txt/Halakhah/Shulchan Arukh/Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim/English/Translated by Jay Dinovitser.txt

Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim
שולחן ערוך, אורח חיים
Translated by Jay Dinovitser
http://www.shulchanarach.com/

Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim



Siman 1

1. One should strengthen himself like a lion to get up in the morning to serve his creator. He should get up early enough to welcome in the dawn. [And at least not after the Z'man Tefilah (time for praying) in which the congregation prays. Scripture says, "I placed Hashem before me always". This is a great concept in the Torah and is a paramount attribute for the Tzadikim (righteous people) who walk in the way of G-d. For the way in which a person sits, moves around, and carries out his daily activities while he is alone in his house is not the same way he should engage in these activities while standing before a great King. In addition, the way one speaks while amongst those in his home and the conversations he partakes with his relatives is not the same manner in which he would speak while in the presence of a mortal King. Surely when one considers in his mind that the mighty King, The Holy One blessed be his name, where the whole world is filled with his glory, stands before him and sees his deeds, as it states: "If a man will conceal his secrets and I will not see it," states Hashem; immediately the fear and the proper awed train of thought of Hashem will descend upon him and he will always be embarrassed before G-d. And one should not be ashamed before people who mock his service to Hashem. Also, when one is in private and when one lies on his bed, he should know before whom he is lying and immediately his should arise with enthusiasm to serve his Creator and he will get up.] 
2. One who wishes to get up early and pray before his creator should try to do so at the times when the angels change shifts. This occurs after one third of the night, after two thirds and after the night is over. The prayer that one prays at those times should be concerning the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash (Holy Temple) and on the exile.
3. It is proper for every G-d fearing person to be aggravated and worried about the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash.
4. It is better for one to say only a few supplications with concentration then to say many supplications without concentration.
5. It is a good idea to say the section on the binding of Yitzchak, the section concerning the manna, the ten commandments and the chapter on the burnt offering (עולה 'Olah), gift offering (מנחה Mincha), peace offering (שׁלמים Shelamim), sin offering (חטאת Chatas) guilt offering (אשׁם Asham). [Only when one is alone is it permitted to say the ten commandments whenever one wants but it is forbidden to say them in front of ten or more men.]
6. The parshiot korbanot (chapters of the sacrifices) are said only during the day.
7. When one finishes the section of the 'Olah, he should say "may it be your will that this should be considered and accepted as if I brought an 'Olah." Similarly, one should say a similar expression after reading the section of the Mincha and the Shelamim since these can be brought by a Nedava (voluntarily).
8. One should recite after the sections of the sacrifices the verse "And slaughter it on the side of the altar northward before Hashem"
9. There are those who are accustomed to saying the Parsha (chapter) of the Kiur (washing basin) followed by the parsha of the Tamid (continual offering) and then the parsha of the offering of the Kitoret (Spice offering) and the parsha of the making of the Kitoret and its ingredients. 

Siman 2

1. One should not put on his undershirt while one is sitting.  Rather, while still lying in bed, one should first place his head and arms through the garment Then on should put it on.  Therefore, when one gets up he will be covered.
2. One should not say “behold I am in the most concealed of rooms, who will see me;” for the Holy One Blessed be he fills the whole world with his glory. 
 3. One should be careful to put on his undershirt properly and not inside out.[1]
 4. One should put his right shoe on first and the left shoe last.  Only after putting on the left shoe should one begin tying the shoe laces.  First tie the left shoe and then the right one.  [ In our shoes where there are no laces, one should put the right shoe on first. ]
 5. When one takes off his shoes, he should remove the left shoe first.
 6. It is forbidden to walk in an erect posture[2].  And a man should not walk four cubits[3] with an uncovered head < due to respect for the holy presence[4] >.  One should check to see if he needs to use the facilities ( after waking up ).  [ One should cover his entire body and should not go out barefoot.  In addition, one should accustom himself in the morning and in the evening to use the restroom. ]

