Words of Torah Opposite a Bathroom

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Question

It is common for the bathroom door to be open. Is it permissible to say a blessing facing the entrance of the bathroom?

Answer

If one is outside the room and sees the bathroom open, if he is opposite the space of the room or the walls, as well as opposite the bathtub, he cannot recite a blessing. Certainly, if he sees the toilet opposite him.

The reason for this: because the space of our bathroom is considered a filthy place, against which it is forbidden to recite the Shema or a blessing. [Even though many later authorities (Mishna Berura, Siman 83, Se'if Katan 5) ruled that even the walls of the bathroom from the outside are considered a filthy place, in our bathrooms, the reasons mentioned do not apply, as there is a pit where the waste is placed, and they are there only for a short time, and the walls are clean, but the space of the room is considered a filthy place].

However, the toilet is considered like a container of excrement, which is treated as the excrement itself (Siman 87, Se'if 1). There is no initial permission if it is in another domain; it is only permitted in a pressing situation, as ruled by the Mishna Berura (Siman 79, Se'if 4).

And the bathtub, although not intended for filth like the toilet, is treated like the space of the room.



Source

Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim, Siman 79 and Siman 83

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