Halakhah su Ecclesiaste 4:78

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.

It is written: "Guard your feet when you walk to the house of God."⁴Ecclesiastes 4:7. Our Sages, of blessed memory, explain that "your feet," refers to the openings that are near the legs.⁵Maseches Berachos 23. Therefore, before praying you must check if you need to relieve yourself. If you feel even the slightest urge for relief, you are forbidden to pray. It is even forbidden to study Torah when the body is feculent until you relieve yourself. If, however, you prayed when you had the urge to relieve yourself, if you approximated that you could have restrained yourself the length of time it takes to walk a parsah (an hour and a fifth) your prayer is valid. If you could not have restrained yourself even though you have already prayed, your prayer is an abomination and you must pray again.⁶This does not apply if you only had the need to urinate. See Magen Avraham 92:1. Some authorities hold that if you can restrain yourself for the period of a parsah, you may even begin praying in this condition. You may rely on this opinion in a situation where if you relieve yourself the time limit for prayer will elapse. See chapter 18, paragraph 16.

“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)

It is written in Ecclesiastes, “Better is a handful of quietness, than both the hands full of labor and striving after wind” (Eccl. 4:6). It is of satisfaction to their Creator that “a full hand” is better, i.e., when a man gives to the poor and the God-fearing who declined in their wealth; “than both the hands full,” i.e., to the poor that are not worthy but are filled with troublesomeness and bad spirit. Moreover, it is considered a sin on his part¹Baba Kamma 16b. if he gives to sinners, giving them the harlot’s hire (and) strengthening the cause of rebels in the world against the Holy One, blessed be He. Therefore a man should always pray that the Holy One, blessed be He, prepare for him worthy people.²The Zohar, ed. Soncino, I, 334. Another interpretation, “better is a handful of quiet” (is to give) charity with a good spirit and without anger, than “hands full” (of charity) which he gives grudgingly and with a bad heart, as it is written, “and thy heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him” (Deut. 15:10). Yet another interpretation, it is better for a man to support one person, if he has only enough to support one soul properly, than to give to five insufficiently. This results in “hands full of labor” because each one still lacks.³Peah 8:5. But if others are also contributing to each of these it is good for him to do likewise.⁴Maimonides, Commentary on Aboth, Chapter III, p. 15. Concerning this it is said, “He hath scattered abroad, he hath given to the needy” (Ps. 12:9).⁵Meaning to give to many poor. Erubin 63a. Even a poor man supported from charity must give to charity.⁶Gittin 7b. And each one according to his means, whether rich or poor, should feel himself beholden to the Holy One, blessed be He, in the sense of a rentier in the French, giving a penny, or (half-penny) half of this weekly (to charity).⁷The perutah was the smallest copper coin current See The Mishnah, trans. Herbert Danby (London: Oxford Press, 1949), p. 797. This should be a fixed rule and without deviation,⁸Baba Bathra 9a. to indicate that he is a servant of the Lord and that which he gives is a ransom for his soul.⁹Tosafoth, Pesahim 29b. Each penny adds to make up a great sum.¹⁰Baba Bathra 9b. The poor man who cannot give a great deal, should perform meritorious deeds with his body. The communal leader is not permitted to force the poor to contribute to charity,¹¹Midrash Rabbah, ed. Soncino, Leviticus, IV, 380. and he who does so is regarded as stealing (from them) for he steals from this one and gives to another.

If you see three generations or more, one after the other, all scholars, but then their children are illiterate, do not say that the words of the scholars are voided because they said, “‘Thy words shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed’s seed’ (Isa. 59:21), thereafter Torah will no longer cease from among them.” ¹Baba Metziah 85a. Behold they have become wedded to a family whose destiny is not to have scholars in its midst,²Midrash Rabbah, ed. Horeb, Ecclesiastes, Chapter IV, p. 91. and our rabbis said, “Most children resemble the mother’s brother therefore their sons are illiterate.” This likewise applies to the God-fearing and the pious, for it written, “and a threefold cord is not quickly broken” (Eccl. 4:12). And if you see that in the fourth generation the God-fearing and pious cease, it is then apparent that they intermarried with those to whom they were not suited, for instance he is not God-fearing or pious, therefore the generation is such. Therefore let a man seek favor each day for himself, his children and grandchildren, that they be joined to a partner who is God-fearing, possesses Torah and deeds of loving kindness,³These three virtues correspond to the “three fold chord” of the verse. for it is said concerning these three “and the threefold cord is not quickly broken.” For the three words, Torah, fearing and loving kindness are all equal numerically, (fear is equal to Torah, and Torah is equal to loving kindness)⁴Although found in the text it is repetitive, nevertheless we left it but in parenthesis. for concerning “fear” it is written “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all they that do thereafter” (Ps. 111:10). It is not said “to all who study”⁵Berakoth 17b. but “all they that practice it,” as it is written, “Oh that they had had such a heart as this always, to fear Me” (Deut. 5:26), and it is written, “What doth the Lord, thy God, require of thee but to fear the Lord thy God” (Deut. 10:12). Behold “fear” is prior to “all they that do thereafter” i.e., “The fear” of God and “love …” “to walk in all His ways” (Deut. 10:12). “A good understanding have all they that do thereafter” (Ps. 111:10), “That ye may make all that ye do to prosper” (Deut. 29:8).

And know that even though this commandment is only obligated by the Torah when he has a four cornered garment (Mishneh Torah 3:18) - like there is no obligation for the commandment [to build a] parapet unless one has a roof - the Sages still warned much about this commandment and said (Menachot 41a) that it is fitting to pursue it. They also said (Shabbat 32b) that a person who is careful [in the fulfillment of this commandment] will merit to be waited upon by many servants, as the Torah equated it to and depended upon it the fulfillment of all the other commandments, as it is stated, "And you will see it and remember all the commandments of the Lord." And Rabbi Elazar said that one who is careful in this and tefillin and mezuzah is assured that he will never sin, as it is stated (Ecclesiastes 4:12), "The three fold thread will not easily break."