Q & A from Ask the Rabbi
(names and emails withheld)
Queston: How should we dispose of the printed versions of the shul bulletin, and/or Shaimos (Torah printed material) in general?
Answer: Shaimos has holiness and should be put in proper geniza or buried. The following categories are listed in order of importance:
- Holy Writings: Handwritten parchments such as Tefillin, Mezuzos, and Megillah scrolls. These items need to be double wrapped in plastic before being placed in shaimos.
- Words of Torah: Printed or photocopied material: Chumashim, Gemaros, commentaries of the Sages; Torah articles that are distributed weekly; Parsha sheets, homework which has Torah content. Anything with a pasuk (Biblical verse) including wedding and bar or bat mitzvah invitations or greeting cards which have entire pesukim. Book cover that is removed from a holy book, or other parts of a holy book.
- Holy Objects: Tefillin straps, covers, and bags; Mezuzah wrappings and casings; Torah mantels and sashes.
- Mitzvah Objects: Anything that was used for a mitzvah, such as: Tallis, tzitzis, esrog, shofar, gartel etc. There are those who are careful to treat items in this category as shaimos. Others say that they may simply be wrapped in a clean bag and disposed of with recycled paper, etc., however, not with real garbage, so as not to treat it disrespectfully. For larger items such as a lulav this can be done, or burned, if you prefer, with your chametz erev Pesach.
- Not Shaimos: Yarmulkas, audio or video materials, computer disks, diagrams or pictures without text.
CTC has ordered some special Shaimos boxes, which, when filled can be sent back to the company for holy burial. They will be arriving in the next few days.