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My understanding is that even an actual Sefer Torah - i.e., full text, written on parchment, etc. - written by an apostate (Jew or non-Jew with the "wrong" intentions) is not Sheimos. This would ce...
Answer
#3: Post edited
by
manassehkatz
·
2021-01-22T19:32:08Z (almost 4 years ago)
- My understanding is that **even an actual Sefer Torah** - i.e., full text, written on parchment, etc. - written by an apostate (Jew or non-Jew with the "wrong" intentions) is **not** Sheimos. This would certainly include any printed Hebrew text that was printed by or on behalf of missionaries, so "*given it by a missionary*" is key information. See [Ain't That a Sheimos?](https://outorah.org/p/6318/) which doesn't spell out all of this but does say *"Names written by non-Jews are to be "hidden away" (i.e., placed in sheimos), while those written by apostate Jews are actually to be burned as a move against heresy."* I am pretty sure (just need to find a reference...) that this applies to (perhaps even more so) items written by non-Jews with the intent of misleading Jews.
- Where it gets a bit trickier, and I don't know the answer, is if a non-Jew prints a Hebrew text that would normally be considered Sheimos and does so **for** non-Jews - as a textual reference for non-Jews (i.e., not to turn Jews away from traditional Judaism and not to explicitly deny traditional Judaism. My hunch (and it would be interesting to know more) is that if it is by someone who we would consider a "Ben Noach" then it would be Sheimos but that if it was by someone such as a typical Christian - e.g., someone who considers the Tanakh as "Old Testament" and who believes the Messiah has already been here - then it would also not be Sheimos.
- On the other hand, reprints by non-Jews of actual Jewish texts in a non-religious context, such as pictures of a Sefer Torah or of a page from a Tanakh that happens to include Sheimos, such as occasionally happens in ordinary articles about Jewish holidays in secular newspapers, **is Sheimos** and that page should be removed and treated accordingly.
- Personal note: When writing a little article for my Shul newsletter about the dedication of the renovated Aron at my Shul, I had a semi-pro take a top-quality digital picture and I adjusted it a bit so that the 10 Commandments at the top would **not** have Sheimos so that any copies would not be Sheimos.
- My understanding is that **even an actual Sefer Torah** - i.e., full text, written on parchment, etc. - written by an apostate (Jew or non-Jew with the "wrong" intentions) is **not** Sheimos. This would certainly include any printed Hebrew text that was printed by or on behalf of missionaries, so "*given it by a missionary*" is key information. See [Ain't That a Sheimos?](https://outorah.org/p/6318/) which doesn't spell out all of this but does say *"Names written by non-Jews are to be "hidden away" (i.e., placed in sheimos), while those written by apostate Jews are actually to be burned as a move against heresy."* I am pretty sure (just need to find a reference...) that this applies to (perhaps even more so) items written by non-Jews with the intent of misleading Jews.
- As to whether this *particular* item was truly written for missionary purposes, keep in mind that these days the vast majority of Christians do not study original sources in Hebrew (or Greek or Latin). There are certainly scholars who do, but I suspect most of them would actually go to printed Jewish source texts directly. Far more likely, unfortunately, for a Hebrew text printed by Christians (not Bnei Noach) is some intent to mislead Jews.
- Where it gets a bit trickier, and I don't know the answer, is if a non-Jew prints a Hebrew text that would normally be considered Sheimos and does so **for** non-Jews - as a textual reference for non-Jews (i.e., not to turn Jews away from traditional Judaism and not to explicitly deny traditional Judaism. My hunch (and it would be interesting to know more) is that if it is by someone who we would consider a "Ben Noach" then it would be Sheimos but that if it was by someone such as a typical Christian - e.g., someone who considers the Tanakh as "Old Testament" and who believes the Messiah has already been here - then it would also not be Sheimos.
- On the other hand, reprints by non-Jews of actual Jewish texts in a non-religious context, such as pictures of a Sefer Torah or of a page from a Tanakh that happens to include Sheimos, such as occasionally happens in ordinary articles about Jewish holidays in secular newspapers, **is Sheimos** and that page should be removed and treated accordingly.
- Personal note: When writing a little article for my Shul newsletter about the dedication of the renovated Aron at my Shul, I had a semi-pro take a top-quality digital picture and I adjusted it a bit so that the 10 Commandments at the top would **not** have Sheimos so that any copies would not be Sheimos.
