"MISHNAH: ALL SACRED WRITINGS MAY BE SAVED FROM A FIRE, WHETHER WE READ THEM OR NOT;"
Should we save the Samartian Torah from a fire since it has the divine name in it? Even though it is very different from the Torah holy to us?
B'Shalom Meir
Meir Stone, USA
The holiness of the divine name of Hash-m is dependent on the person writing the name. If the writer is an Apikorus, the Halachah is clear in the Shulchan Aruch (Y.D. 281:1) that not only would we not save a Sefer Torah that he wrote from a fire on Shabbos, but we are commanded to burn it. If the person is merely a non-Jew, it must be put in Genizah. It is therefore clear that any book written by someone who is an idol worshipper, Kal v'Chomer a book of Avoda Zara, would not be saved from a fire on Shabbos even if it has the name of Hash-m. It is unclear whether or not this applies to Tzedukim and Beitusim who write a Torah, as the Shulchan Aruch uses the word Apikorus, which is used in both a limited (idol worshipper) and broad (i.e. doesn't believe in Oral Torah) manner. This seems to be an argument among the Poskim (see Gilyon Maharsha ibid. and Pischei Teshuvah ibid. who discuss whether or not a Tzeduki is included in this Halachah).
All the best,
Yaakov Montrose