A Perplexing Unknown Fast Day
The Magen Avraham writes (Orach Chaim 580:9) that it is the custom of pious individuals to fast on the erev Shabbos preceding Parshas Chukas in observance of a tragic event that occurred on that day. In the year 5004, 24 wagonloads of Gemara’s and other holy seforim were publicly burned in France due to allegations of heretical and rebellious teachings contained therein.
Rav Hillel of Verona, a talmid of Rabbeinu Yonah, writes that his illustrious teacher noted that just 40 days prior to this episode, the Jews had publicly burned in that very spot several copies of the controversial philosophical writings of the Rambam (Moreh Nevuchim). Rabbeinu Yonah saw in this tragedy Divine punishment being meted out for their actions, and he viewed it as a Heavenly message supporting the validity of the Rambam’s works. The Jews of the time repented their actions and prayed for Divine forgiveness, thus ending the bitter controversy over the philosophical views of the Rambam.
Although fast days that commemorate historical events are generally established on the calendar date on which they occurred – in this case the 9th of Tammuz – the Rabbis of the time mystically inquired regarding the nature of the decree and received the cryptic reply: דא גזירת אורייתא – “This is the decree of the Torah”. This expression is taken from the Aramaic Targum translation of the second pasuk in Parshas Chukas.
The impact and importance of this loss was tremendous. Keep in mind that this occurred over 200 years before the printing press was invented, and each of these volumes was a priceless, handwritten manuscript. In fact, this was considered such an enormous loss for Klal Yisroel, that the famed Maharam M’Rothenburg, an eyewitness, composed an elegy for our loss, ‘Sha’ali Serufa Ba’Aish’, deemed so essential, that it is incorporated into the Kinos recited every Tisha B’Av (Kinah 41). The Shu”t Menachem Meishiv (vol. 2, pg. 262, 62; part of the sefer Tziyon L’Menachem) cites that approximately 12,000 individual volumes were burned! The Magen Avraham writes that 20 cartloads of seforim were burnt, however, the original versions state clearly it was 24. The Biurei Maharsha”h (on the Tanya Rabbasi which the Magen Avraham quotes) points out that there must have been a ta’us sofer in the Magen Avraham’s writing, as in the original version of what he was quoting, it explicitly states 24 wagonloads and not 20.
This letter is brought in Chemdah Genuzah (pg. 18), as well as Otzar HaGedolim (vol. 7, pg. 105), and cited in Torah L’Daas (vol. 2, Parshas Chukas pg. 280-281) and Kuntres Peninei Gevuras Akiva (Parshas Chukas pg. 3).
According to Rav Hillel’s letter, the famed Rabbeinu Yonah, one of the Rambam’s primary opponents, took the burning of seforim as a Divine sign, and publicly and vociferously denounced his former position and opposition against the Rambam’s writings and instead emphatically concluded “Moshe Emes V’Toraso Emes, V’Kulanu Bada’in! - Moshe and his Torah are true (here referring to the Rambam), while we all are liars”. He planned on traveling to the Rambam’s grave (in Teverya) and begging forgiveness. Some say this tragic incident was the catalyst of Rabbeinu Yonah’s writing what came to be known as his Magnum Opus, ‘Shaarei Teshuva’.
They interpreted this message as an indication that the decree was connected to the day’s proximity to the reading of Parshas Chukas, so they established the fast specifically on the erev Shabbos preceding the reading of Parshas Chukas. The Magen Avraham concludes by noting that in the terrible pogroms that occurred in the years Tach V’Tat (1648-9), two entire Jewish communities were brutally destroyed on the erev Shabbos preceding Parshas Chukas.
Being that erev Shabbos preceding Parshas Chukas is a day for remembering the terrible tragedy of 24 wagonloads of seforim being burnt, I feel that this week is a good week to discuss a topic related to seforim, and primarily the topic of kedushas seforim. This week we will discuss various halachos related to leaving seforim open without covering them, and iy’H next week we will discuss some general kavod seforim halachos.
Why should one close a sefer when not using it? Must one close the sefer completely? What if one is only going out for a few minutes? What if one is learning with a chavrusa? What about the tefillos on the inside cover of a Gemara - must these also be covered? What if one is learning from a computer? Can one use a sefer to cover a sefer? Of this and more below.
Source
The Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh Deah 277:1) rules: “If one wrote a column (yeriyah) for a sefer Torah and it is now being left to dry, one shouldn’t turn it upside down. Although one’s intention is to protect it from gathering dust, doing so is still considered a disgrace. Rather, one should leave the parchment the correct way up, and cover it with a piece of cloth”.
