As for God Plays Dice, the very title already contains a holy name ("God"), and presumably the other books also contain a holy name, no? But it is forbidden to bring a book containing a holy name into the bathroom.

The name is written with a vav precisely for that reason.

And what about Two Carts and a Hot-Air Balloon?

The quartet contains Torah discussions.

With God’s help, 18 Tevet 5780

Even if you were to say that the added vav removes the name “God” from its holiness (which does not seem at all correct to me, since the vav is like the holam vowel point and does not remove the name from its holiness) — still, wouldn’t thinking about the name “God” and reflecting on the ways He conducts the world count as “thinking words of Torah,” which is forbidden?

Best regards,
S.Tz.

And browsing the Rabbi’s website? On Torah topics, is that forbidden?

S.Tz., this is the philosophical God, not the religious one. Is it forbidden to read Critique of Pure Reason in the bathroom because it deals with the issue of the philosophical God?

Ani, I didn’t understand the question. Of course it is forbidden to engage there in words of Torah, even merely in thought.

With God’s help, 18 Tevet 5780

From the discussions here about reading the Rabbi’s books and browsing his site in the bathroom, it seems that the honorable questioners are forced to spend a long time there.

Gentlemen! It is possible to greatly reduce the time spent sitting in the bathroom trying to relieve oneself, by simple tips explained in the article “Holding it in? How to relieve constipation quickly,” from the Altman Health website.

The first principle of wisdom is to maintain a healthy lifestyle: a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and dietary fiber; plenty of drinking and physical exercise, to fulfill: slim and flexible theology in a slim and flexible body 🙂

And now that we’ve gotten to constipation — here are some tips:

1. A spoonful of olive oil and/or lemon juice every morning — for quick lubrication
2. To release the blockage: a spoonful of flax seeds in a glass of orange juice, twice a day.
3. Magnesium, to soften the stool and relax the sphincter muscles (preferably consult a doctor)
4. A teaspoon of unsulfured molasses in a cup of hot water (the magnesium is already in it).
5. To release gas: a teaspoon of baking soda in a cup of hot water
6. Two tablespoons of aloe vera gel in a glass of fruit juice, or a glass of aloe vera juice every morning
7. Dried prunes.
8. Sorrel root and dandelion.
9. Paraffin, senna, and castor oil.
10. Correct posture when sitting on the toilet: raise your feet on a stool and bring them closer to your chest.
11. 1–2 cups of coffee a day.
12. To restore the good bacteria, via yogurt or “probiotics” as a dietary supplement.

Instead of sitting for hours in the bathroom, let’s devote that same time to brisk walking, during which we can enjoy the Rabbi’s books and recordings.

With the blessing, “Speedily may the excrement be released,”
Flexible Gil

I do not understand what the difference is between the “philosophical” or “religious” God. They all describe the one God, Creator of the world and source of morality, even if the angles of vision differ, like the parable of dwarfs trying to describe a giant elephant.

Best regards,
Endless Elephant

As for Kant and the like, besides thinking about God, there is a reasonable concern that one may make comparisons, parallels, or contrasts with what is stated in Scripture or in the words of the Sages, medieval authorities (Rishonim), and later authorities (Acharonim).

And regarding someone who reads Kant during the reader’s repetition of the Amidah, one may suspect that when he is sitting in the bathroom he will also answer “Amen” out of habit at the end of every sentence 🙂

Indeed, Endless Elephant (but very amusing).

With God’s help, 19 Tevet 5780

On the Din website they were asked about “thinking about faith in God in the bathroom,” and they cited the words of Rabbi Shlomo Kluger (Chokhmat Shlomo, Orach Chayim 85), who wanted to suggest that it is permitted to think there about the existence of God “because these are sublime matters to which the category of impurity does not apply,” but they proved from all the halakhic decisors who brought the advice “to think about one’s accounts” that one should not permit thoughts of faith there, and so too wrote Rabbi Bentzion Lechtman (Bnei Tzion, Orach Chayim 85), Rabbi Y. Adler, and other rabbis who forbade it (cited in Taharat Yom Tov, vol. 13, p. 79).

Best regards,
S.Tz.

I meant that the screen is open and he is browsing the site as an object, but the person is not reading.

In that case, as I understand it, there is no halakhic prohibition, but it is not appropriate to do so.

Now that’s interesting. Why is it not appropriate? Could the Rabbi expand a bit?

There is nothing to expand on here. It is self-evident.

With God’s help, 19 Tevet 5780

In my humble opinion, browsing a site that contains words of Torah is forbidden in the bathroom, since this involves “thinking words of Torah,” which is forbidden in a bathhouse and in a bathroom.

S.Tz.

S.Tz., it is highly recommended to read what was written before commenting on it. And one who takes advice from the elders does not fail. Tested and proven.

There is no such thing as browsing a site without reading at least some of the material superficially, and one cannot escape the category of “thought.”

Best regards,
S.Tz.

With God’s help and the Hebrew date specified as an absolute requirement

Leafing through digital sacred Torah writings, known as “browsing on this site of law,” can indeed take place without reading the text at all, for example when one enters the “bathroom” and the “smart device,” which our great rabbis have already forbidden and whose very name is apt — “whoever increases knowledge increases pain” — was open to a Torah topic, but the person was “like the beasts that perish” and paid no attention to the matter until after the fact, as it is written: “And on Mount Zion there shall be deliverance” — and from thoughts of Torah in the bathroom, and it shall be holy.

Best regards,
One who is not a prayer leader

With God’s help, 19 Tevet 5780

When people speak of “browsing,” they mean “searching,” and “searching” requires glancing at the content in order to decide whether it is relevant to what one is looking for.

Entering with the screen already open, without searching, is a different question: whether words of Torah on a smartphone are considered “writing” or not, and if so, whether two coverings are required or whether it is enough that the device is in a clothing pocket or in a bag. But from the wording of the questioner, who spoke of “browsing,” it does not sound like that is what he meant.

Best regards,
S.Tz.

ani is the one who is not a prayer leader