15. Being that Shabbos papers require geniza (14), they are a burden on batei medrash, due to both the increased quantity of geniza in the beis medrash and the financial aspect, as putting things in geniza comes with costs, which fall on the beis medrash. For this reason, some batei medrash do not allow bringing any publications inside. They announce that any publication found in the building will go straight into geniza, with the hope that this will prevent distributors from putting papers there.
16. Public necessity. However, it should be noted that since most people are happy with the distribution of papers in batei medrash and enjoy them, they have become staples for people and batei medrash. A gabbai must ensure there are siddurim, chumashim, sefarim, tissues, and the like, since these are necessities for people and basic beis medrash expenses. Since reading these papers is a basic necessity for people today, this cost is also considered an ongoing cost of a beis medrash. Just as we understand that buying sefarim comes at an initial cost, it is also understood that, while these papers come initially for free, there are expenses involved in putting them in geniza after their use.
Please do not read during davening or Krias HaTorah
17. Distribute with an estimation. However, it is proper for the distributor to coordinate in advance with the beis medrash gabbai to find out a recommended amount for each publication based on need. He should not be excessive and put out much more than necessary. That is no longer a public necessity of a shul; it is just a hefty expense for no reason.
18. Similarly, he should only distribute publications that are read there based on the character of the community. He should not leave a stack of papers from a particular circle of people when he knows that the people in that beis medrash are not interested in that circle’s publication. Doing so violates bal tashchis, as it causes extra expenses for no reason. This can also be coordinated with the gabbai, who can consult the rav of the beis medrash about which papers may or may not be brought in.
19. It is the distributor’s obligation to listen to the gabbai’s instructions and requests. If he is requested not to bring a certain type of paper or publication, he should respect the shul’s wishes and request.
