A read in an article that it is forbidden to think about Torah in the bathroom. What are the reasons for this? The negative associations of elimination are obvious but seem judgemental of the natural process. Having struggled with this area of the body in some bad anal health over the years, I am troubled by this law.

I think we can begin by comparing these laws to those of a classical Jewish army camp. In Deuteronomy 23:12-15 we are told that eliminating had to be performed outside the camp itself…and we are told why: “For the Lord your G-d is walking in the midst of your camp to rescue you and to give your enemies before you, so let your camp be holy….” Somehow, a place peopled solely by righteous individuals (others weren’t welcome) who were risking their lives for their brothers and sisters and hoping for miraculous assistance, would merit the Divine presence, so (according to Sefer Hachinuch #566) it’s only fitting that they should retain a level of cleanliness. Physical cleanliness and proximity to the Divine seem connected.

That this expectation of cleanliness applies similarly to Mitzvah activities like saying the Shema is apparent from the Talmud (Brachos, 14b, 15a): “one who wishes to accept upon himself the yoke of the kingdom of heaven in a perfect way, should (first) eliminate, then wash his hands and (only) then don his Tefilin and say the Shema.”

So what, then, is the connection between physical cleanliness and (for example) Torah thoughts? Rabbi S.R. Hirsch writes that a Kohen must avoid contact with the dead because he is to be a role model of G-dliness and Torah values for the rest of us – and G-dliness and Torah must be presented in all their vitality and life-giving enthusiasm and optimism. It is only in certain foreign ideologies, observes R’ Hirsch, where the priests present themselves primarily as masters of death…or at least as masters of the transition from life to death (think of how many churches are surrounded by graveyards) but Judaism is vibrant and life-based!

So here is my own thought: Could we not perhaps think of bodily waste as death in miniature and Torah study as priestly Temple service in miniature? Is not death the time when what is truly “you” rises up, leaving behind the purely physical body which served, but is now unnecessary? Could elimination not be described as the time when a small part of you…but something purely physical and no longer of any use…falls away? Let our Divine service, in contrast, be lively and optimistic!

I would also point out that the “problem” is only the waste matter itself, but not the process of elimination. On the contrary, the process itself inspires us to joyously thank G-d for the kindness of a body that works properly (through the Asher Yatzer blessing – and I’m sure you know far better than I do what a deep joy it is when things go as they should).

I hope these thoughts are correct and that they give something of a positive impression of the Torah’s attitudes to this issue. I especially wish you long, happy years in full health.

With best wishes,
Boruch Clinton