Question

[daughter-o'-god]

im not jewish but i do have a question
i just found out this girl i know is jewish and one of her other friends went to temple with her last friday she said she droped the book they were using and had to kiss it i was just wondering if its because its like a holy book

peas out andie

 

[Henaynei]

im not jewish but i do have a question
i just found out this girl i know is jewish and one of her other friends went to temple with her last friday she said she droped the book they were using and had to kiss it i was just wondering if its because its like a holy book

peas out andie

Perhaps she could ask her friend and let you know what she says It is not a practice I have heard of, by then I am NOT omnicient.

 

[Talmidah]

That is the practice I'm familiar with. If a siddur or chumash is dropped or falls, when you pick it up, you kiss it. I've never thought about it....just a sign of respect, I gues....

 

[Henaynei]

I had catholic friends that if their family bible ever fell off the living room mantel they would quickly kiss it and replace it.....similar issue I guess

 

[Talmidah]

I did a quick google search to see if I could find anything about this and found a little bit...I'm glad this question was asked. I was taught to do this years ago and my children have been growing up just doing it. Never even considered that not everyone does this.

Both the siddur and the chumash are considered sifrei kodesh (holy books) because they contain the tetragrammaton (the ineffable Name of God). They should never be placed on the floor or left sitting open and unattended on the chair. If a volume is dropped accidentally, it is customary to pick it up and kiss it.

http://scheinerman.net/judaism/synagogue/objects2.html

Q: When are you supposed to kiss the Torah and siddur? When you drop it, open it, before you go to bed, etc...
Since a Siddur is a more commonly found book, the custom has developed to kiss it when it falls on the floor after we have picked it back up again. Some people kiss the Siddur whenever they have opened it up to read prayer immediately after they close it to set it down.

http://jewish.com/askarabbi/askarabbi/askr4259.htm

When you drop a yarmulke or a tallis, a kiddush cup or a menorah, you pick it up and dust it off. When you drop a Siddur or a Humash, you kiss it.

http://www.vbs.org/rabbi/rabfeins/fivebook_bot.htm

First, we know that since we are created in the image of God we have the responsibility to care for ourselves, just as we care for inanimate ritual objects. A siddur or humash is treated with the utmost respect and honor. For if a siddur or humash were to fall, one would not hesitate to reach down, pick up the siddur, and kiss it. We desire to show proper respect to texts that we consider sacred. How much more so should we treat ourselves with respect.

http://www.jtsa.edu/community/parashah/archives/5764f/bereshit.shtml

Because a Siddur contains the Name of God, it is treated with reverence. Do not carry a Siddur with you into a bathroom. Do not put it on the floor. If you drop a Siddur, pick it up immediately. After dropping it, the tradition is to kiss it as you pick it up. Close the Siddur before leaving it unattended. Some people also kiss the Siddur as they finish using it, and take care always put it down with its front cover up. When a Siddur is worn beyond repair and has outlived its usefulness, it is not thrown away. It is buried respectfully, like a human corpse. Your nearest Jewish funeral home will be happy to help you dispose of it properly.

http://home.comcast.net/~judaism/Siddur/introduction.htm

 

[Henaynei]

hmmm - it has been a good day - I learned something that all makes good sense

 

[Christy4Christ]

I had catholic friends that if their family bible ever fell off the living room mantel they would quickly kiss it and replace it.....similar issue I guess

This is funny. As I started reading this thread I thought about telling her that Catholics do this. You said it for me Yes, if we drop the bible we kiss it. (We got a lot of our customs from the Jewish customs)