Someone brought to my attention a potential issue that arises weekly with my booklets. In most places they get printed as an A5 booklet. The way this is done is that it is printed on A4 paper and then folded in half. In some places, the printer folds and staples it automatically, in some places the person who prints it does it, and in some places it gets put out as an A4 paper and people come along and fold it themselves. The problem is, that in some places people pick up the pages and take it home as unfolded A4 paper, and end of folding it into a geshmakeh booklet form on Shabbos. I specifically arrange that they are available before Shabbos to avoid this issue, however, the facts are that some people end up folding it on Shabbos, the question is, is there anything wrong with this?
What Could Be Wrong?
The Mishnah and Gemara in Shabbos (113a) discusses about folding clothes on Shabbos. In Shulchan Aruch (302:3) it is brought down that it is forbidden to fold clothes on Shabbos, unless several conditions are fulfilled: 1) It is being done for the sake of Shabbos, 2) For that day, 3) By one person, 4) The clothes are new, 5) They are white, 6) One doesn’t have any other clothes to wear, if any of one of these condition is missing, it is forbidden. The reason it is forbidden is either because of tikkun moneh [fixing a utensil, makeh bepatish] or because it looks like tikkun moneh.
The question is, does the above halachah apply to paper?
What Do the Poskim Say?
R’ Moshe Yadler (Ohr HaShabbos, 31, pg. 59) asked this question to R’ Yisroel Yaakov Fisher zt”l and he answered: “It is forbidden to fold parsha sheets and the like, when folding and pressing tightly on specific areas. However, a simple fold just so that it fits in one’s pocket would be allowed.”
R’ Moshe Yadler also asked R’ Elyashiv (Ohr HaShabbos, 31, pg. 59) and he answered: “Bentchers and parsha sheets etc. which are new, and they need to be folded along a certain line, it is forbidden to do it for the first time on Shabbos...”
In Orchos Shabbos (Perek 8, he’orah 46) they bring that someone would print booklets and put them out unfolded on Shabbos, and people would come and take them and fold them on Shabbos. They asked R’ Shlomah Zalman Auerbach about it and he said they should be folded before Shabbos.
In the sefer Peeho Poscha VeChochmah (pg. 74) they bring from R’ Pesach Eliyohu Falk zt”l that they shouldn’t be folded for the first time on Shabbos and doing so violates an issur derabonon of tikkun moneh.
In the footnote they explain, since the tikkun isn’t necessarily needed for the use of the item, rather, it just enhances and makes it more convenient to use, it can’t be more severe than a derabonon.
Conclusion
The Limuday Moshe booklets should be folded before Shabbos, and then read and enjoyed both before Shabbos, on Shabbos, and after Shabbos!!!
