Wearing a necklace with Hashem name
Question
I want to buy a necklace that says "יברכך הי "וישמרך ישא הי פניו אליך וישם לך שלום Do I need to take it off when using the bathroom if I buy it? Or are there other prohibitions? Thanks
Answer
Shalom!
Thank you for your question.
It is forbidden to engrave verses on a necklace, ring, or other mundane object that will either be thrown away or be taken into a bathroom.
Let’s take a look at some of the sources.
Yoreh Deah 283:4 says, “It is forbidden to embroider Torah verses on a Tallit.” The Shach explains that the main problem here is that the Tallit (or any other garment) will be brought into a bathroom which is unbecoming the holiness of verses.
In fact, the Rambam (Teshuvos 268) discusses this issue at length at writes that the portion of the Tallit that has a verse on it must be removed from the Tallit and placed in genizah and that if the owner refuses to do so, he should be placed in cherem!
The ban applies even when engraving less than an entire verse. As long as the wording is recognizable as a verse then it is forbidden. This is true even if the name of Hashem is not included. The Aruch Hashulchan (YD 276) says that even the letter “hay” used to convey Hashem’s name must not be treated disrespectfully and therefore some are stringent to place it in geniza.
It is worth mentioning that verses should not be written on wedding invitations as is, unfortunately, very common. This is because wedding invitations are soon put in the garbage. The verse would have to be changed somewhat significantly to be permitted to be printed on an invitation.
As such, it is clear that Torah verses should not be engraved on a necklace as it will be frequently brought into the bathroom or otherwise used in a mundane routine manner as jewelry is.