzot for mundane purposes. Anything written or printed with such lettering must also be treated as a holy object.

Mitzvah Objects:

Objects in this category must be disposed of in a respectable manner; e.g. double wrapped in paper or plastic before being put in the garbage.

Included in this category are such things as:

The garments of a tallit or tzitzit (after the fringes have been removed for burial), tallit bags, the Four Species, willows used for hoshanot, schach (foliage covering for a sukkah), and a gartel (prayer sash).

There are other items which technically may not have the status of a holy object, but one may feel that they too should be treated respectfully, such as pictures of holy individuals.

Discardable Items:

Kippot, audio or video materials, computer disks, diagrams or pictures without text, and stories.

It is generally accepted that misprints, overruns etc. which were not actually used for learning are not holy, and may be double wrapped and tossed, but it is better to avoid making the extra copies in the first place.

Newspapers which contain Torah-related columns can be wrapped and tossed. If you want to put them into shaimos, remove the Torah sections and put only them into shaimos.

It is not necessary to put papers into shaimos because they contain BH (whether in English or Hebrew). If putting such items in shaimos, just the corner containing BH should be snipped off and place in shaimos, and the rest discarded.

It is not respectful to put into shaimos articles which do not belong there -- causing holy objects to be buried together with mundane items.

Yours truly,

Rabbi Menachem Posner