Respect for the Torah and for Torah Books III
- In our times, the edict that seforim cause the hands to
become tameh, is no longer a matter of concern because we no longer observe
the laws of tumah. Nevertheless, a person should not place seforim next to
food, lest the food soil the seforim. - A person should not use the margins of a sefer to make
calculations. - A sefer should not be used to store papers or objects,
such as coins. - A sefer should not be used for any personal benefit, such
as shielding one’s eyes from the sun or concealing one’s face to avoid
being seen. - If a sefer has many errors, a person shouldn’t say that
it should be burned, but rather, that it should be put into the geniza. - A person shouldn’t handle a sefer with dirty hands.
- A person should show respect for the learning of Torah by
being sure that his clothes and hands are clean and that the place in which
he is learning is clean.
