The Guide to using the Restroom

The bathroom is naturally a place of impurity since unclean spirits are attracted to any dirty place. In addition a person needs to occupy himself with something while he is there and he must be careful not to do anything improper.

1 – First of all try to spend as little time in the bathroom as possible. Go in do what has to be done and then leave. It is not a place to relax and read. However one should not leave until he is completely done. In addition one should never hold it in, it is forbidden to hold it in according to Halacha and one can transgress two comondments by doing so. (1 by sitting and 2 by standing)

2 – In your home you should make sure that there are no mirrors hanging in the bathroom. Under no circumstances should there be large mirrors that show anything more then the face. If you are not in your home or if it is not under your control simply do not look. There is something called Shimras Anyim (controlling of the eyes). You have to know what you are not allowed to look at and then you do not look at it even though there is nothing preventing you from doing so.

3 - Be careful never to touch the organ of the Bris. Use the bottom of your shirt, boxers or a tissue.

4 – Never look at your Bris.

5 - Do not scratch anywhere in the area surrounding the Bris. It is a very large Tikkun to hold yourself back from scratching. If you feel that this is totally impossible, then use another object and never your hand.

6 – There should not be any westernized reading material lying around your bathroom, they all contain impure information. All catalogs, magazines, newspapers and books contain impure information they should never be found around your house. If it is not your house or you are not the one in control, then pick them up and toss them to the other end of the room and do not even look at them. Do not be a fool and say to yourself that you will only look at the good parts.

7 - According to Halacha you are only allowed to uncover the amount necessary to take care of your needs and not get your clothing dirty. If you are standing, only uncover the little necessary. If you are sitting then only uncover the back and a little in front. You should not pull your pants all the way down, rather leave them as high up as you can as long as they will not become dirty.

8 – A person has to be very in control his thoughts while in the bathroom. It goes both ways, it is forbidden to think thoughts of Torah and it is definitely forbidden to think impure thoughts. Focus your mind on business or on your daily schedule. On Shabbat it is not allowed to think about business, so occupy your mind with something else. In general it might work to have something in advance like mathematical equations. Avoid impure thoughts at all costs. In such a case it is even permitted to think Torah.

9 – In general you should not push too hard while sitting since a person can force out drops of seed by accident. In Halacha it also says that this should not be done since if enough pressure is placed some of the nerves can become disconnected which can cause him fertility problems.

10 – A person should not wipe with his right hand since he uses that hand to tie his tiffillen, he should use his left hand. A lefty should use his right hand. A person should not use his middle finger to wipe since he wraps the tiffillen around that finger.

11 – A person should wipe himself completely, since he is not allowed to think Torah, study or pray if his body is not clean.

12 – After leaving the bathroom a person should be very careful to rinse his hands. This should be done from a whole vessel (cup) that contains a Reveis. He should first rinse his right hand then his left, he should do this twice more until he has rinsed each hand 3 times. All this should be done outside the bathroom and not using the bathroom sink. If there is no other option then pass your hands under the water even using the bathroom sink.

13 - Try to recite the blessing of Asher Yatzar with the simple concentration on the words. Simply understand and comprehend the words as you say them without thinking about other topics. The blessing of Asher Yatzar should be recited even on one drop.

This is just a side Halacha that we are going to mention here at the end of this article.

It is forbidden for a man to cut or shave the lower hairs of his body. This can even be considered as a transgression of the negative commandment (lav) in the Torah that states a man should not ware the garments of a woman. According to the Kabbalah the impure spirits and klipot dress themselves and cling to these hairs. If a person shaves them off then they enter his actual body instead, which is much worse.