Chapter 12:4-6
Preparing Oneself to Pray
4.A person who is sure that he cannot contain himself from releasing gas
until after he concludes the Shema and the Shemoneh Esreh [should refrain
from reciting these prayers].* It is preferable that he delay until after
the times for the Shema and the Shemoneh Esreh pass than to pray without a
clean body. Should the time for prayer pass, [it is not his fault]. He is
prevented by factors beyond his control (and may compensate, as will be
explained in Chapter 21).
* {The Shulchon Oruch HoRav 80:3 and the Mishnoh Beruroh 80:3 require that
one recite the Shema and its blessings at the proper time. However, one
should refrain from wearing tefillin. It must be emphasized that this
applies only to someone who is sure that he will not be able to hold
himself back from releasing gas. However, if a person merely suspects that
he might do so, he should pray.}
If he is sure that he can contain himself during the recitation of the
Shema, he should put on tefillin between the blessing habocher b'amo
Yisroel B'ahavoh and the Shema, recite the blessing upon them, and recite
the Shema.
5.. A person must wash his hands to the wrists before prayer. Therefore,
even though he washed his hands in the morning, if his hands touched a
place of filth - i.e., a portion of the body which is sweaty and usually
covered: he scratched his head, or in the morning, he did not wash them
until the wrists - he must wash them again before prayer.
If there is no water available, he must search for it, even though it
requires walking as far as four milin* before him or one mil behind him.
However, should he fear that in doing so the time for Shemoneh Esreh will
pass without his praying, he should clean his hands with a shard, dust, or
any other material, and pray.
* {The above applies when a person is on a journey. If one does not intend
to travel, there is no difference between in front of him or behind him.
There is no need to search further than a mil. A mil is approximately a
kilometer in contemporary terms.
[This may be derived from Psalms 26:6]: "I will wash my hands in
cleanliness and encircle Your alter." If possible, I will wash my hands
not, If not, I will achieve "cleanliness" through other means.
6. Even though he washed his hands in the morning properly, and he does not
know that his hands have become dirty, it is still necessary for him to
wash them with water before prayer, because he diverted his attention
[from his hands. This applies] even though he [only] studied in the interim.
However, in this instance, there is no need to search for water. If he does
not have water available, and searching for it will prevent him from
praying with a minyon, he need not search for it.* Rather, he should clean
his hands with other materials and pray with the minyon.
* {The Shulchon Oruch, Orach Chayim 92:5 states that in such an instance,
one need not search for water, and does not make the leniency dependent on
the concept of communal prayer.
Should he have prayed despite the fact that he felt a need, his prayer is
acceptable after the fact, provided he feels that he would have able to
contain himself for the time it takes to walk a parsoh (one hour an twelve
minutes). If not, despite the fact that he has already prayed, his prayer
is considered an abomination and he must pray again. *
* {Most authorities (Mogen Avrohom, Shulchon Oruch HoRav, Chayei Odom)
maintain that this applies only if one feels he must defecate. If he needs
only to urinate, he is not required to pray again. However, other opinions
are most stringent.}
Others maintain that a person who can contain himself for the time it takes
to takes to walk a porsoh is granted permission to pray. One may rely on
this opinion if waiting to relieve oneself will cause one to miss the time
for the morning prayers. (See also Chapter 18, Law 16.)
