Ask the Rabbi
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- General Questions
Question
How to put the book like Siddur correctly on the table? Can we sleep in the same room where Siddur? Is this Halacha breach if somebody puts a Siddur from end cover on the table. Is there a halacha rule about the position of books? And how to take them? Which what hand
Answer
There's no problem placing a siddur or any holy book "right-side up" on the table (just not upside-down), and please remember to close it when you finish using it, for leaving it open isn't respectful. From your use of the plural "we", I understand that you're married, and a married couple is not allowed to have intimate relations in a room where there's a holy book, unless it has 2 coverings or is behind a 80 cm. tall partition or door. Books should be placed respectfully on the shelf, or if in a pile, it should be orderly and not haphazard. Also, one shouldn't sit on a bench where there's a holy book, yet there are those who allow it if the book is standing, not lying down. Regular printed holy books can be taken with either hand.














