Halakhah zu Amos 4:14

The Sages teach that one who needs to use the bathroom, be it to urinate or to defecate, may not pray (Berakhot 23a). There are two reasons for this: 1. The need for relief is likely to disrupt one’s kavana (Rambam); and 2. It is not proper to come to pray before God when the body is made repulsive by the excrement inside it (Hagahot Maimoniyot). Even if one is uncertain as to whether or not she needs to use the bathroom, the Sages say that le-khatḥila one should use the bathroom (Berakhot 15a). The Sages support their statement with the verse (Amos 4:12), “Israel, prepare to meet your God.” It is also written: “Guard your foot when you go to the House of God” (Kohelet 4:17), which they interpret to mean that one should ensure that she does not need to relieve herself when she gets up to pray.

If one urinated and did not brush off [any drops of urine with his hands] - even though he must recite Asher Yatzar, washing his hands is only necessary for [the sake of] cleanliness/hygiene or because of the notion of "Hikkon" (Amos 4:12) (i.e. preparation for the proper davening mindset).

It is written: "Prepare to meet your God, O Israel."¹Amos 4:12. Preparing yourself before Hashem, Blessed is He, means that you should dress yourself in the same type of respectful clothing when you pray, as you would when meeting a high official. Even if you pray privately in your home you should dress properly. In those places where the custom is to wear a special sash [during prayers], it is forbidden to pray until you gird yourself [with such a sash].

A man should not act with levity with his wife, nor should he degrade his speech with nonsense, even between him and her. The verse says, "He tells man what his speech is" (Amos 4:13) and the Sages comment, "Even light conversation between a man and his wife will be brought to judgement in the future." He should not speak with her during intercourse, nor before it, lest he direct his thoughts to another woman. If he does speak with her and proceed immediately to intercourse, about him the verse says, "He tells man what his speech is". He may speak about matters pertinent to the intercourse, to increase his desire, or if there was strife between them and he needed to appeal to her and appease her, he may speak with her to appeal to her. Rem"a: He may do with his wife whatever he wishes. He may have intercourse whenever he wishes, he may kiss any part of her body that he desires, he may have vaginal [typical] or anal [atypical] intercourse, or stimulate himself with other parts of her body, so long as he does not ejaculate outside the vagina (Tur). Some authorities are lenient and say that he may even ejaculate during anal intercourse, if it is occasional and not his habit (Tur). Even though all of this is permissible, anyone who wishes to sanctify himself [by abstaining] from the permitted is called holy. He should not have frequent intercourse so that he is always with her, for this is extremely detrimental and it is the way of boors; it is meritorious to minimize intercourse, only keeping to the minimum required by marital obligations. Even when fulfilling marital obligations he should not focus on his pleasure, it should instead be as on paying back an obligation, for he is obligated in marital duties, and to fulfill the mitzvah of being fruitful and multiplying, and to have children who study Torah and perform mitzvot for the people of Israel. He may not have intercourse without her consent, and if she is not interested he should appease her until she is interested. He should be very private during intercourse, having no people of any kind around, even a child, unless it is a baby who cannot speak.

“Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name” (Ps. 103:1). The insides of a man, even his intestines need to bless the Lord.¹Berakoth 25a. Therefore he must examine himself well when he sets to pray,²Ibid., 23a.
/3/ The Zohar, ed. Soncino, V, 326; also Shabbath 104a. because it is not fit to bless Him while bringing a belly filled with excrement before the Holy One, blessed be He. He needs to shake his entire body during prayer, as it is written, “All mine bones shall sing, Lord, Who is like unto Thee” (Ps. 35:10). It is written, “Guard thy foot when thou goest to the house of God” (Eccl. 4:17), that your feet be not soiled.⁴Berakoth 23a. And it is written “prepare to meet thy God O Israel” (Amos 4:12).⁵Ibid., 15a. When a man appears before a king of flesh and blood he does not come attired as he would for the street, he covers himself, and stands before him with awe, fear and dignity; we who go before the Lord of all the earth, blessed be His name, all the more do we need to cover ourselves and stand before Him with awe and fear.⁶Shabbath 10a. Woe to those who delay covering themselves but from Sabbath to Sabbath so that people not laugh at them.⁷They go uncovered during the week. They do not consider that perhaps they might die and be unable to give honor to Him who gave His own garment, concerning which it is written, “His raiment was as white snow” (Dan. 7:9). Concerning these people and those similar to them it is said, the wicked may prepare it but the righteous shall put it on. (Job 27:17)

One needs to wear a belt at the time of prayer, even if he is wearing pants, such that his heart does not "see" his nakedness, because of הכון/prepare ("Prepare to meet your God, O Israel" (Amos 4:12)). But [regarding] the rest of the blessings, it is permitted to bless them without a belt, so long as one is wearing pants. Rem"a: and one's heart does not see the nakedness (Ran, First Chapter of Shabbat and the Rosh, Chapter "ha-Ro-eh", and Hagahot Maimoni on Tefillah Chapter 5)