Chapter 4 : Chapter 4 Proper Practices in the Lavatory and Laws of the Asher Yatsar Berachah

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§1

You should accustom yourself to move your bowels in the evening and in the morning because this habit is conducive to vitality and cleanliness. If you are unable to do so you should walk four amohs and sit and stand and sit [repeating this procedure] until you move your bowels; or you should divert your thoughts from other matters. If you delay going to the lavatory you transgress the prohibition of bal teshaketzu.¹“Do not make yourself detestable.” See Leviticus 11:43. However if you delay until you find a suitable or decent lavatory, it is not considered a transgression. And if you delay urinating when you feel the urge you also transgress the prohibition against bringing about sterility.²See Deuteronomy 7:14.

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§2

You should act modestly in the lavatory. You should not expose yourself until you sit down. Also, then you should be careful to expose only those parts of the body that are absolutely necessary in order not to soil your clothing. You should be careful in this practice at night, just as during the day. If you move your bowels in an open area around which there are no partitions, you should position your body so that your front faces southward and your back is toward the north or the reverse. But to be positioned between east and west is prohibited. If there is a partition you may move your bowels facing any direction if your back is toward the partition. When urinating, you may face any direction. You must not move your bowels in front of any person, including a gentile. However, urinating is permissible, even during the daytime, even in the presence of many people, when you must; because it is dangerous to your health to refrain from urinating [when the need arises.] Nevertheless, you should turn aside when doing so.

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§3

You should not move your bowels while standing and you should not strain yourself more than necessary in order not to rupture the glands of the rectum. You should not hasten to leave the lavatory until you are sure that you no longer require it. When you urinate while standing be careful that the urine doesn't splash on your shoes and clothing. You should also be very careful not to hold in your hand the organ which was circumcised. (See Chapter 151).

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§4

In the lavatory it is forbidden to think about Torah matters (as is stated later, Chapter 5 par. 2). Therefore while you are there, it is best to think of business affairs and accounts in order not to think of Torah or God forbid indulge in sinful thoughts. On Shabbos, when it is forbidden to think of business you should think of interesting events that you saw or heard.

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§5

You should be careful to clean yourself well because if you have even the slightest amount of excrement at the opening of the rectum you are forbidden to utter any sacred word. (See Chapter 5 par. 3). You should not clean yourself with your right hand because this hand is used to tie the tefillin. Because of this reason you also should not clean yourself with the middle finger of the left hand because the tefillin strap is tied around it. A left-handed person should clean himself with his right hand [because his left hand] is like everybody else's right hand.

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§6

After each defecation or urination, even of one drop, you should wash your hands with water and recite the berachah, asher yatzar. If you urinated or moved your bowels and forgot to recite the berachah, asher yatzar and after urinating or moving your bowels again you remembered that you did not recite the berachah you need to recite the berachah only once. After drinking a laxative that induces diarrhea, and you know that you will need the lavatory numerous times, you should not recite the berachah until after all excrement has been passed.³According to Mishnah Berurah you should recite the berachah each time unless you feel the new urge immediately.