Siman 3

1.When one enters the bathroom, he should say “out of respect for the honored ones etc...” but at this time it is not customary to say it. [1] 
2. One should be modest while in the bathroom and one should not uncover himself until he sits down. [ Two men should not go in together. Also, one should not speak there. One should close the door behind himself because of modesty. ] 
3. If one wishes to rub his opening with a rock or chip to open his bowels, he should do so before he sits down. One should not do so after one sits down because this is bad because of witchcraft 
4. One should not uncover himself more than a hand breath behind him and two hand breaths before himself. A woman only needs one hand breath behind her uncovered and nothing in front. [2] 
5. If one is excreting in an open place with no wall, he should be careful to face south with his back facing north or the opposite. However, it is forbidden to face east or west. [ However, urinating is allowed in any direction. ] 
6. Similarly, it is forbidden to sleep facing west or east if his wife is with him. It is proper to be careful even if his wife is not with him. [3] 
7. If one is urinating [ This is only referring to a place where one can see the Temple mount - Rashi.] he should not face the divine presence. One should [ turn north or south ] or turn side ways so he would not face the divine presence. 
8. When one is excreting in a field, if a he is behind a fence, he may go immediately. In a valley, one should distance himself until he reaches a place where his friend will be unable to see his nakedness. 
9. One should not sit down with haste or with force. And one should not force himself excessively in order to not damage the teeth of the bowel [7]. 
10. One should not use his right hand to wipe himself. 
11. One should not wipe with earthenware because of the danger of witchcraft. One should not use dried grasses since any matter that is flammable [4] will damage the teeth in his lower bowel. One should not use a rock which his friend used since it causes a person to have diarrhea. [5] [ Nowadays, in our Synagogues where the lavatories are not in the field, it has become the custom to use (earthenware and it has likewise become the custom to use) flammable articles. No harm has come from using these things. Follow the saying “go out and see what the public practices.” 
12. One should likewise practice modesty in the lavatory at night just as one does so during the day. 
13. One should not urinate standing because droplets can sprinkle on ones feet. This is unless one is urinating from a high place or onto loose earth ( earth which is not untouched, but plowed land ). [6] 
14. One should be careful to not take hold of his rod while urinating. This is only from the crown and onward because of unnecessary emitting of seed ( shifchas zera lïvatalah; this is forbidden ). An exception applies if one is married. However, it is a custom for the pious to not do so even while married. 
15. Even one who is not married is permitted to support the testes. 
16. Even a married man is only permitted to hold the penis to urinate but is not permitted to rub it. 
17. One who holds back from using the facilities transgresses the biblical commandment of “and you shall not become disgusting.” 

Siman 4

1. One should wash his hands in the morning and make the blessing על נטילת ידים.  [1] [And some say one should also recite אשר יצר even if one didn’t use the facilities and such is our custom.] Water that is invalid (פסול) to wash N’tilas Yadayim for a meal is valid for N’tilas Yadayim for prayer. However, there are those say one should not make a blessing on this.
 2. One should be careful to pour water on his hands three separate times on each hand in order to remove the bad spirit which remains on them.
 3. One should not touch his mouth, nose, ears or eyes with his hands before N’tilas Y’dayim.
4. Even if one already washed his hands, he should not continually touch the anus because it causes piles. Also, one should not touch the place of bloodletting because it damages the wound.
5. One should not touch a vat of beer (before N’tilas Yadayim)), because handling it impairs the beer.
 6. One is not required to use a רביעית for [2] for N’tilas Yadayim of the morning.
7. It is a good idea to be stringent with N’tilas Yadayim for the morning to follow all of the stringencies that apply to N’tilas Yadayim for a meal. [However, the it is not disqualified if one does not use a vessel or if one does not use man power and other things that would disqualify N’tilas Yadayim for a meal[3].]
 8. One should not put the used water of the morning N’tilas Yadayim on the ground, but place it in a vessel.[4]
 9. It is forbidden to benefit from the water of the morning N’tilas Yadayim. One should not pour out the water in his home or in a place where people frequent.
 10. One should take the vessel of water in his right hand and transfer it to his left hand in order that he should pour water on his right hand first.
 11.  One should not touch someone who has not washed N’tilas Yadayim in the morning.
12. If one dipped his hands into a vessel of water, he can pray and say the morning She’ma. However, this is not sufficient to remove the bad spirit on ones hands. If one dips his hand in three vessels of water (or one vessel and with three changes of water) it is uncertain if this is sufficient to remove the bad spirit.
13. If one was awake all night, it is uncertain whether he needs to do N’tilas Yadayim to pray and to remove the bad spirit from his hands. [He should wash them without the blessing.]
14. If one gets up before the morning light ( עמוד השׁחר ) and he does N’tilas Yadayim, it is questionable if he needs to wash another time when daybreak arrives. [ He should wash them without the blessing. ]
15. If one sleeps during the day, it is questionable if he needs to pour water three times on each hand. [ He should wash them without the blessing. ]
16. David (the King) was careful to not sleep sixty breaths in order to not feel the taste of death. [And the Gemara states in the chapter ofהישׁן that David was only careful to do this during the day.
 17. There are those who have the custom to wash their mouth in the morning, because of mucous in the mouth.
 18.  The instances when one must do N’tilas Yadayim are the following: One who gets up from his bed, one who goes out of the bathroom and from the bathhouse, one who cuts his nails, one who removes his shoes, touches his feet, one who scratches his head. There are those who add one who walks between the dead, touches a dead body, examines his garments for lice, has sex, touched a louse, and touched his body with his hand. If one did one of these things and did not wash his hands, if he is a torah scholar, his learning will be forgotten. And if he is not a torah scholar, he goes crazy.
19.  One who does bloodletting from his shoulders and did not wash N’tilas Yadayim, he should be afraid for seven days. One who shaves and did not wash, he should be afraid for 3 days. One who cut his nails and did not wash, should be afraid for one day. And he does not know from what to be afraid of.
20. One who washed his face and did not wipe it thoroughly; his face can become split or infested by boils. And the cure is to wash it with a lot of סילקא water.
21. One should be careful while praying or when eating to not touch his leg or thigh or in any place that people cover since there are particles of sweat. Also, one should not rub his head unless it is in a place that is normally revealed like his face. There is no reason to be careful with ones arms.
22. If one has no water, he should rub his hands with a rock, dirt or with anything that can clean. He should say the blessing with the substitution ידים נקיות על and then get up for prayer. However, this does not remove the bad spirit on them.
23.  The rabbis only instituted N’tilas Yadayim for Kria Shima and for prayer. But for the shacharis blessings, one can say them before doing N’tilas Yadayim. This is unless one is lying on his bed naked. Then, it is forbidden him to mention G-d’s name until he cleans his hands.

