"ותלמוד תורה כנגד כולם" - The Greatest Mitzvah of All (141)
Honoring Seforim: Placing Seforim on Top of Seforim. Last week we explained the halachos of not putting Seforim of Nach on top of Chumashim, or books of the Oral Torah (Mishna, Gemara) on top of Sifrei Tanach. We finished off saying that these halachos apply even by printed seforim that are not on parchment, which is not like the opinion of the Aruch Hashulchan.
Question About Mesadrei Seforim. Someone asked me the following question. His father-in-law asked him to rearrange his library and in doing so he would have to stack up large piles of seforim. It is very hard in that situation to always be careful that the seforim are put in the right order, on top of each other. This seems similar to the common case in Yeshivos and Kollelim where after a day’s learning, the Mesadrim go through the Beis Medrash with a little wagon collecting all the seforim to put them back on the shelves. Here, as well, it is very hard to always keep Sifrei Chumashim and Nach on top. The sefer Ginzei Hakodesh (1) quotes Rav Elyashiv zt”l as ruling that if it is hard to be careful, it is permitted. (He told his son that he himself was always careful even in these types of cases to put the correct volume on top.) There are 2 ways to explain this. 1) Since it is only for a short time, it is not forbidden. 2) Since he is occupied in honoring the seforim by collecting them for proper placement, this is not an act of dishonor to the seforim if along the way they are not stacked in the proper order. R’ Menashe Klein zt”l (2) was asked the same question and he ruled strictly.
Levels of Kedusha in Seforim of Torah Shebaal Peh. Regarding Oral Torah seforim (תורה שבעל פה), is there a difference between a Gemara and books of the early commentators (Rishonim), such as a Rashba or Ritva? Furthermore, is there a difference between the Rishonim (early generation commentators) and Acharonim (later generation commentators which are not as authoritative) with regard to putting one on top of the other? The Ginzei Hakodesh (3) again quotes Rav Elyashiv that it is permitted according to halacha, and as far as this writer knows, this is the prevalent custom in the Yeshivos. However, he adds that it is considered “extra meritorious conduct” to refrain from putting Acharonim on top of Rishonim, and Rishonim on top of Gemaros.
Status of Siddur. R’ Nissan Karelitz shlit’a holds that since a siddur contains numerous posukim from Tanach, and sometimes a whole sefer like Tehillim or Shir Hashirim, it should not be placed under a Gemara. Rav Elyashiv and Yblch"t R’ Chaim Kanievsky shlit’a hold that a siddur is equal in kedusha to a Gemara, see Ginzei Hakodesh (4). Rav Elyashivs adds that it is an extra meritorious conduct to not place a Gemara on top of a Siddur or a Siddur on top of a Gemara.
(1) דף נו (2) משנה הלכות ב:רטז (3) דף נה (4) שם דף נו, רס
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