Parsha Sheets, Magazines, Newspapers…Oh My!
April, 2023
- The Case
Guinness World Records reports that the record for the largest/heaviest single issue of a newspaper was the September 14th, 1987 New York Times Sunday Edition, containing a whopping one-thousand-six-hundred-and-twelve pages and weighing-in at over twelve pounds!
While certainly not always that size, their Sunday editions are still notoriously gigantic. For our purposes this week, we will ignore the issue of paying a goy (hopefully a goy!) for a weekend edition and its delivery (see ‘Commerce on Shabbos’), and rather focus on that with so much to read -in both secular and modern frum publications – it is impossible to know exactly what one is bringing into their home…and how to properly dispose of it.
This became clear a few weeks ago when I received three shailos in a row…of the exact same question! What is even more amazing, is that there should have been even more enquiring about the same matter!
The Metropolitan section of that Sunday’s New York Times ran a story titled ‘New Glitter Shakes Up the Diamond District’ (April 23, 2023). The large image accompanying the piece was of a frum man inspecting a diamond. Instead of choosing a close, they printed a long-shot, where his expansive work-area was shown.
To the observant reader, it became clear that this large room is used for minyanim, as on the upper left corner of this image was a framed ‘modim derabanan’. The focus was perfect, and every word of this teffilah could be made out, including certain names of Hashem!
Every shoel made the same joke: “Rabbi, although most will say to throw out the New York Times even before reading…what does one do in such a case? Is it shaimos?”
Ever since the invention of the printing press, issues of shaimos have become far more frequent, and have exploded in the modern era, when virtually every home has the ability to print the entirety of the Torah with a flick of their finger. From parsha sheets, homework, frum magazines and newspapers, etc. the common shaimos quandaries have become nothing short of ubiquitous.
What does one do with all this Torah material? How does one dispose of them?
These halachos seem enigmatic – and what falls under that rubric can be confounding.
- Kedusha and Mitzvah
Before we continue, the reader should note that there are two separate categories of what we call sheimos. We will be discussing matters of kedusha. This effects the name of Hashem, pesukim, and divrei Torah, as well as items that aid that kedusha (e.g. a belt for a sefer Torah).
Separate from this is the issue of mitzvos. By this, I refer, as example, to a pair of still-kosher-but-outgrown tzitzes. It would also include (to a lesser extent) a mitzvah whose time or usability has past (e.g. a lulav after Sukkos).
While we will only be discussing the first category, one rule regarding this second group can shared here briefly: a yarmulka, a picture of a gadol (without pesukim) and other items that may serve to inspire but are not a mitzvah in-and-of themselves may indeed be discarded (Rav Nissim Karelitz and Rav Chaim Kinievsky in Ginzei Kodesh, p. 197). Regarding similar items that are more symbiotic with its mitzvah -such as a kos kiddush, besamim, a shechita knife, etc. – one’s rav should be consulted.
A great example: what does one do with a sefira chart (without pesukim or the beracha)” once sefira ends, especially if it includes the daily mystical sefiros? Based on the last paragraph, Rav Elyashiv ruled that it may be discarded (respectfully; Ginzei Kodesh. p. 148 note#11).
- Hashem’s Name and Torah
The Shulchan Aruch (y”d, siman 276) lists the many names of Hashem that would be forbidden for one to erase and thus would require proper genizah (proper disposal of sheimos). In fact, the term ‘sheimos’ simply means ‘(Divine) names’.
In addition, all types of Torah would also require geniza, whether a quote from a pasuk -even if not complete, yet contextually clear-, a gemara/midrash, matters of halacha, and Torah thoughts (see shabbos 115a, with meforshim, and Rambam, hil. Yesodei hatorah, 8:12. See also Shulchan Aruch oh”c 334, and Mishneh Berrura 157:7)
This can seem very overwhelming!
For instance, on the back of a certain brand of kosher tortilla chips it states, “Birchaso ShHakol’. Leaving aside that for sefardim the proper beracha is, likely, a ha’adama (!), would this be considered a matter of halacha? Must these empty bags be placed into sheimos?!
During one shemitta year (5754/1994), a wine company put on their label certain halachic rules regarding the customer’s shevi’is treatment of their product. Rav Nissim Karelitz was asked about how/if to dispose of such an empty bottle of wine. He responded that it indeed may be sheimos, especially if a halacha was written on a single line.
Nevertheless, it seems that in such cases, unless a more significant set of Torah is written, the minhag is to be lenient (cf. ibid. p. 140 #8).
- Newspapers and Parsha Sheets
We can see from the above extremely brief primer that these halachos are vast and complex. However, perhaps we have enough information now to touch upon our opening case.
At first blush it would seem this is a serious concern, especially since we are dealing with one of the sheimos. Now, regarding frumnewspapers, Rav Wosner ruled that if they are known to publish divrei Torah, they would require genizah although there is a disposable nature to such printings(we are not referring to unsold units, run-offs at the printer, etc.) It is debated if one may place it all in genizah, or if one must separate just the Torah sections.
Applying this to our case, on the one hand the New York Times is far from a frum publisher, yet on the other hand, here, the shem Hashem itself was printed.
Some may say, for a variety of reasons, that burning would be the best option (see shu”t Shevet Halevi 3:145; Igros Moshe, y”d 1:172 and 2:137; see also Mor U’Ketziah 334).
However, the act of ‘book-burning’ is best to avoid -if not a an absolute halachic necessity -for in our day-and-age it’s an act that may be grossly misunderstood.
For a possible solution, let us momentarily return to frum newspapers/magazines.
When it comes to such publications containing Torah, Rav Sheinberg paskened that one may dispose of them in a respectful manner, so long as the garbage/recycling collectors are mostly non-Jews. Rav Elyashiv further paskened that if there is only a possibility of Torah then one need not search it out and may dispose of it in the trash (ibid. p. 157 with notes).
Dayan Weiss goes even further, ruling that such printings were never created to be preserved, rather they are disposable by their very nature, and therefore laws of sheimos are not always applicable (see shu”t Minchas Yitzchak 1:18, see also the astonishing psak found in shu”t Igros Moshe, oh”c 4:39; see also, ibid. y”d 2:138).
It may be possible to apply this concept to parsha sheets, etc. so long as they are first wrapped in a bag and placed deferentially in recycling.
Indeed, teachers erase pesukim on a chalkboard all the time!
Critically, a rav must be consulted for all of the above.
With the above in mind, I suggested to the shoalim the following:
-Tear out that picture and place it in sheimos
– Do not inform other readers of this concern (based on a teshuva from Rav Elyashiv as printed in the back of Ginzei HaKodesh; teshuva #1).
Let us hope that this case opens our eyes to these important halachos, especially as we head in to our zman nesinas hatorah.
Our sefarim bring a segulah for wealth and comfort to one who is alacritous in these halachos (Minhagei Eretz Yisroel, p. 290; see Tumim to ch”m, siman 27).
Perhaps in the future we will return to this subject, as we didn’t even touch upon what genizah means, and how to do it.
May all those careful in these halachos be zocheh to be reunited with this buried Torah, and to understand its depth, in the era of revivification- yemei moshiach tzikeinu.
May it be soon.
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