Shulchan Arukh Orach Chayim · Siman 92

Shulchan Arukh Orach Chayim 92 — English translation

Translation: Sefaria Community Translation. Section numbers match the Hebrew text above.

1. 1One who Needs to Relieve Themselves and the Laws of Washing for Prayer, and Other Preparations for Prayer - containing 10 s'ifim. One who needs to relieve themselves should not pray, and if they prayed, their prayer is an abomination and they need to go back and pray again. And these things said are [regarding the case] of one who is not able to hold themselves back [without using the toilet] for the amount of time it takes to walk a parasang, but if one is able to hold themselves back for the amount of time of a parasang [and prays], they have fulfilled their obligation [to pray the Amidah] after the fact. But from the outset, one should not pray until they have checked themselves well beforehand. Rem"a: And anyone who needs to relieve themselves is forbidden even from [engaging in] matters of Torah as long as their body is filthy from their waste. (Hagahot Maimoni, Chapter 4 on the Laws of Prayer)
2. 2If, while in the middle of one's prayer [i.e. Amidah], he feels an urge [to relieve himself], he should maintain himself [in prayer] until he has finished, and not interrupt. And if at the time of the Recitation of the Sh'ma and its blessings he feels an urge, regardless of whether it is for urinating or defecating, he may read it normally. Rem"a: And [this is] specifically if one does not feel so much of a urge that there is an element of "Do not cause an abomination" (Leviticus 20:25). But if this is not so, it is better to interrupt [one's prayer and use the toilet] (Responsum of the Rashb"a, section 131, who ruled that it is permissible, and the Terumat haDeshen section 16, who ruled that it is prohibited. And one needs to distinguish such [i.e. between those sources]) And if one wanted to distance himself and urinate [during the Recitation of the Sh'ma and its blessings], he may.
3. 3One needs, before the prayer [i.e. the Amidah], to rid himself of his mucus and phlegm and anything which [might] distract him.
4. 4One needs to wash one's hands with water if he has [it]. If one does not have [water], he needs to travel up until [the distance of] one parasang [to find it]. And this is specifically when one is traveling on the road and water is found ahead of him. But if he needs to travel backwards to the location of the water, he [only] needs to travel up to a mil; [but] more than a mil, he does not [need to] go back. And if one is worried about missing the time of prayer, he should clean his hands on a rock or in dirt or in any cleaning substance [and see below, Orach Chayyim 233]
5. 5If one washed his hands in the morning, and he got distracted, they need a [re-]washing for prayer if he has water, even if one does not know whether they [i.e. his hands] have any dirt [on them], and he should not bless [for the washing of their hands]. And if he does not have readily available water, he do not need to go back and wash. Rem"a: And even if his hands were dirty and he washes them for prayer, he should not bless - and see above Orach Chayyim 6
6. 6One who is standing in prayer [i.e. the Amidah] and recalls that he touched a dirty place, it suffices for cleansing [to use] dirt or rocks or rub his hands on a wall.
7. 7A dirty place is [referring to] places that are [normally] covered on a person['s body] because they have beads of sweat on them, and similarly with scratching the head. Rem"a: And therefore it is forbidden to touch these places at the time that one stands in prayer [i.e. the Amidah] or is engaged with the Torah (Kol Bo). And similarly with discharge of the ear [wax] and nose [mucus] except by means of a cloth (Maharil)
8. 8One who urinates should not pray until enough time has elapsed [between ending urination and beginning prayer] to walk four cubits, because of [lingering] drops [of urine]. And one who prayed [already] should not urinate until enough time has elapsed to walk four cubits, since for the entire 4 cubits, one's prayer still flows in one's mouth and one's lips are still moving.
9. 9One who spits should not pray until enough time has elapsed [between ending spitting and beginning prayer] to walk four cubits. One who prayed [already] should not spit until enough time has elapsed to walk four cubits. And [this is] specifically [when one spits] on purpose, but if spittle happens to come forth on it's own, it is permitted. [See Orach Chayyim 97]
10. 10It is good to give tzedakah (donate to charity) before prayer.

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