NARR 227-228

CCAR RESPONSA

New American Reform Responsa

143. The Hebrew Bible on Computer

QUESTION: A disk which contains portions of the Hebrew Bible has been used in our Religious School for some time. Should this disk be treated with the same reverence as a Hebrew Bible? If some computer errors occur, may the disk be reformatted and the text reentered as is the normal procedure with computer text? (Samuel Thompson, San Francisco CA)ANSWER: A computerized text stores the information in a binary form; in other words, the actual letters of the alphabet and the combinations into sentences have been translated from the Hebrew alphabet into a different form of transliteration. Although it is possible through the electronic means to retrieve the original Hebrew text from that coded transliteration, an actual change must take place in order for the Hebrew text to appear. If one were to see the binary form of the Bible it would be totally incomprehensible. We need, therefore, not consider the normal restrictions on the misuse of the name of God (Ex 20.7; Deut 5.11; Deut 12.3 ff) which do not extend to transliterations or translations. It is correct that the name of God must never be removed from any place in which it has been written with intent, and this has certainly been done with intent (Shulhan Arukh Yoreh Deah 274 and commentaries; Simon ben Zemah of Duran Responsa Tashbetz I.177). In this instance we are not dealing with either a Hebrew text or with a recognizable name of God written in the customary fashion. The computer disk, therefore, may be reformatted and the information encoded again properly if the original text was destroyed.November 1990

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