Q. See questions above. How about other printed articles that contain some words of Torah or p’sukim, can they just be discarded?

A. On question 3814 we were asked: When one receives invitations for weddings or Bar Mitzvas and there are Psukim written on them, which is the correct way to dispose of them? Can they be just be thrown in the garbage?

To what we answered: On question 552 regarding articles of Torah in newspapers and magazines; we wrote: “Rambam (Yesodei HaTorah 6:1) notes “One who erases one of Hashem’s holy names transgresses a negative commandment as the verse states regarding idol worship, ‘And you shall eradicate their name from that place; you shall not do so to Hashem your G-d.’ Tur and Shulchan Aruch (Y.D. 276: 9) rule accordingly.

It would seem though that the biblical prohibition applies only to Hashem’s names and not to words of Torah which are only Rabbinically proscribed (Rambam ibid. 6:8, Chinuch 477 and Tashbatz 1: 2, however Magen Avraham 154: 9 disagrees.) There are also diverging opinions as to the status of holy names and words of Torah that were written or printed without the intention of becoming holy at all or to be only temporarily read and then discarded as newspapers are. Furthermore some Poskim are lenient when the words were printed and not hand written (see Chavas Yoir 164, Chazon Ish 164: 3.)

There is an additional leniency regarding newspapers dedicated mainly to non-Torah articles that may not necessarily contain any Torah at all. When newspapers do include special sections or articles of Torah, Poskim recommend proper g’niza as with common Shemos (Horav Eliashiv Zt”l and Ilcht”a Horav Nissim Karelitz Shlit”a quoted in Ginzei Kodesh 14: 3:6).

Other Poskim are lenient on non-dedicated Torah sections or in secular Hebrew or English newspapers when Gentiles carry out the garbage disposal and the newspapers are placed in a separate closed bag (ibid. quoting Horav Pinchas Scheinberg Zt’l and Ilcht”a Horav Shmuel Kamenetzky Shlit”a). Minchas Osher (Reeh 18) mentions a double non-transparent bag.

Horav Shlomo Miller’s Shlit’a opinion is similar. You can dispose of the above unwrapped newspaper material, when placed with clean recyclables, otherwise it should be bagged.” In regard to invitations, Horav Moshe Heinemann Shlit’a (Star K’) writes: “When the words of the posuk are merely being quoted in order to make the sentence sound more eloquent and not to convey Torah they are not Shaimos.

This type of usage of a posuk is called a melitzah. For example, the sentence “Kol Sason Ve’kol Simcha”, as frequently included in wedding invitations, is a melitzah and is not shaimos” Taking into account the above, Horav Dovid Pam and Horav Aharon Miller Shlit’a maintain that one may place those invitations, when the P’sukim quoted do not contain Hashem’s name, in a double plastic bag and place it in the yard disposables bags that still often may go directly to landfills.

Rabbi A. Bartfeld as revised by Horav Dovid Pam, Horav Aharon Miller, Horav Chanoch Ehrentreu Shlit’a and Horav Kalman Ochs Shlit’a.