Community Magazine March 2016

SARINA ROFFÉ 44 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE The Top 10 Dedicated in loving memory of Hacham Nissim ben Mazal a''h RABBI DANIEL D. LEVY Questions & Answers on customs and laws of Genizah – The Burial of Holy Scriptures 1 WHAT IS GENIZAH ? Genizah is the obligation to give a proper burial to holy scriptures and objects. Due to their sanctity, one may not dispose of them in a regular manner. Giving honor to holy scriptures and objects and providing them proper burial has a profound impact in Heaven. It is unfortunate that sometimes people disregard the significance of the mitzvah of geniza . (Otzar Hamedroshim pg. 505). As the mishnah in Pirkei Avot (ch. 4, mishnah 6) states, “One who respects the Torah (and its properties) will be respected by others.” 2 WHAT OBJECTS AREWE REQUIRED TO BURY?WHAT ARE THE GENERAL GUIDELINES OF GENIZAH ? There are 3 basic categories regarding holy objects. A) An object that is intrinsically holy – such as a Sefer Torah, tefillin, chumash, siddur, mezuzah, etc. – must be used only for a holy purpose and requires genizah when it is no longer useful. B) Tashmish kedushah – an object which is used to protect a holy object such as a koratcha – tefillin bag, mezuzah case, etc. should be buried properly when it is no longer fit for use. If one made a condition before using his tefillin bag that he would also use it for holding money or candy as well as his tefillin, then that is okay to do so as long as the tefillin bag is not used in a degrading manner. This would include using it to hold work tools, nails, or dirty tissues. C) Tashmish of Tashmish of Kedushah – such as a regular plastic bag which has been used to hold one’s tefillin bag, which contains his tefillin inside. This type of item has no holiness and may be disposed of if it is not recognizable that it was used to serve a kedushah purpose. If one has a designated hard plastic container made to hold the tefillin some are of the opinion it may be disposed of regularly while others maintain it should be burned and not wrapped up and disposed of, except under extenuating circumstances. 3 WHICH SCHOOL PAMPHLETS ARE OBLIGATED TO BE BURIED? Any school pamphlet that has divrei Torah with elaborate explanations, such as a gemara test, requires genizah . A piece of paper that contains three or more words of a pasuk , at least that part should require genizah if one wishes not to bury the whole page. A chumash test without pesukim and “who said to who” or true or false questions that do not contain much actual divrei Torah – some are lenient not to require genizah . One should consult a halachic authority on these matters, since different variables may change the halachah. 4 WHAT SHOULD ONE DOWITH A MAGAZINE OR NEWSPAPERWHICH HAS A FEWPAGES OF DIVREI TORAH? It is recommended not to quote pesukim or divrei Torah in magazines or newspapers as inevitably they will be disposed of in the trash. However, if there is a set article of Torah in a permanent manner such as this article (Top Ten) in the Community magazine, the pages of Torah require genizah , not the whole magazine. Some rabbis advise that when one feels it is too much of a hassle to perform genizah , one may double wrap the magazine and dispose of it specifically in a recycling bin in a respectable manner. This means it is not placed alongside with dirty, smelly garbage, and ultimately is disposed of by a non-Jew into the garbage truck. 5 WHAT SHOULD ONE DOWITH THE LULAV AND HOSHANOT AFTER SUKKOT? Even though the holiness of a lulav, hadas, aravah , and e trog as well as hoshanot leaves them after the holiday, and technically one may use them for a non-holy purpose, nonetheless, one should be sensitive to these objects which once possessed holiness and were used for a mitzvah. Therefore one may not degrade them. Thus, one should not put them into the garbage or step on them. Many have the custom to save these 4 species on top of their doorpost for protection and erev Pesach burn them with the hametz . Part of the remainders may be burned in the oven while baking matzot (Zohar Parshat Tzav, Ramah 554, 9, Kaf Hachayim 664, 60). 6 WHAT IS THE PROCEDURE OF PROPER BURIAL FOR ITEMS THAT REQUIRE GENIZAH ? Holy scriptures that are written on parchment paper, such as a Sefer Torah, Megilat Esther, tefillin, and mezuzot require burial in earthenware vessels and may be buried together near the grave of a talmid hacham . Today it is customary to bury in durable hard plastic containers which are sealed tight. This is so that what is inside should be preserved properly for a prolonged time. Burial should be near a Jewish cemetery, and the containers should be at least approximately three tefachim under the ground. Holy Scriptures not written on parchment paper, such as regular chumashim , siddurim , and the like, do not require burial in earthenware or strong vessels. Regular plastic bags may suffice if they are tightly sealed and placed in the ground in a safe location where they will not be dug up. It is not necessary to bury at the side of a cemetery.