The Halacha Corner: Sitting on a Bench with Sacred Books
Can one sit on a bench that has sacred books on it?
Question: Is it permissible to sit on a bench that has sacred books on it?
Answer: In the Talmud, Tractate Menachot (32b), we learn (translated from Aramaic): "Rabbi Chelbo said, I saw Rav Huna, when he wanted to sit on a bed that had a Torah scroll on it, he would place the Torah scroll elsewhere, and then sit down." From this, we understand that Rav Huna believed it was forbidden to sit on a bed with a Torah scroll on it. Similarly, the Jerusalem Talmud states: "A person should not sit on a bench that has a Torah scroll on it, and there was an incident with Rabbi Eliezer who sat on a bench that had a Torah scroll on it (inadvertently), and he jumped away from it (recoiled, immediately stood up when he saw the book), as if recoiling from a snake (as if he saw a snake, out of reverence for the Torah)." Based on the Jerusalem Talmud, the Rambam, Raavad, and other authorities ruled that it is forbidden to sit on a bed that has a Torah scroll on it.
The Beit Yosef (Section 282) cited Rabbeinu Manoach, who states that some say this prohibition applies specifically to an actual Torah scroll, but other sacred books do not have the same status as a Torah scroll. Nevertheless, it is good to be stringent. The author of Orchot Chaim wrote that one should not be lenient in this matter so as not to appear disrespectful toward books. In the Shulchan Aruch, Maran ruled to be stringent in this matter, as a matter of law, only regarding a Torah scroll, while the Rema ruled that the same applies to other sacred books as well.
However, regarding our printed books, which are not handwritten, there is room for greater leniency, as the authorities have written that our printed books have a lesser degree of sanctity than handwritten books. Although certainly our sacred books also require proper disposal and must be treated with respect, and it is forbidden to walk naked in a room with a library of sacred books, and it is forbidden to change a baby's diaper in a room with sacred books, nevertheless, their sanctity is not as severe as handwritten books.
Therefore, in practice, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef wrote that one may be lenient with printed books. However, the Ashkenazi custom is to be stringent, based on the Rema's explicit ruling that one should be stringent even with other books, and therefore they are stringent even with printed books. But according to the Sephardic custom, which follows the rulings of Maran who ruled to be stringent only with a Torah scroll, it is sufficient for us to be stringent with handwritten books, but with printed books, one may be lenient.
In any case, it is not proper to place sacred books on a bed that one sleeps on, particularly when there is concern that during the night the book might fall and be disgraced. Similarly, it is forbidden to place a tefillin bag on one's bed where one sleeps near one's feet, as this is disrespectful, but not near one's feet – if there is no concern that the tefillin might fall during the night or be disgraced, it is permissible to place them there when one sleeps alone, as explained in the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim Section 40, and Section 240).
Summary: It is forbidden to sit on a bench that has a Torah scroll on it. The Ashkenazi custom is to be stringent with other books as well, while the Sephardic custom is primarily lenient in this matter. However, if the books are handwritten, it is proper to be stringent and not sit on a bench that has such books on it.
It is permissible to sit on a bench that has a tefillin bag on it, but it is forbidden to place the tefillin bag on a bed where one sleeps near one's feet, as this is disrespectful.