Siman 5



Siman 6



Siman 7



Siman 8



Siman 9



Siman 10



Siman 11

The threads must be spun לשׁמה.  [There are those who are stringent and even require the “beating” to be done לשׁמה.  The custom is to be lenient with “beating”.]   At the beginning of the spinning process, one should recite that he is doing it for Tzitzit or he should tell a woman “spin me Tzitzit for a טלית”.  If they were not spun לשׁמה, they are invalid. 
If a non-Jew does the spinning while a Jew supervises, and tells him to make them לשׁמה,  according to the Rambam it is invalid while the רא׳שׁ says it is Kosher.  [The custom is for a Jew to help him out a little as we find later on in chapter 32 p. 9 & ch. 14 p. רע׳א by Tefilin and by Sefer Torah.]  The threads must be intertwined/ twisted and the twisting must be done לשׁמה. 
If the twisting came apart, unfolding into 16 (threads), they are Kosher as long as enough twisting is left for a loop.  [It is better to tie the ends of the threads as in p. 14] 
The legnth of the 8 threads cannot be less than 4 fingerwidths while according to others, 12 finger breaths; and so is our custom.  Less than that is not sufficient.  [If Tzitzit were made longer than neessary, they can be shortened and there is no תעשׂה ולא מן האשׂוי. One of the threads should be made longer than the others to wind the tassels with. 
Tzitzit may not be made from wool caught in the thorns when the (sheep) were running through them, nor with fibres torn off from the animal.  Simlarly, Tzitzit can’t be made from thread remnants left in the weave after finishing a garment.  The reason is because this would be a disgrace for the Mitzvah.
If stolen wool was used, the Tzitzit are invalid since it is written in the Torah “and you should make for yourself” meaning they must belong to you.  [This is only where the threads were stolen, but if the raw wool was stolen and then it was made into threads, it is Kosher.  However, לכתכילה it is forbidden to use them.]
Borrowed threads are like a loan where the object is not returned and they are considered like your own.
if the animal used to make the thread was worshipped, the wool is invalid for Tzitzit.  If one bowed down to a flax plant the linen is Kosher for Tzitizit since it became transformed. 
One must make a hole for the Tzitzit relative to the length of the Talit.  It must not be above 3 fingerbreaths [large ones (or thumb widths)]; for it would not be called a corner.  It can’t be below the measurement from the joint of the thumb untill the nail since it says “on the corner”.  If it was below the full measurement made from the joint of the thumb, it is below the corner (and invalid).  [This is measured strait and not diagonally from the corner.] 
Consider a case where the Tzitzit were originally seperated from the corner by the joint of the thumb.  Then they were ripped from the fabric of the garment until there was no longer the propper שׁיעור  (set measurement) left when it was put on.  Since the garement fulfilled the requirement when the Tzitzit were originally attached, it is Kosher.  [The custom is to reinforce the area around the whole in order that it shouldn’t tear to less than the requirement.  Similarly, a reinforcement is made at the corner of the garment for this reason.]  There are those who say that with regard to the width of the garment, there is no שׁיעור.  Others claim that the width follows the same laws as the length of the garment and their words appear correct.
If the corner is what we call an אורילייזא and is wide, Tzitzit shouldn’t be put on it.  If one put Tzitzit on the garment, it is invalid since it is written “on the corner of your garments” and this is not considered from the garment.  Rather, there must remain at least the measuremt of joint of the thumb and not farther than 3 fingers since the hole must be in the garment. [It is good to measure the joint of the thumb without including the fringes while measuring the 3 fingers including the fringe.]
The number of the Tzitzit threads on all corners is 4 strings folded over, which is 8.  If more were added, they are invalid.  You should trim the tips of the 4 threads then insert them in the corner.  Finally, double them over and then there will be 8. 
One should be careful the cut the tips of the threads into 8 before wrapping them.  For even if one thread was wrapped and tied with just one tie and afterwords cut, this is invalid by the principle of תעשׂה ולא מן העשׂוי since they they were made defective. 
You should take 4 threads on one side and 4 threads on the other side and tie them two times, making a double knot.  Afterwards, you should use wrap the longest thread around the 7 others with a little wrapping and then make a double knot.  Then repeat and wrap.  This should be repeated until 5 double knots are made with the 4 spaces between them filled with windings.  There is no שׁיעור (set measurement) for wrapping other than the fact that all the wrapping and the knots must be 4 thumb widths wide and the branch (protruding threads) 8 thumb widths.  [If the Tzitzit are longer, one should make sure that one the tassels should be (at the minimum) one third of the length and the branch should be two thirds of the length.]  It is the custom to have 7 wrappings in the first space, 9 in the second space, 11 in the third, and 13 in the fourth.  They all add up to 40 corresponding to the numerical value of “השׁם אחד” (G-d is one) which is actually 39 and by adding G-d (since G-d is one, you add one), it makes 40.  It is customary to tie a knot at the end of every thread so that they should remain intertwined. 
There are those who require the Tzitzit to hang by the length of the Talit since they must drop by an angle [he means “hang by an angle”].  If the Tzitzit were placed on the width of the Talit, they would not drop but would hang facing the ground.  Some say that no material should be in the holes of the talit containing the Tzitzit.  Others allow this and so is our custom. 