The Taz writes: “The Gemara in Eruvin (98a) teaches: If one is unable to cover it with a cloth, then one should turn it upside down, if one doesn’t it’s a disgrace to kisvei kodesh [holy books].”
The Taz then quotes his illustrious father-in-law, the Bach, who writes: “From here we learn that one shouldn’t go outside and leave a sefer open without first covering it with a cloth. Although the Gemara is talking about sifrei Torah (tefillin and mezuzos), it applies to all seforim”.
The Shach writes: “The Bach writes that we see from the Yerushalmi in Megillah that one shouldn’t go outside and leave a sefer open without covering it over with a cloth. A sefer Torah is non-specific, and this halachah applies to other seforim as well. The Bach didn’t need to quote the Yerushalmi as we already see this from the Bavli in Eruvin, from the Mishnah and Gemara there.”
The Shach continues: “It is known to the chachmei ho’emes [wise people who know the truth] that there is a malach [angel] with the name ד"ש who is known as דפין שומר (the guardian of pages) who causes one who leaves his sefer open and goes out to forget his learning.”
How Much Does One Need to Cover?
It’s clear from the above that there are two reasons for covering a sefer when going out. 1) It’s a disgrace to the sefer to keep it open, and 2) It can cause one to forget his learning. To avoid these issues, must one cover the entire page of the sefer, or is it enough if one covers the majority, or even half of the page?
R' Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld (Shu”t Salmas Chaim 377) writes: “If one is leaving for a short amount of time, and he doesn’t cover the entire page, it’s ok”. This is also how R’ Ezriel Auerbach and R’ Avigdor Nevinsal take on. However, the sefer Ginzei HaKodesh (Perek 2, He’orah 46) writes that he heard from R’ Nissim Karelitz that one should be worried about bizoyan [disgrace] even on the little part of the sefer that is uncovered, therefore, one should be stringent and cover the entire sefer. This is also how R’ Sroyah Develitsky took on (see Shu”t Shevet HaKehosi Vol. 2, 301:8 for more on this).
We will see later a Shu”t Yaskil Avdi (Yoreh De’ah 5:56) who says that the maloch called דפין שומר (the guardian of pages) tries his hardest to come and attack whenever possible. Thus, seemingly one should try and cover the entire sefer, to avoid leaving any room for the malach to enter.
What If One Leaves the Sefer, However, He Remains in the Same Room?
If one gets up from his place and leaves his sefer, however, he remains in the same room, must he still close the sefer?
R’ Chaim Kanievsky zt”l was asked about this (see sefer Nekiyus V’Kovad Tefillah 12:37) and he replied: “If one is in the same room, one may be lenient”.
In a follow up shailah, R’ Chaim was asked: “What if one doesn’t leave the room, however, he is in a place where he can’t see the sefer, i.e. he is in a room which is an “L” shape?” Again R’ Chaim responded: “One can be lenient” (See Ohel Yaakov, Hilchos Kavod U’Kedushas Seforim pg. 111, ois 2, who quotes this).
What If One Is Going Outside for a Few Minutes?
If one is leaving for a few minutes, i.e. he is going to the beis hakisay (or perhaps for a cigarette in the olden days when this was still halachically allowed), must one cover/ close his sefer?
The Aruch HaShulchan (277:2) writes: “If one goes from room to room, or even out to the street for a short time, there is no issue”. He concludes: “So writes ש"הי”.
Presumably the Aruch HaShulchan is referring to the Yad Shaul (siman 277) who writes: “Therefore, it’s forbidden to leave even printed seforim open. However, it seems there is only a problem if one leaves his sefer open and goes out to take care of business without any intention to return straight away. If, however, one is learning and he needs to be excused or to go and speak with someone in another room, there is no need to close (or cover) the sefer. Sometimes one has 3 or 4 seforim open, and it would be a waste of precious learning time to open and close them every time he wants to learn. Wasting time in the Beis HaMedrash is very severe, and we find that we don’t even say “asusa” [bless you] to one who sneezes because it wastes time. Therefore, one doesn’t need to close the seforim, I personally have acted like this at times. However, praiseworthy is one who is careful with kavod of seforim. I heard that the Urim VeTumim would leave his seforim open when he was in yeshivah, and when it was time to eat he would spread a cloth over them. This is a fitting thing to. See Reishis Chochmah, Sha’ar HaYirah, Perek 16 who writes that one should cover his seforim when he isn’t using them, to avoid water or other things falling on them chas vesholam.”
