Q&A: Night and Bathroom Use
Night and Bathroom Use
Question
Hello, honored Rabbi,
When is the second half of the night?
And if I’m not mistaken, in the Shulchan Arukh he writes that when relieving oneself, whether for major or minor needs, one should sit. My question is whether sitting for minor needs also applies today?
Answer
I didn’t understand the question.
There is no statement in the Shulchan Arukh about minor needs. On the contrary, in section 3, paragraph 13, he wrote that one should not stand, but only because of the concern about droplets on his legs (which would make him appear like someone with a severed urethra), and in loose soil or in a high place it is permitted (and that is also the case in our bathrooms). From this it follows that what he says at the beginning of the section about relieving oneself while sitting refers only to major needs, not minor ones. But sitting for major needs is part of the rules of modesty, and those depend on time and place. In any case, nowadays I don’t think anyone is particular about sitting for minor needs.
Discussion on Answer
After the first half has passed. I wrote that I don’t understand this strange question.
If the question is about certain Jewish laws that speak about the second half of the night (I seem to remember reading somewhere that this is the time for marital relations, not sure), then I think it means after midnight. That pretty much follows from the word “midnight.”
So when is the second half of the night?