HOLY WRITTEN OBJECTS
By surrounding ourselves with reminders of the commandments and with objects for observing the various Jewish rituals, we can be constantly aware of what we should be doing to live our lives as Jews.
There are two categories of items used for mitzvot:
Sacred scrolls (Torah, mezuza, tefilin) may not be written by women for sacred purposes. However, if they were written by a woman, you may study from them. You may not use them for public Torah reading, putting on tefilin, or affixing to doorposts (for mezuza).
Disposal
Both tashmishei kedusha and tashmishei mitzva should be disposed of in a respectful manner. Tashmishei kedusha should ideally be buried. Newspapers with Torah or Torah commentary must be double-wrapped and then may be put in the trash, since they contain material that should not be buried with holy writings (only a newspaper’s Torah or Torah commentary contain inherent holiness).
To dispose of tashmishei mitzva, you may wrap in one layer of plastic and throw it in normal garbage.
There are two categories of items used for mitzvot:
- Holy items (tashmishei kedusha), such as tefilin and its boxes, Torah books and commentaries, and Torah scrolls and covers.
- Items used for mitzvot (tashmishei mitzva), such as lulav, etrog, and talit/tzitzit.
Sacred scrolls (Torah, mezuza, tefilin) may not be written by women for sacred purposes. However, if they were written by a woman, you may study from them. You may not use them for public Torah reading, putting on tefilin, or affixing to doorposts (for mezuza).
Disposal
Both tashmishei kedusha and tashmishei mitzva should be disposed of in a respectful manner. Tashmishei kedusha should ideally be buried. Newspapers with Torah or Torah commentary must be double-wrapped and then may be put in the trash, since they contain material that should not be buried with holy writings (only a newspaper’s Torah or Torah commentary contain inherent holiness).
To dispose of tashmishei mitzva, you may wrap in one layer of plastic and throw it in normal garbage.
- Mezuza: Which Buildings Require
- Mezuza: Where People Live
- Mezuza: Buildings Regularly Used with a Person's Home
- Mezuza: Hotel Rooms
- Mezuza: Which Doors
- Mezuza: Which Doors: All Doors Except...
- Mezuza: Which Doors: Balcony
- Mezuza: Which Doors: Arches
- Mezuza: Placement
- Mezuza: Placement: Right Side of Doorway
- Mezuza: Placement: Balcony
- Mezuza: Placement
- Mezuza: When To Affix Outside Eretz Yisrael
- Mezuza: When To Affix Outside Eretz Yisrael: Buying (or Renting for More Than 30 Days)
- Mezuza: When To Affix Outside Eretz Yisrael: Renting for Fewer Than 30 Days
- Mezuza: Blessing
- Mezuza: Blessing
- Mezuza: Blessing If Mezuza Falls Off
- Mezuza: Blessing If You Removed Mezuza
- Tefilin: Holiness: Tefilin Boxes
- Tefilin: Holiness: Head and Arm Tefilin Boxes
- Tefilin: Holiness: Switching Boxes by Mistake
- Tefilin: How To Put On
- Arm Tefila: How To Put On
- Head Tefila: How To Put On
- Arm Tefila: How To Finish
- Tefilin: Left-Handed Men
- Tefilin: Broken Arm
- Tefilin: Replacing
- Tefilin: Replacing: Tefilin You Had To Take Off or That Fell Off
- Tefilin: Replacing: Tefilin You Took Off by Choice
- Tefilin: Activities While Wearing
- Tefilin: Activities While Wearing: Distractions
- Tefilin: Activities While Wearing: Eating