Deleting Divrei Torah on a Computer Screen

Hi, I am a graphic designer, and I would like to know if I have on my computer screen a mizmor of Tehillim written in Hebrew may I close the screen or would that be considered as erasing the name of Hashem, and what would be with the file of divrey torah that I have stored on my computer may I delete it?

Thank you for your question.

This is a very important question and concerns many people who write divrei Torah on their computers, for the benefit of our readers, I would like to provide some background to this halacha with regard to erasing divrei Torah, and then I will share with you the psak of Hagaon Harav Fried Sheliitah.

It says in the passuk as follows:

דברים פרק יב, ג-ד

(ג) וְנִתַּצְתֶּם אֶת מִזְבְּחֹתָם וְשִׁבַּרְתֶּם אֶת מַצֵּבֹתָם וַאֲשֵׁרֵיהֶם תִּשְׂרְפוּן בָּאֵשׁ וּפְסִילֵי אֱלֹהֵיהֶם תְּגַדֵּעוּן וְאִבַּדְתֶּם אֶת שְׁמָם מִן הַמָּקוֹם הַהוּא: (ד) לֹא תַעֲשׂוּן כֵּן לַה' אֱלֹהֵיכֶם: 

Devarim 12:3–4
 You shall smash their altars….. and erase their name from that place. You shall not do so to Hashem your G-d.

From this possuk, the gemara Shavuot 35a writes that it is a biblical prohibition to erase even one letter from one of the seven names of Hashem.

This is also brought in the Shulchan Aruch as follows.

שולחן ערוך יורה דעה הלכות ספר תורה סימן רעו סעיף ט

אסור למחוק אפילו אות אחת משבעה שמות שאינם נמחקים, 

Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De’ah, Laws of a Sefer Torah, Siman 276, Se’if 9

It is forbidden to erase even a single letter of the seven Divine Names that may not be erased.

Closing the page of the computer:

So meanwhile, we see that erasing Hashem’s Name is forbidden, and divrei Torah are included in this transgression. Based on this, if someone has a page of divrei Torah open on his computer, it is considered divrei Torah that is written, and therefore it would be forbidden to close the page.

Erasing divrey torah in order to write other divrey torah on the computer:

It is written in the Gemarah Pesachim as foloows:

תלמוד בבלי מסכת שבת דף קכ עמוד ב

דתניא: הרי שהיה שם כתוב לו על בשרו - הרי זה לא ירחוץ ולא יסוך ולא יעמוד במקום הטינופת. נזדמנה לו טבילה של מצוה - כורך עליה גמי ויורד וטובל. רבי יוסי אומר: לעולם יורד וטובל כדרכו, ובלבד שלא ישפשף! - שאני התם דאמר קרא ואבדתם את שמם מן המקום ההוא לא תעשון כן לה' אלהיכם, עשייה הוא דאסור, גרמא - שרי. 

Talmud Bavli, Shabbos 120b

It was taught in a baraisa: If someone has (Hashem’s) Name written on his skin, he may not wash, anoint himself, or stand in an u clean place. If he needs to immerse in a Mikveh he should first wrap a reed over it and then he may immerse in the Mikveh.
 Rabbi Yosi says: He may always immerse in the regular way, as long as he does not rub it.

Why is this permitted? Since we learn from the verse that it is only prohibited when the name is erased intentionally by the person. However, if it is done unintentionally, in a manner of gerammah, then it is permitted.
 

We find another Gemara regarding erasing Hashem’s name through gerammah.

תלמוד בבלי מסכת סוכה דף נג עמוד א

הכי אתמר: בשעה שכרה דוד שיתין קפא תהומא ובעא למשטפא עלמא, אמר דוד: מי איכא דידע אי שרי אחספא ונשדיה בתהומא ומנח? ליכא דקאמר ליה מידי. אמר דוד: כל דידע למימר ואינו אומר - יחנק בגרונו. נשא אחיתופל קל וחומר בעצמו: ומה לעשות שלום בין איש לאשתו, אמרה תורה: שמי שנכתב בקדושה ימחה על המים, לעשות שלום לכל העולם כולו - על אחת כמה וכמה. אמר ליה: שרי. כתב שם אחספא, ושדי לתהומא, ונחית תהומא שיתסר אלפי גרמידי.

 This is what was taught: When David dug the shitin,the underground channels of the Beis Hamikdash, the depths rose and wanted to flood the world. David said, “Is there anyone who knows whether it is permitted to write the Divine Name on a shard and throw it into the depths so that it will settle?” …..Achitofel reasoned a kal vachomer to himself: “If, to make peace between a man and his wife, the Torah says that My Name, written in holiness, should be erased into the water, then to bring peace to the entire world, how much more so!”

He said to David: “It is permitted.”

Achitofel wrote the Name on a shard, threw it into the depths, and the depths descended sixteen thousand cubits.

We see that only because it was in order to save the world was it permitted to do so, since Achitofel learned it from a kal ve’chomer from Sotah. From here we understand that if not for that reason, it would have been forbidden, even though the Shem would be erased by the water and not by Dovid himself, which would make it grammah. This implies that grammah is forbidden.

The Nodah BiYehudah explains that there is no contradiction. The Gemarreh in Shabbos is speaking specifically about a case where one wants to perform a mitzvah. Only in such a case would erasing the Shem HaShem through grammah be permitted.

שו"ת נודע ביהודה מהדורא תניינא - אורח חיים סימן יז

הרי מפורש דגרמא שרי. אמנם אעפ"כ יש לומר דלא שרי גרמא אלא לטבילה של מצוה אבל לדבר הרשות אפילו גרמא אסור ואף דליכא לאו דלא תעשון מ"מ אסור משום בזיון השם דאין בזיון גדול יותר מגרם מחיקת השם. 

Responsa Noda BiYehuda, Second Edition – Orach Chaim, siman 17
 It is clearly stated that causing (the erasure) indirectly is permitted. However, even so, one can say that this allowance applies only for a mitzvah immersion, but for something optional, even indirect causation is forbidden. And although the prohibition of “you shall not do so (to Hashem your G-d)” does not apply here, nevertheless it is prohibited because of bizayon Hashem, for there is no greater disgrace than causing the erasure of Hashem’s Name.

So based on this, HaGaon HaRav Fried says that if a person wants to close or erase the text that is on the computer, such erasing would be considered grammeh, since he is not manually erasing it but rather pressing computer keys that cause it to be erased. Therefore, it may only be done if one wants to use the computer to write other divrei Torah, in which case it would be considered tzorech mitzvah.

This is based on the Tashbetz YD 283, which states that letzorech mitzvah one may erase even kisvei kodesh. 

Asking a child or a non-Jew:
If one needs to close the window that has divrei Torah on it but does not intend to write other divrei Torah, then he may ask a child or a non-Jew to do it for him, since this is amirah le’akum in a case of grammeh.

The same would apply to a file on your computer. You may only delete it if you have no more empty space and you still need to write additional divrei Torah. If not, it would only be permitted if it is done by a child or a non-Jew.

Wishing you all the best.

1.      Devarim 12:3–4

2.      Gemara Shavuot 35a

3.      Shulchan Aruch Yoreh De’ah 276:9

4.      Gemara Shabbos 120b

5.      Gemara Sukkah 53a

6.      Noda BiYehudah, Mahadura Tinyana, Orach Chaim 17

7.      Pischei Teshuvah, Yoreh De’ah 283 (quoting the Tashbetz)