Q&A: A Secular Book with the Explicit Divine Name
A Secular Book with the Explicit Divine Name
Question
A book by a young man who left religion, and it’s full of inappropriate language—what should be done with it? Throw it into paper recycling? Cut out the part where God’s name is written and put that in genizah? (I’d have to read it all over again, which is a shame!) I’ve been stuck with this book for several years already just because I don’t know what to do about this issue. I’d appreciate a clear answer, thank you.
Answer
Only in places where verses are quoted or names of God appear does it require genizah.
It’s possible to see a bit more detail here: https://www.yeshiva.org.il/ask/99965
Discussion on Answer
https://www.toraland.org.il/%D7%A7%D7%98%D7%9C%D7%95%D7%92-%D7%A1%D7%A4%D7%A8%D7%99-%D7%94%D7%A8%D7%91/%D7%91%D7%90%D7%94%D7%9C%D7%94-%D7%A9%D7%9C-%D7%AA%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%94-%D7%90/%D7%99%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%94-%D7%93%D7%A2%D7%94/%D7%A1%D7%99%D7%9E%D7%9F-%D7%9E%D7%92-%D7%A7%D7%93%D7%95%D7%A9%D7%AA-%D7%A9%D7%9D-%D7%94-%D7%91%D7%A1%D7%A4%D7%A8%D7%99-%D7%9B%D7%A4%D7%99%D7%A8%D7%94-%D7%9E%D7%95%D7%93%D7%A4%D7%A1%D7%99%D7%9D/
So I need to read the whole book all over again, cut around it every time it appears, and put the paper scraps in genizah? (When on the other side of the page there are, presumably, other words written too.)
Honorable Rabbi, she can just place the whole book in genizah, can’t she?
Deborah, don’t you feel the difference between reading and searching for the word? Like in a word-search puzzle?
If it’s difficult, put the whole book in genizah.
Why isn’t it considered a book written by a heretic, which does not require genizah?