1,047. If Sefarim are in the Room

Because of the public nature of these posts, we are omitting some of the more graphic details of this chapter. HaShoneh Halachos encourages interested readers to review these laws more fully in the original sources.

150:5 A man is not permitted to stare at his wife's genitals as doing so is considered brazen and immodest. It desensitizes one to shame, which is a necessary deterrent to sin as per Exodus 20:17, "so that fear of Him shall be before you," which refers to the shame that keeps a person from sinning. Also, this stirs up a person's evil inclination.

150:6 One may not have marital relations in a room where there is a Torah; it must be moved to another room. If one doesn't have another room, he may make a partition ten handbreadths high; it must be a solid partition so that he can't see the Torah. (If the partition has holes, like woven pieces, the Torah must be concealed from sight. If it is, then the combination of the covering and the partition is effective - Mishnah Brurah 240:25.) A curtain around the bed is not considered a partition unless it is tied down at the bottom because otherwise it may move.

When it comes to tefillin and books like Chumashim, Gemaras, etc., whether they are hand-written or printed, one can place them in a double container (or a double covering - MB 40:7) so long as the second container is not specially-designed for them. (The book's own cover doesn't count because it is attached and therefore part of the book - MB 40:4. Actually, all that is required is that one of the two containers is not specially-designed for the object, it doesn't matter which one - MB 40:8,) However, if the containers are specially-designed for them, then even if there are ten, each one inside the other, they are all considered like a single container. If one spread some kind of covering over a chest with holy books in it, it is considered a double container. Similarly, if a mezuzah is fixed on the inside of the room, it must be covered with two coverings like a double container.  G-d's Name must likewise be covered. A glass container is not sufficient because we require that it not be seen.