#2: Post edited
by
manassehkatz
·
2021-01-22T19:29:32Z (almost 4 years ago)
My understanding is that **even an actual Sefer Torah** - i.e., full text, written on parchment, etc. - written by an apostate (Jew or non-Jew with the "wrong" intentions) is **not** Sheimos. This would certainly include any printed Hebrew text that was printed by or on behalf of missionaries, so "*given it by a missionary*" is key information.- Where it gets a bit trickier, and I don't know the answer, is if a non-Jew prints a Hebrew text that would normally be considered Sheimos and does so **for** non-Jews - as a textual reference for non-Jews (i.e., not to turn Jews away from traditional Judaism and not to explicitly deny traditional Judaism. My hunch (and it would be interesting to know more) is that if it is by someone who we would consider a "Ben Noach" then it would be Sheimos but that if it was by someone such as a typical Christian - e.g., someone who considers the Tanakh as "Old Testament" and who believes the Messiah has already been here - then it would also not be Sheimos.
- On the other hand, reprints by non-Jews of actual Jewish texts in a non-religious context, such as pictures of a Sefer Torah or of a page from a Tanakh that happens to include Sheimos, such as occasionally happens in ordinary articles about Jewish holidays in secular newspapers, **is Sheimos** and that page should be removed and treated accordingly.
- Personal note: When writing a little article for my Shul newsletter about the dedication of the renovated Aron at my Shul, I had a semi-pro take a top-quality digital picture and I adjusted it a bit so that the 10 Commandments at the top would **not** have Sheimos so that any copies would not be Sheimos.
- My understanding is that **even an actual Sefer Torah** - i.e., full text, written on parchment, etc. - written by an apostate (Jew or non-Jew with the "wrong" intentions) is **not** Sheimos. This would certainly include any printed Hebrew text that was printed by or on behalf of missionaries, so "*given it by a missionary*" is key information. See [Ain't That a Sheimos?](https://outorah.org/p/6318/) which doesn't spell out all of this but does say *"Names written by non-Jews are to be "hidden away" (i.e., placed in sheimos), while those written by apostate Jews are actually to be burned as a move against heresy."* I am pretty sure (just need to find a reference...) that this applies to (perhaps even more so) items written by non-Jews with the intent of misleading Jews.
- Where it gets a bit trickier, and I don't know the answer, is if a non-Jew prints a Hebrew text that would normally be considered Sheimos and does so **for** non-Jews - as a textual reference for non-Jews (i.e., not to turn Jews away from traditional Judaism and not to explicitly deny traditional Judaism. My hunch (and it would be interesting to know more) is that if it is by someone who we would consider a "Ben Noach" then it would be Sheimos but that if it was by someone such as a typical Christian - e.g., someone who considers the Tanakh as "Old Testament" and who believes the Messiah has already been here - then it would also not be Sheimos.
- On the other hand, reprints by non-Jews of actual Jewish texts in a non-religious context, such as pictures of a Sefer Torah or of a page from a Tanakh that happens to include Sheimos, such as occasionally happens in ordinary articles about Jewish holidays in secular newspapers, **is Sheimos** and that page should be removed and treated accordingly.
- Personal note: When writing a little article for my Shul newsletter about the dedication of the renovated Aron at my Shul, I had a semi-pro take a top-quality digital picture and I adjusted it a bit so that the 10 Commandments at the top would **not** have Sheimos so that any copies would not be Sheimos.
#1: Initial revision
by
manassehkatz
·
2021-01-22T19:14:47Z (almost 4 years ago)
My understanding is that **even an actual Sefer Torah** - i.e., full text, written on parchment, etc. - written by an apostate (Jew or non-Jew with the "wrong" intentions) is **not** Sheimos. This would certainly include any printed Hebrew text that was printed by or on behalf of missionaries, so "*given it by a missionary*" is key information. Where it gets a bit trickier, and I don't know the answer, is if a non-Jew prints a Hebrew text that would normally be considered Sheimos and does so **for** non-Jews - as a textual reference for non-Jews (i.e., not to turn Jews away from traditional Judaism and not to explicitly deny traditional Judaism. My hunch (and it would be interesting to know more) is that if it is by someone who we would consider a "Ben Noach" then it would be Sheimos but that if it was by someone such as a typical Christian - e.g., someone who considers the Tanakh as "Old Testament" and who believes the Messiah has already been here - then it would also not be Sheimos. On the other hand, reprints by non-Jews of actual Jewish texts in a non-religious context, such as pictures of a Sefer Torah or of a page from a Tanakh that happens to include Sheimos, such as occasionally happens in ordinary articles about Jewish holidays in secular newspapers, **is Sheimos** and that page should be removed and treated accordingly. Personal note: When writing a little article for my Shul newsletter about the dedication of the renovated Aron at my Shul, I had a semi-pro take a top-quality digital picture and I adjusted it a bit so that the 10 Commandments at the top would **not** have Sheimos so that any copies would not be Sheimos.