I have noticed that shuls will keep a posul sefer torah in the Aron for more than 30 days if it is wrapped with a "gartel". The gemorrah seems to require that it be fixed within 30 days.
(p.s. I received a message that your archives for Kesubos 18 & 19 could not be accessed because of some configuration error. Please advise)
allen schuldenfrei, baltimore, maryland
The Rambam (Hilchos Sefer Torah 10:1) writes that a Sefer Torah which has any of the twenty things which render it Pasul may not be read publicly, but it may be used for teaching children. The Noda b'Yehudah (Yoreh De'ah II 174) learns that the Rambam is referring to within the first thirty days that the Pesul was found. However, the Aruch ha'Shulchan (Yoreh De'ah 261) mentions the Minhag of leaving the Sefer Torah in the Aron with an external Gartel and seemingly learns that the only problem arises if there is a chance that one will mistakenly read from it publicly. If there is no chance that such a mistake will bemade, then it need not have Genizah, nor does it need to be fixed within thirty days.
Thank you for your question.
Dov Zupnik
(Regarding Dafim 18 and 19 of the Insights, due to technical problems they have not yet been posted on the Archives. This should be corrected soon.)