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If someone has one of the small "pocket benschers" that slide into his wallet, is it a problem for him to walk into the bathroom with his wallet in his pocket?

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  • It may be OK to walk in even out of pocket. Its likely modern bathrooms don't have the same halacha as bathrooms in the time of the talmud (before flush toilets, etc.)
    – Ariel K
    Commented Oct 25, 2012 at 19:22
  • @ArielK Isn't he about to use the bathroom? Or maybe there are other people there? As long as the waste is there it is no different from older bathrooms. Once the waste is flushed then it's like a bathhouse.
    – Ariel
    Commented Oct 25, 2012 at 20:33
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    What kind of benscher are we talking about? I have a pocket benscher without Shem HaMeforash written on it (instead uses double yuds). If a holy name is written on it, it would be forbidden to go to the bathroom with it unless covered (Yoreh Deah 282:6). Otherwise, I don't see the problem.
    – Aryeh
    Commented Oct 25, 2012 at 20:34
  • @ArielK judaism.stackexchange.com/a/2048/1569
    – b a
    Commented Oct 26, 2012 at 0:06

2 Answers 2

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When I was at KBY, I asked the campus Posek this question, and he said that it's OK, because the bentcher is protected by at least two layers of covering ("kli betoch kli"). He added that it may even be OK in a pants pocket without the wallet, since the fabric of the pocket and the fabric of the pants could constitute two layers.

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You need two covers to be able to bring it into a bathroom. See Mishna Berura 40:4, Pri Megadim (Eshel Avraham 40:2), Maharam Shik (OC 94) and Da'at Torah (240) who assert that the binding is considered part of the book therefore two additional coverings are required.

But there are opinions that the cover of the bentscher is one cover (e.g., Kaf Ha-Chayyim 40:14). And according to the latter opinions, either the plastic cover (if it slips into one) or the pocket of your pants or the wallet is the second cover, so it is typically not an issue.

See here for a very complete answer with sources (mid page: Other Applications of "And Your Camp Shall be Holy": Bringing Tefillin and Sefarim into a Bathroom)

What is more problematic is to walk with a sefer into a bathroom - I have no good answer for this one except to leave it outside for a few minutes.

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  • Hi Michael Bloch. It's not entirely clear what this answer adds that the previous answer did not contain. Did you mean to add something new?
    – Daniel
    Commented Nov 29, 2015 at 17:48
  • Rereading both, you are right Daniel, am still a newbie here and didn't pay enough attention
    – mbloch
    Commented Nov 30, 2015 at 4:34
  • No problem. Welcome to the site. I hope you stick around and continue to contribute.
    – Daniel
    Commented Nov 30, 2015 at 12:46
  • @Daniel, it does add (to the other answer) that some hold that the book cover counts as a cover. Can you edit[ the answer, Michael Bloch, to indicate who holds that? That would provide more value to your answer.
    – msh210 ♦
    Commented Nov 30, 2015 at 17:57
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    Done @msh210, thanks for pushing :->
    – mbloch
    Commented Nov 30, 2015 at 18:20

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