To the best of my knowledge Divrei Torah printed off the WEB must be put in Genizah. The SEFER GINZEI KODESH (14:2) writes this regarding Divrei Torah in newspapers, whether they are printed in Hebrew or other languages.

Kol Tuv,

Yaakov Montrose

There are various Halachic opinions. Below are two articles, one written by Rav Kornfeld, the other written by Rabbi M. Broyde.

If you have print-outs of our mailings, the accepted practice is to dispose of them in a dignified manner (see articles below), although some people are Machmir to put them in Genizah.

Y. SHAW

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"Erasing Cyber-Torah" by Rabbi Mordecai Kornfeld

You shall destroy the altars of the idol-worshippers... and remove all trace of their idols from all of Israel. Do not do the same to Hash-m, your Lord...

(Devarim 12:3,4)

"Do not do the same to Hash-m" -- this is a biblical injunction prohibiting the erasure of a Holy Name of Hash-m

(Rashi)

One is not permitted to erase any of the seven Holy Names of Hash-m. One who does so despite being forewarned of the prohibition can be punished with Malkus (flogging), during the period when this punishment was administered in Israel. Although this biblical prohibition only applies to the erasure of the Tetragrammatton or one of the other six Holy Names which the Gemara specifies (Shavuot 36a), a rabbinic prohibition applies to the erasure of any text with Torah-related content (Rambam, Yesodei HaTorah 6:8; Sefer HaChinuch #437). A question that is often asked by those who have access to digital forms of Torah is whether these prohibitions apply to electronic versions of Holy Names or Torah-related material as well.

With reference to personal computers, our discussion may be divided into two parts: (1) May one erase a Torah-related text file or a Holy Name from disk? (2) May one display the Name of Hash-m on a computer screen, only to be replaced momentarily by mundane, non-holy text?

Let us analyze the Halachic sources which discuss this issue.

II

(1) ERASING TORAH FROM A DISK

In their responsa, two of the greatest Halachic authorities of this generation discuss whether it is permitted to erase Torah from audio cassettes. Both Rav Moshe Feinstein (Igrot Moshe, Yoreh De'ah 1:173) and Chacham Ovadyah Yosef (Yabi'a Omer, 4:20) permit the erasure of Torah tapes on the grounds that the prohibition against erasing Torah only applies to visible words of Torah, and not to electric impressions or any other means of storing information. It is obvious that this ruling can be applied to computer files as well (even though they store information that will eventually be displayed visually). It should therefore be permitted to erase Torah from a file on disk.

III

(2) ERASING TORAH TEXT FROM A COMPUTER SCREEN

Words that appear on a screen can actually be seen and read, and therefore the above ruling would not permit their erasure. However, the text on a computer screen can hardly be compared to written text. Text that appears on a computer console is not granted any permanence at all, and we are only bidden by the Torah not to erase permanent forms of the Holy Name. In fact, words on a consold cannot even be classified as non-permanent writing, which may not be erased due to rabbinic decree (Shabbat 120b); it is not considered writing at all. The letters that appear on a screen are not produced by physical changes in the light-reflecting properties of the screen (unlike ink that binds to the surface of a sheet of paper). Rather, light is produced by part of the screen while the rest remains dark, giving the appearance of written text. This can be compared to a group of flashlights that, when shined upon a surface, produce the letters of a Holy Name. We could hardly suggest that by turning off the lights one is erasing a Holy Name. In short, words etched with a light source may not be equated with written text, and therefore erasing them is not forbidden by the prohibition of erasing a Holy Name.

Furthermore, my father-in-law Rav Gedalyah Rabinowitz (presently living in the Ramat Shlomo section of Jerusalem) pointed out in Halachah Urefu'ah (vol. V) that words which appear on a computer screen are actually flickering many times a second. When one enters new text on the screen, the old text is not erased by the new. Rather, after the old text on the screen flickers out new text simply appears in its place.

Should we then rule that it is prohibited to put Torah text on a computer screen, for it will be erased many times a second? No, because the person using the computer is not actively erasing words of Torah -- rather, the words are being erased by default as a result of his act. It is not prohibited to cause a Holy Name to be erased by such indirect means (or "Gerama"), as the Gemara tells us (Shabbat 120b, recorded by Rambam Hil. Yesodei HaTorah 6:6).

IV

It is interesting to note that Rav Feinstein concludes his responsa regarding erasing Holy Names from a cassette tape with a word of caution. Although there is no biblical or even rabbinic prohibition against erasing cassette tapes, Rav Feinstein asserts that one should nonetheless refrain from doing so because it appears as if one is erasing holy scripts.

However, it appears logical to me to add the following two qualifications to Rav Feinstein's statement of caution. First of all, as we explained at the start of our discussion there are two categories of holy texts: A paper bearing the Tetragramatton or one of the other six Holy Names may not be erased by biblical edict, while the erasure of other Torah-related material is only prohibited by rabbinic decree. It may therefore be argued that Rav Feinstein's word of caution may be applied only to a cassette tape or computer file containing one of the Holy Names (and not to other words of Torah such as those printed here).

