[Avodah] Can a Sefer Torah Be Donated or Lent to a Reform Temple?

[Zev Sero]

On 31/01/2011 7:35 AM, SBA wrote:
> From: "David J Havin" To: "AVODAH"
> Is it permitted for an orthodox synagogue to donate or lend a Sefer Torah to
> a reform temple?
>>>
>
> What it be any different if the borrower was a catholic church or a Buddhist
> temple?

WRT a Catholic church, two possible reasons:  1. Avoda Zara; 2. Morasha
Kehilat Yaacov.

WRT the Buddhist temple, I'd say it depends what sort of Buddhists they
are.  It may be just as bad as a Catholic church, or even worse because
they don't even respect the Torah, so they can't be trusted to treat it
right.  But if they're the sort of Western Buddhists who have no trace
of AZ, and who may even have a similar percentage of Jews to what one
would find in a typical R temple, and who respect the Torah in an "all
the world's religions" kind of way, then you're right that it's the
same question.


-- 
Zev Sero                      The trouble with socialism is that you
zev at sero.name                 eventually run out of other people’s money
                                                      - Margaret Thatcher