Ripped up books | Imamother

chananecha

Sun, Jul 19 2020, 10:50 pm

Hello!
The title says it all, I have so many nice jewish books that my kids have ripped up through the years. It's such a pity to throw them out,
But they are ripped!
What would you do?
Sheimos? Or just toss? Or just stow it away for another 10 years?
Please let me know!
Tia!

zaq

Mon, Jul 20 2020, 8:49 am

What will storing them for 10 years accomplish? Are you saving them for grandchildren? Don't your grandchildren deserve to have new books that they can then rip up the way your dc ripped these? Time is money. Is it really worth your while to sit there painstakingly taping up these books, which are neither rare nor irreplaceable? Put them in Shaimos if they are really shaimos, otherwise recycle. Reserve your time, tape and energy for things that are worth fixing, like, say, a gorgeous tablecloth that your grandmother crocheted.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am very much an advocate of repair, don't replace. For gosh sakes, I darn socks. But some things are just not worth fixing, and old books that your children have outgrown are in that class.

Of course you could save the books and allow children to cut them up for collages or to make paper beads or papier mache, but space is also money. If you're going to hang on to old stuff for the sake of your future grandchildren, make sure it's things that are truly worth it, e.g unpainted handcarved solid wood building blocks. Don't save old ripped-up books for arts and crafts, as a single magazine will supply more than enough material.

If you're into larceny, you could create ransom notes by cutting out the letters and taping to a sheet of paper. (Wear gloves to avoid fingerprints.) "Give me $100,000 or your secret babka recipe goes on the front page of the Times Living section." But you wouldn't need to save books for that; any old newspaper or magazine would do.