Rabbi Yehuda Finchas
Eddie phoned me from his grandfather’s bedside: “I’m saying Tehillim, but on the other side of the curtain there is a bedpan, and I can smell an unpleasant odor. May I continue saying Tehillim, or must I leave the room?” This question arises regularly in hospitals and nursing homes. Eddie then added, “My grandfather also has a urinary catheter. May he pray with the catheter in place?” Halacha addresses these realities.
The Principle
The Torah teaches, “And your camp shall be holy” (Devarim 23:15). Chazal derived that one may not recite words of holiness in the presence of excrement or a foul odor. Maran rules in Shulhan Aruch that one must distance himself four amot – approximately eight feet – beyond the point where the smell ceases. Even if the individual cannot smell because of illness or a dulled sense of smell, halacha evaluates the situation according to someone with a normal sense of smell (Orach Chaim 79:1).
Covered Waste
Maran rules that a covered container containing excrement or urine is treated as though it were buried, provided no foul odor emanates from it (Shulhan Aruch, Orach Chaim 87:3). The Or LeTzion applies this principle to praying next to babies wearing diapers. Accordingly, if there is no foul odor, one may pray or study Torah next to them (see Or LeTzion, vol. 2, 6:15).
Neutralizing the Odor
Hacham Ovadia Yosef, zt”l, rules that when a foul odor enters a synagogue from nearby sewage, one can spray a pleasant fragrance until it overpowers the odor, after which the congregation may recite Keriat Shema and pray (Halichot Olam, vol. 1, Parashat Bo 14). Once the foul odor has been completely overpowered, it is halachically regarded as having been neutralized (batel). This differs from someone who cannot smell because his sense of smell is impaired. In that case, the odor remains present even though he cannot perceive it.
Hospital Curtains
The Tzitz Eliezer (12:12; 20:11) discusses a curtain separating hospital beds when a bedpan is situated on the other side. Rav Eliezer Waldenberg rules that even if the curtain does not satisfy every requirement of a formal halachic partition, it may still serve as a covering, since it conceals the bedpan from view.
Rav Waldenberg also cites Sephardic authorities, including Zechut Avot, Chesed La’alafim, Rav Chaim Palagi’s Lev Chaim, and Petach HaDevir, who maintain that a strong pleasant fragrance may overpower the foul odor. Rav Waldenberg therefore permits prayer when the waste is separated by a curtain and the odor has been completely neutralized. Nevertheless, where it is possible to leave the area, doing so avoids the dispute among the authorities, since many poskim rule that odor-neutralization applies only when the odor comes from a separate room (shinui reshut), and not from behind a curtain in the same room (see Halacha Berurah 79:10).
Urinary Catheters
A urinary catheter drains urine through a tube into a collection bag. The Or LeTzion (vol. 2, 6:15) rules that if the system is closed and emits no foul odor, the patient may recite words of holiness. Halacha Berurah (78:2) similarly permits the patient to recite Keriat Shema, pray, recite blessings, and wear tefillin, provided his outer clothing is clean and odorless. If he feels a flow passing, he should pause until the flow stops and then he may then continue.
Conclusion
The challenge is preserving the kedusha of prayer and Torah in these circumstances. Returning to Eddie’s questions, because he could smell the bedpan, he should move beyond the range of the odor before continuing reciting Tehillim. If the bedpan is concealed and a pleasant fragrance completely overpowers the smell, there is room to permit him to remain, particularly in a pressing hospital situation.
His grandfather may pray with the catheter in place, provided the system is closed, his clothing is clean, and no foul odor is present. The Torah’s command that “your camp shall be holy” preserves the dignity of prayer while allowing patients to continue serving Hashem even amid illness and physical frailty.
Rabbi Yehuda Finchas is a worldwide expert, lecturer, and author on Medical Halacha. He heads the Torat Habayit Medical Halacha Institute. He is the author of Brain Death in Halacha and the Tower of Babel Syndrome and his latest book is Nutrition and Hydration in Halacha. To contact Rabbi Finchas, email rabbi@torathabayit.com.