/shaimos

Objects Which Are Intrinsically Holy and Must Be Discarded in Shaimos

• Sefer Torah, Mezuzah, Tefillin
• Covers, cases, or bags used for a Sefer Torah, Mezuzah, and Tefillin
• Any seforim (books) on Jewish religious matters in any language, such as Siddurim, Chumashim, Bentchers, Mishnayos, Gemaras, Torah commentaries, and the like
• Anything else that bears Hashem’s name and is meant to be kept permanently, such as a plaque or artwork

Objects That Were Used for A Mitzvah

Objects which are used for a mitzvah but are not inherently holy do not need to be discarded in Shaimos, but they may not be thrown directly into the garbage. Such items should be placed in their own bag and then put in the garbage.
The following objects are included in this category:

• Tallis, Tzitzis (it’s praiseworthy to remove the strings and put them in Shaimos)
• Tallis bag (into which Talis is placed directly)
• Esrogim, lulavim, hadasim, aravos
• S’chach of a sukkah

Photocopies Made for Temporary Use

Nowadays there are many circumstances where Divrei Torah and Pesukim are printed only for temporary use (such as weekly parsha pages, shiur source sheets, photocopied pages of a sefer, schoolwork, newspapers containing Divrei Torah, and the like).
If any such materials do NOT contain Hashem’s name spelled out completely (see below which names this applies to), they do not need to be put in Shaimos and should be put in recycling.

The seven names are:
1)   יו"ד ה"א וא"ו ה"א
2)   א-ד-נ-י
3)   א-ל
4)   אלו-ה
5)   א-להים, א-להינו, א-להיכם
6)   שד-י
7)   צב-אות
 
If any such materials do contain one of these seven names of Hashem, they should be placed in Shaimos.
A Hebrew letter used to represent Hashem’s name (such as ה', ד', ק') is not treated like Hashem’s name.
Abbreviations of Hashem’s name such as IY”H אי"ה, BE”H בע"ה, B”H ב"ה, and BS”D בס"ד are not treated like Hashem’s name.

Some Common Items That Can Be Put in the Garbage

• Kippah
• Bookmark which was used in a sefer
• Outer plastic bag which was used to protect a tallis bag or tefillin bag
• Pictures of gedolimNon-Torah related materials written in Hebrew

Anyone requiring assistance discarding Shaimos when the shul isn’t collecting, may contact one of the following services:

Mendel Shaimos – (917) 975-1921
Shaimos & Geniza – (845) 461-3084
Tristate Shaimos – (833) 742-4667
Monsey Shaimos – (234) 742-4667
Yoel for Shaimos – (347) 351-4742