DailyHalacha.com for Mobile Devices Now Available

Click Here to Sponsor Daily Halacha
"Delivered to Over 6000 Registered Recipients Each Day"

      
(File size: 396 KB)
Should One Make Borei Nefashot First Before Asher Yatzar If Having Gone To the Bathroom Before Reciting Borei Nefashot

Rabbi Chayim Palachi (Rabbi of Izmir, Turkey, 19th century) raises the question concerning one who ate and must recite a Borei Nefashot, but before reciting the Beracha uses the bathroom. So after he uses the bathroom, he has two blessings he must recite: Borei Nefashot for the food he had just eaten, and Asher Yatzar which is the Beracha one recites after performing his bodily functions. Which Beracha does he recite first?

The majority of the Poskim (authorities on Halacha) rule that Asher Yatzar takes precedence.

One rationale given for this ruling is the principle in Halacha known as "Tadir Ve’she’eno Tadir, Tadir Kodem" – meaning, precedence is always given to the more frequent Mitzva. Some Poskim apply this rule in our case, and therefore maintain that one recites Asher Yatzar before Borei Nefashot. But not everyone agrees with that logic. The reasoning above assumes that Asher Yatzar occurs more frequently than Borei Nefashot. Many other Poskim however, question this assumption, noting that it is very possible for a person to drink more frequently than he uses the bathroom, in which case he is obligated to recite Borei Nefashot more frequently than he must recite Asher Yatzar.

Rabbi Chayim Palachi provides another explanation for this ruling. He cites that the obligation of Asher Yatzar is the one which is more immediately pressing. The individual has already lost the opportunity to recite Borei Nefashot immediately upon being obligated in this Beracha. Asher Yatzar, however, can still be recited at its optimum time which is the moment one exits the bathroom. Therefore, he says one should seize this opportunity and recite Asher Yatzar first.

Thus, a person who must use the bathroom before reciting Borei Nefashot should, after leaving the bathroom, first recite Asher Yatzar, followed by Borei Nefashot.

 


Recent Daily Halachot...
Mukse: Moving a Mukse Item for a Permitted Purpose
Mukse- Moving A Non-Mukse Item Unnecessarily and Other Items
Is It Permissible to Touch a Mukse Item Without Moving It?
Making a Permissible Item Mukse on Shabbat
Mukse: Firewood, Matches and Disposable Pans
Are Fruit Peels, Flour, Raw Rice, or Raw Potatoes Considered Mukse?
Mukse- Using One's Body to Move a Mukse Item
Mukse- Indirectly Moving Mukse
Mukse- If a Mukse Item Gets Mixed Up With Similar Non-Mukse Items
Mukse- Is It Permissible to Pet an Animal on Shabbat?
Mukse- Is Flour, Coffee or Raw Eggs Considered Mukse?
Mukse- Documents, Driver's License, Passports
Is It Permissible to Repair a Mezuzah or Door Knob on Shabbat?
Is It Permitted on Shabbat to Cover One’s Head with a Jacket for Protection from the Elements?
Is It Permissible to Open or Use an Already Opened Umbrella on Shabbat or Yom Tob?
Page of 239
3585 Halachot found