Maran, in seman 6, went out of his way to give a clear interpretation of the Beracha that we make when we come out of the bathroom after we relieve ourselves. The Beracha of ‘Asher Yatzar’. Maran usually doesn’t give an explanation to any of the Tefilot. He usually gives the Halacha, and tells us that we are supposed to have Kavanah (meaning.) Here, it seems he felt it important, to even give a word-by-word interpretation.
Maran writes on the words, ‘Asher Yatzar Et Ha’Adam Bechachma.’ He brings down a Machloket between Rashi and Tosafot. Rashi learns, ‘Asher Yatzar Et Ha’Adam’, G-d, you created human beings. ‘Adam Bechachma’: the wisdom is, that human beings are like a balloon that has the ability to hold air. At the same time we have many holes, and normally that’s a paradox. Because a balloon that even has a pin drop hole in it cannot contain the air within. Human beings, on the other hand, have many holes, the mouth, the nose, etc, and still the air can be contained within. Hence, ‘Asher Yatzar Et Ha’Adam Bechcahma’. And what is the Chachma? ‘Ubarah Bo Nekavim Nekavim’, that Hashem created us with many holes, and still we’re able to sustain the air.
Tosafot, however, learns differently. Tosafot learns, ‘Asher Yatzar Et Ha’Adam Bechachma’ period. It’s a subject on its own, and its not related to the rest of the Beracha. ‘Bechachma’ here is, that G-d created the person after he created all his needs; the animals, the fruit, the vegetation, was all created before Adam, so when he comes on the 6th day, Adam Harishon, the Midrash says, that he enters Shabbat, and the Seudah already was prepared for him. That’s ‘Asher Yatzar Et Ha’Adam Bechachma.’ Had Adam been created earlier in the week, he would have starved, and he wouldn’t have had anything to eat. So the wisdom is, to create all the needs of man, and then to create the man so he can eat from everything that’s ready.
MaHarSha (Rabbi Shmuel Eliezer Edels) which is not brought down in Maran, brought a 3rd explanation down, ‘Asher Yatzar Et Ha’Adam Bechachma’, to mean that G-d created human beings with Chachma, with wisdom, meaning human beings have something over all the other animals of creation, that they do not posses intellect. However, human beings have Chachma, (intellect). Human beings were created with brains. They have potential to understand things.
‘Ubarah Bo Nekavim Nekavim, Chalulim Chalulim.’ The difference between Nekavim and Chalulim. Nekavim were referring to the holes that are on the outside of a person. Which would include like we said, his mouth, his nose, and his bowels. That’s why we are mentioning it. Obviously for the bowels. Chalulim are referring to the organs inside, like the heart, the stomach, the intestines, etc. ‘Ubarah Bo Nekavim Nekavim, Chalulim Chalulim, Galuy Veyaduah Lifne Kise Kevodecha’, its evident in front of you, ‘She’im Yesatem Echad Mehem, Oh Eem Yepateach Echad Mehem, Ee Efshar Lihitkayem Afilu Sha’ah Echat.’ The Beracha says that its clear that if these holes would open, or they would close, we wouldn’t be able to exist even for a few moments. Different explanations are brought down in Maran. One explanation is referring to the child when he comes out of his mother’s womb, his mouth until that point is sealed shut. So he won’t swallow anything, he won’t choke, but when the baby comes out, miraculously his mouth opens up for the 1st time and now he is able to breath. So the Beracha says "She’im Yesatem Echad Mehem’, if one of those holes, specifically the mouth would remain closed, after the baby comes out, Chas Veshalom, ‘Ee Efshar Letkayem.’ Maran then says another explanation. That although we keep our mouths closed for a part of the day, which we means we don’t have to breath every second technically, and people can hold their breath for a certain limited amount of time, once that time passes, if a person’s mouth doesn’t open to take in some air, then already, ‘Chas Veshalom, ‘Ee Efshar Lihitkayem Afilu Sha’ah Echat’. It’s also referring to the bowels that if a person’s, Chas Veshalom, bowels didn’t open at the right time, it could cause a great health problem, such as toxins and the like that would be released into the body. And the opposite is also true. If it didn’t close at the right time. Which means after they released themselves and finished, they have to close, otherwise it would also be dangerous. So ‘She’im Yesatem, Oh Eem Yepateach’ can be referring specifically to the bowel movements of a person.
‘Ee Efshar Lihitkayem Afilu Sha’ah Echat. Baruch Ata Hashem, Rofe Kol Basar’ G-d, you bring healing to all humanity. The healing over here, we explained is a preventive medicine that if a person would not go to the bathroom, Chas Veshalom, and the food would decay in his body, Chas Veshalom it would be a great danger. Hence it is a Refuah, it is a great healing.
‘Umafli La’asot’, and G-d you created a great Pele, a great wonder. You do Mafli La’Asot, you are doing great wonders. Again, we have a Machloket how to explain the great wonders here. Maran brings down again the great wonder that we mentioned above, with the holes in our body, and how we are able to retain air. The Ramah brings down that the Pele is that G-d is able to fuse a soul and a body together even though they are opposites. Even though technically, there is no way that a physical body can contain something that is spiritual. This is a Pele on the highest level. So we say, ‘UMafli La’Asot’, So G-d, how did you marry together the body and soul together? The Mishna Berura brings down from the Kavanot, that food is the connecting link that keeps body and soul together, because there are physical properties of the food, and there are spiritual properties of the food. The body takes the physical, while the Neshama sustains itself from those spiritual properties of the food. So therefore, the Ochel, the food that a person eats, keeps that link in tact. It should also be pointed out that the Pele of the human body is, that the body knows exactly what to keep and what to give out. It knows exactly what’s considered necessary for the body, and what’s considered refuse, what’s considered waste. This indeed is a Pele.
Our custom is to say the Beracha with the text that we just said, which has 45 words. In our text, the 45 is the same Gematria as the word Adam. And therefore since we are giving a Shevach to the wonderful creation of Adam, the Beracha itself is 45 words. As we explained, the Beracha must be made with this Kavanah. And therefore, it should be said slowly every time a person comes out of the bathroom.
The books bring down that there is a tradition that if one is Makpid (stringent) on saying ‘Asher Yatzar’ every time he comes out of the bathroom, after he relieves himself with Kavanah, with the proper ideas that we said today, he would be guaranteed not to suffer any sickness, and not to have any ailments, and not to have any problems specifically regarding his stomach, his intestines, or things like that.
So when Maran went out of his way to give us these explanations, it would be appropriate to include this now in our life style.
