The Form of the Doorway Between the Sink and the Toilet
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Question
In a bathroom with a sink, there is a 'form of a doorway' (a frame without a door) between the sink and the toilet. Is it permissible to wash hands there? And is it permissible to recite a blessing there by the sink?
Answer
Hello
The form of the doorway separates the sink from the toilet, and it is considered as two different rooms. It is permissible to wash hands there both for a meal and for prayer.
However, regarding the permission to recite a blessing there, it should be noted that one should not recite a blessing facing the toilet, even if the person is in another room, [except in a pressing situation where closing the eyes helps even when facing the toilet].
Also, one should not recite a blessing if there is a bad smell coming from the toilet.
Source
Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim, Laws of Reading Shema, Siman 79, Paragraph 2
If it is in a place ten tefachim high or ten low, or if it is in one house and he is in another, even if the door is open and he sees it, if there is no smell, he can read, because it is in another domain, according to the Rosh, but according to the Rashba, only if he does not see it.
There: And if there is a smell, separation and change of domain do not help.
Mishna Berura, Siman 79, Sif Katan 14
And if he closes his eyes or at night, it is said that it is permitted according to all opinions, since he is in another domain, but there are those who prohibit, and in a pressing situation where he cannot turn away, one can rely on the lenient opinion.