Secondly, it would seem logical to limit Rav Feinstein's word of caution to cassette tapes and records, which represent a more permanent form of storage. Computer files, in contrast, are generally expected to be written, erased and rewritten on a regular basis. Therefore, Rav Feinstein's caution should not pertain to Holy Names which are recorded on disk, and this indeed appears to be the presently accepted practice.

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"Throw away this article" by Rabbi Michael J. Broyde

Modern technology has vastly increased the availability of regularly published Torah periodicals that address timely matters. While in timesf Torah in Hebrew. (2) There are those divrei Torah sheets that explicitly quote verses of Torah in English, and when they encounter the name of G-d, use an English translation of one of the seven un-erasable names. (3) There are those divrei Torah sheets that will quote whole verses of Torah, but when they encounter the name of G-d, they use the term Hash-m, or G-d, or L-rd, thus avoiding even properly translating the name of G-d. (4) There are those divrei Torah sheets that address matters of interest to ei Torah after you have read them? Can one throw them out? Can one dispose of them neatly? Must one bury them, as one must a Torah scroll? What is the proper procedure?

This halachic matter divided into four different categories:

(1) There are those divrei Torah sheets that explicitly quote verses of Torah in Hebrew. (2) There are those divrei Torah sheets that explicitly quote verses of Torah in English, and when they encounter the name of G-d, use an English translation of one of the seven un-erasable names. (3) There are those divrei Torah sheets that will quote whole verses of Torah, but when they encounter the name of G-d, they use the term Hash-m, or G-d, or L-rd, thus avoiding even properly translating the name of G-d. (4) There are those divrei Torah sheets that address matters of interest to the community without quoting a verse of Torah or mentioning the name of G-d.

Each of these four categories have different halachic rules, and different ways to dispose of them. In the case of a dvar Torah sheet that quotes Torah verses in Hebrew, even if the name of G-d is not used, Hash-m (written in Hebrew) is substituted and no full verses are thus cited, it is improper to dispose of this dvar Torah sheet in any denigrating manner (Rama and Shach, Yoreh Deah 276:10). If one of the seven names of G-d is explicitly used in Hebrew, of course it is improper to dispose of these divrei Torah sheets except in a geniza, or perhaps to burn or bury them in an very proper manner.

Indeed, as noted by the Talmud (Tractate Rosh Hashanah 18a and quoted by Rama Yoreh Deah 276:13) it is improper even to write the name of G-d in Hebrew on a piece of paper that is normally thrown out. (Shach YD 276:16 is more lenient on this matter, but even he is uncertain about this leniency, as noted in Nekudat Hakesef (on id.)). For more on this see Iggrot Moshe YD 2:134-135, and Minchat Yitzchak 1:17-18.)

In the case of the English dvar torah sheets that quote full verses of the Torah in English, and use various translations of the names of G-d that explicitly denote the Divine in English, halacha prohibits one from disposing of these sheets in an irreverent manner, such as simply discarding them in a garbage can full of rubbish; however, they need not be put in a geniza and can be disposed of in some other proper manner, such as burning in a dignified way, or even perhaps bundling them neatly together and putting them in a recycling bin or the like. The reason for this is that when the name of G-d is used in a language other than Hebrew, no technical prohibition against erasing it attaches, but yet it is improper to dispose of this material in an undignified manner. For more on this, see Minchat Yitzchak 1:17:(14). Of course, one cannot take such reading material into a bathroom or the like.

In the case of English divrai torah that use the term "Hash-m" for G-d, and which do not quote full verses of the Torah even in English, the halacha is even more lenient, and their status is the same as any essay written about any torah topic which does not mention the name of G-d. In such a case, it is the better practice to dispose of these items in a dignified manner, but there is no requirement that they be placed in a geniza, and may even be disposed of in a paper recycling bin, or perhaps even a dignified manner in a garbage reserved for paper disposal. This is particularly so for modern photo offset material, which is printed by people with no intent that they be holy (even if the writer intended such, the copy machine operator certainly did not), and were intended to be used once or twice and then disposed of. This is quite a bit different than the English translation of a page of the Bible, when it rips out of a chumash, as that work is intended for permanent use. More generally, it is widely asserted that printed material has a lesser level of sanctity than handwritten material, particularly so when the printers are Gentiles. For more on this, see Minchat Yitzchak 1:18(19-20), and Yabia Omer YD 4:21(4-6).

A related question is whether one can erase dvar torah pages when they are posted on the internet, and you are reading them "online." The question is whether directing the browser to the next web page, and thus causing whatever is on your screen to be deleted is called "erasing." The same question is posed when one downloads a dvar torah, and read it; can one delete the file from one's hard drive? It would appear to me that both of these activities are permissible to do, as the act of directing one's internet browser to the next web page is not called "erasing" that material; such is true, I think, even if the name of G-d, in Hebrew ,is actually on the screen. This is even more so true when one is merely overwriting a file. For a related question that elucidates on this principle, see Yabia Omer YD 4:20, and Iggrot Moshe YD 1:173.

In sum: Do not throw out this dvar torah sheet if you are reading it from a printed flyer. Keep it in your files if the topic interests you. Otherwise politely dispose of it in a dignified place, and not in a garbage. If you are reading it on the world wide web, when you are finished reading it browse on to the next torah topic, as there is much torah to learn, and you have finished reading this dvar halacha!