The Ginzei HaKodesh (Perek 2, he’orah 50) writes that R’ Shlomah Zalman Auerbach was asked about the above, and when he was asked how long one may go out for, he replied: “The above halachah is more of a segulah than a halachah, therefore, one should act according to his feelings”.
However, the Kaf HaChaim (Palagi, 20:11) writes that there is no difference between a long time or a short time and “even if one intends to return straight away, he should be careful, as it is known that doing so causes one to forget his learning”.
The Shu”t Yaskil Avdi (Yoreh Deah 5:56) also maintains that it makes no difference for how long one is going out for. The Yaskil Avdi writes: “The Shach brings that there is a special maloch called דפין שומר (guardian of the pages) whose job is to make those who leave their seforim open forget their learning. It’s obvious that this maloch does his best to find an opportunity to attack and to fulfil his job, and as soon as he sees one leaving his sefer open he comes to attack ... Therefore, one must make sure not to allow the maloch in and should make sure not to leave a sefer open – even if it’s for a short time.”
In Ashrei HaIsh (Orach Chaim, Vol. 1, Perek 29, Ois 11) it’s brought down that R’ Elyashiv was also careful. R’ Elyashiv said: “If one is going to get a sefer off the shelf it’s ok, however, if one is going to the Beis HaKnesses or is going to get a drink, he should cover or close the sefer”. R’ Chaim Kanievsky is also cited as being stringent (see Ginzei HaKodesh, Perek 2, he’orah 50).
When R’ Avigdor Nevinsal shlita was asked about this, he also said that one should be stringent (for more on this, see Sefer Shemiras HaGuf V’Hanefesh 85:2).
Does It Make a Difference If One Is Learning with a Chavrusa [Study Partner]?
If one is going out, however, he is learning with a chavrusa and his chavrusa plans to remain inside learning, must he still close his sefer?
The Sefer Kol Ya’akov (276:3) is lenient and writes: “If there is another person there, one may be lenient”. However, R’ Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld (Shu”t Salmas Chaim 376), R’ Nissim Karelitz, and R’ Nevinsal all rule stringently. The Nesivos Adam (cited in Shu”t MeTzion Teitzei Torah) writes: “Since leaving seforim open is a question of causing one to forget his learning and of kavod seforim, one should be stringent.”
Does One Need to Cover the Tefillos Printed at the Front of the Gemara?
Many people when going out close their Gemara, however, instead of closing it completely, they close the pages, however, they leave the cover open. In many Gemara’s the tefillah of Rabbi Nechunya ben Hakoneh and various other tefillos are printed there, must these tefillos also be covered?
R’ Yaakov Skoczylas in his he’oras on Shu”t Metzion Teitzei Torah (373) quotes R’ Yosef Shuv who says that doing the above is ok and the sefer is considered closed, and that he heard the same ruling from R’ Ezriel Auerbach. However, he writes, he heard from R’ Sroyah Develitsky that one should be careful and make sure to cover this as well. R’ Nevinsal also rules that one should be careful to cover this.
Nowadays, in many seforim there are a number of pages between the cover and the beginning of the sefer, so even if one doesn’t want to close the sefer entirely, he should try and close it to one of these pages.
Must One Cover a Single Piece of Peace of Paper with Torah On?
The Avnei Yoshfei (cited in Ohel Yaakov, Hilchos Kavod U’Kedushas Seforim, Kuntros Gam Ani Oidcha pg. 137, anaf 2) writes: “The Taz writes that there is an issur when it comes to leaving a sefer open. If there would be an issur to leave a single page uncovered the Taz would have taught an even bigger chiddush. From the fact that he doesn’t, we see that there is no issur on a single piece of paper. The reason for this is: Each item depends on what is normal. A single piece of paper which hasn’t been bound as part of sefer is normal to be left uncovered, whereas leaving a ready bound sefer open is not”.
On the other hand, R’ Chaim Kanievsky is cited in several places as being stringent (see Gam Ani Oidcha, Inyonim Shonim Vol. 2, ois 185 and Doleh U’Mashkeh pg. 332).
Is There a problem of Leaving a Sefer Open When Learning from a Computer?
Nowadays many people learn from laptops/computers. If one is learning from Otzer HaChochma or some other computer programme and he has a sefer open, does one need to be careful to close it before going out?
