There’s an article on this website about erasing Hashem’s name from a computer screen. I am trying to research this shaila. I was wondering that if you should be machmir and you shouldn’t do it, it sounds like there is a shaila of having a ksav on a computer.
How is it muttar to write on a computer screen on Chol Hamoed if it’s a ksav? How is it muttar to have something like Otzar Hachochma or hebrewbooks.org when Hashem’s name is on it? Also, what’s stopping anyone from writing a kosher sefer torah or a get on the computer?
Also, this shaila came up once when taking a picture of a wall that had Hashem’s name written on it with a digital camera. Are you allowed to erase the picture (or crop it or something like that)? I personally don’t think it’s a ksav because it’s all digital and it’s muutar to write on a computer on chol hamoed as long as you don’t print out what you’re writing. I was wondering what the halacha is.
Thank you very much.
Answer:
As noted in the previous response, the general consensus of many poskim is that writing on a computer is not considered writing, for purposes of erasing Hashem’s Name and also for purposes of writing on chol ha-mo’ed.
With regard to chol ha-mo’ed, see Shut Be’er Moshe (7:39), and Shut Shevet Ha-Kehasi (1:169), who are both lenient, arguing that the digital display of a computer is not considered writing.
Shut Shevel Ha-Levi (6:37 sec. 1) writes that although writing on a computer is considered writing with regard to Shabbos, it is not considered writing for purposes of chol ha-mo’ed, because it does not involve any effort.
However, Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (cited in Shemiras Shabbos Kehilchasa Chap. 66 note 211) writes that it is forbidden to save information on chol ha-mo’ed on the hard drive, because this is considered an act of boneh (unless it is required for the mo’ed, or a davar ha-aveid).
With regard to erasing the Name of Hashem, see the previous response, where we noted that some prefer scrolling down than direct erasing, for which some poskim are stringent (see Ma’or Ha-Shabbos 4:p. 366, and see Chut Shani 1:p. 158).
Best wishes.
