In the above cases, the Shaimos or Divrei Torah may be cut away from the paper and be buried, if so desired. However, pieces of paper that fell out of a Sefer, even if there is no writing or print on them, are considered Shaimos. Letters or printed matter in the Hebrew language are not Shaimos if they do not conform with one of these specifications. Letters or printed matter in English or any other non-Hebrew language are Shaimos if they conform with the above stipulations. Newspapers and magazines which contain secular information should not be put into Shaimos. They degrade the real Shaimos that are buried with them, especially if the advertisements and pictures are not within the spirit of the Torah. The pages that have Torah may be removed and put into Shaimos or the whole paper may be put in a double plastic cover and placed into the garbage. The letters יא''ה , ה'' זעב and ב''ה are not Shaimos according to the Halacha and Jewish custom. However, it is an act of piety to put them into Shaimos. The letters סב'''ד trash. If a Sefer was covered with a book cover, that cover should be put into Shaimos. Homework and test papers in Limudei Kodesh may be Shaimos depending on whether they fall into the above categories (see #3 above). Invitations from organizations and individuals that contain parts of Pesukim are Shaimos. The Yated, Hamodia, The Jewish Press and similar publications that are mainly news and advertisements and also have divrei Torah can be wrapped in double plastic and then placed in the garbage. This page, for the above mentioned reasons, is considered Shaimos and should be treated accordingly. definitely may be put into the 29
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