R’ Chaim Kanievsky zt”l was asked this question on a number of occasions and he seems to offer contradictory rulings.
The sefer Gam Ani Oidcha (Inyonim Shonim, Vol. 2, ois 189) writes that he asked R’ Chaim Kanievsky: לא או תורה דברי עם פתוח מסך של מחשב האם מותר להשאיר – “A computer screen – is one allowed to leave it open with divrei Torah on or not?” And he writes that R’ Chaim answered: מותר – “It’s allowed”.
The Ohel Yaakov (Hilchos Kavod U’Kedushas Seforim pg. 1, ois 6) writes that he asked R’ Chaim Kanievsky: מה שמשתמשים עם מחשב ללמוד מספרים שעליהם כגון אוצר החכמה וכדומה אם הספר פתוח על המסך האם צריכים להקפיד לא לצאת מן החדר ולהשאירו פתוח מחשש יורה דעה רע''ז – “That which people use computers to learn from the seforim on them, such as Otzar HaChochmah and the like, if the sefer is open on the screen – do people need to be particular not to leave the room leaving the sefer open due to the concern of Yoreh De’ah 277?”. He brings that R’ Chaim answered: “Yes”.
The above two rulings seem contradictory. The first time R’ Chaim said that one may leave the screen open, and the second time R’ Chaim said one should close it, is there a way to reconcile these two rulings?
Reconciling Two Seemingly Contradictory Rulings of R’ Chaim Kanievsky Zt”l
R’ Nochum Stilerman shlita in his sefer Dor HaMilaktim (pg. 312) mentions two answers that the Mechaber of the sefer Gam Ani Oidcha brings (in an email dated 27th of Sivan 5779) to try and reconcile the two pesokim:
- It could be that when R’ Chaim said “it’s allowed” he was ruling that strictly speaking it’s allowed. However, ideally one should be particular. If one reads the way the Ohel Yaakov asked the question to R’ Chaim, one will see that in fact this is how the Ohel Yaakov asked his question. He asked, “should one be particular”, he didn’t ask “is it ok to leave it open”.
- It could be that R’ Chaim Kanievsky wasn’t such an expert in learning from computers, and when the Ohel Yaakov asked the shailah, he thought he was asking “if one is learning from a sefer and using the laptop as a shtender, must one close the sefer?”. When the Ohel Yaakov said “learning on a laptop”, R’ Chaim understood him to be asking “if one is learning from a sefer on top of a laptop”. That being the case, R’ Chaim said “Yes”. However, the other time R’ Chaim was asked he understood the shailah was someone learning from the computer itself, and in such a case he was lenient.
To prove his point, the Gam Ani Oidcha writes that he once asked R’ Chaim Kanievsky if a computer disk needs genizah [burying] and R’ Chaim answered, “I don’t know what this is”.
Should One Close Another Person’s Sefer?
If one person leaves his sefer open, does it help if another person closes it? Additionally, what if the person who left it open will get annoyed?
Perhaps it would depend on the reason why one should close a sefer. If it’s because leaving a sefer open is a disgrace to the sefer, then the quicker the sefer gets closed the better. If, however, it’s because not doing so causes one to forget his learning, then it could be that it’s too late. Being as we are worried for both reasons, it would seem that one should close anothers persons sefer.
When R’ Chaim Kanievsky (cited in Doleh U’Mashkeh pg. 332) was asked this, he said “It’s good to cover it”.
R’ Shragi Kallus shlita recently gave a shiur related to the above topic and he related that his very first Corona shailah was related to the above. On Friday morning (the last minyan before his shul closed due to Corona for a number of weeks) someone in his shul davened Shacharis and then sat down to learn for a few minutes. The person felt slightly unwell, so he went home to take a Corona test and realized he had Corona. The person then went into quarantine for two weeks. Friday afternoon, this person called up R’ Kallus. Expecting perhaps a pikuach nefesh shailah, this person asked, that he had left his Gemara open, and he won’t be able to close it for at least two weeks, what should he do? R’ Kallus told him not to worry and he would take care of it.
If I would know who this person was then perhaps we would have an answer to our shailah if it helps for someone else to close the sefer. However, it could be that it would be no proof as in this case the person was onus [in pressing circumstances]. However, what we should take out from the above story is, that if one is leaving the beis hamedrash/ shul and he doesn’t know 100% that he is coming back, he should make sure to close/ cover the sefer he is busy learning from.