Siman 12

If all the doubled threads on a corner were cut off, but enough remained of all the doubled threads to collectively make a loop, the Tzitzit are Kosher.  However, if not enough remained to make a loop, even if only a single doubled string was completely cut off (on both sides) it is invalid.  Therefore, given that all threads are folded over into two, if two of the folded over threads were cut off, they are invalid because maybe you cut off the ends of the same thread.  Therefore, we have the custom to utilize a sign while making the Tzitzit that differentiates the 4 threads.  4 head-threads are always put on one side of the knot and the corresponding 4 head-threads are on the other side.  Therefore, if 4 threads on one side were cut, it is Kosher since all the threads on the other side have more than a loop.  However, according to רבינו תם, the Tzitzit are only Kosher if 2 complete long-threads remain, or the corresponding 4 head-threads.  The remaining 2 long-threads must be at least 12 thumbs-widths long.  According to this view, if 2 different head-threads were cut, if enough remain (of the others) to form a loop, the Tzitzit are Kosher.  However, if 3 head-threads were cut off, they are invalid even if a loop could be formed with the remnants.  In effect, consider a case where three head-threads were cut off.  If you were not (this is an error and so is all italicized words: footnote 5) careful to make the fringes in such a way where 4 head-threads are recognizable on one side of the knot as not belonging to the same mother-thread, we are worried maybe each head-thread belongs a separate long-thread and it would be found that only 1 complete thread remains.  Therefore, because of this doubt, it is invalid. But if only 2 head-threads were cut off, it is Kosher as long as enough remain to make a loop.  The Halacha is according to the first opinion (not like רבינו תם).  However, if at all possible, it is a good idea to heed the opinion of רבינו תם.  [The custom is according to רבינו תם. Surely in the case where one was careful to put 4 different head-threads on each side and 3 head-threads were cut off on one side, it is invalid.  This is because 3 threads were definitely cut.  Similarly, if they were cut on both sides, it is also invalid because maybe they belonged to 3 long-threads.]
Consider a case where you need enough thread to tie a loop but due to the strings being too thick, you are unable to form a loop with them but if the strings were thin, there would be long enough to form a loop.  In this case, the Tzitzit are Kosher.  [One takes into account the thickness of the average thread.]
 “Enough for a loop”:  According to Rashi, this must be done from the “branch”.  According to the ר׳י, even if the entire branch was severed but there remains enough thread in the tassel to make a loop, it is Kosher.  The world custom is according to Rashi.  In a difficult situation, one can rely on the ר׳י.