Changing Babies in front of Sefarim and Candles

We have a baby who just turned 1 year. What are the halachos regarding davening/brochos in her presence when she needs to be changed? We were originally told that until 6 months there is nothing to worry about. There are at least 2 cases to consider here: a) One can smell an odor b) One cannot smell an odor

What are the halachos regarding changing her opposite seforim and Shabbos candles?

Answer:

There is no problem of changing your baby opposite sefarim or candles.

Concerning berachos, if she has started to eat bread, and an odor can be smelled, davening and berachos must not be recited.

If no odor can be smelled (and the area is covered) it is permitted to daven.

The Magen Avraham (Orach Chaim 45:2) writes that it is prohibited to stand naked in front of sefarim, a halachah he bases on a Gemara (Shabbos 120b), and on the laws of mezuzah.

However, we find in the laws of mezuzah that only a room which is used on a regular basis in such a manner, such as a bathhouse, is exempt from mezuzah, whereas a room in which people are only sometimes naked is obligated in mezuzah, indicating that there is no actual prohibition of appearing naked in front of the mezuzah. This proof can be deferred, because the mezuzah can be placed on the other side of the door.

However, there is no prohibition with regard to babies, for the Rema states (Orach Chaim 75:4) that it is permitted (according to some, whose ruling Rema follows) to recite krias shema in front of a child’s erva, a ruling based on Rosh and Rabbeinu Yonah. The Mishnah Berurah (75:23) rules in accordance with the Rema, stating that the respective ages are up to 9 years old for a boy, and 3 for a girl (according to the Vilna Gaon, the ages are higher).

Although some are stringent (see Chayei Adam 4:1; Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 5:12), there is even more room for leniency with regard to sefarim, for there is an element of doubt as to whether today’s sefarim they possess the kedushah of handwritten texts (this is a dispute between the Chavas Yair and the Taz, see Mishnah Berurah 40:4, and see also Minchas Yitzchak 2:96-97 and Har Tzvi, Yoreh De’ah 143).

This is all the more true of modern publishing techniques which do not involve any human input (Maharsham 3:357).

Furthremore, some authorities maintain that the sefer’s binding is considered a partition (see Daas kedoshim Yoreh De’ah 285; Kaf Ha-Chaim 40:14; Mishnah Berurah 40:4; Pri Megadim 40:2; Maharam Shik OC 94; Maharsham (Daas Torah) 240:6). In addition, books are often placed on a shelf that is above 10 tefachim from the ground, which constitutes a partition according to some authorities (see Maharam Shik, Orach Chaim 94).

Therefore, as Rav Pesach Eliyahu Falk rules (Machazeh Eliyahu 5), one can certainly be lenient with regard to changing babies in front of sefarim.

The same ruling applies (and the more so) to Shabbos candles, which do not contain inherent kedushah.