שו”ע או”ח ז:א
כל היום כשעושה צרכיו בין קטנים בין גדולים מברך אשר יצר
Outer Action Each time we use the restroom, we say the brocha of Asher Yatzar.
Inner Intention
We end Asher Yatzar with the words “u’mafli la’asos – who performs wonders.” The Rema explains that one of the “wonders” we are referring to here is that even though our physical body is full of holes, Hashem keeps the neshama contained within it. This is because the nature of spiritual entities is that they automatically want to float upwards. (For example, hot water is more spiritual than cold water, and that’s why it wants to evaporate and float up.) The neshama, therefore, wants to soar up to the heavens, and Hashem performs wonders by allowing it to stay within our body.
But how does this work? How does something as spiritual as a neshama stay in the body?
The answer is that after going to the bathroom and separating the klippos from our bodies, we now can see how gashmiyus really isn’t separated from Hashem at all. Hashem is in the gashmiyus and in all ‘mundane’ aspects of life just as He is in the spiritual! They are simply different forms of His revelation. Up until now, the klippos didn’t let us process this, but now that we got rid of them, we can process this amazing reality. We now thank Hashem for this most amazing creation called “a person,” who is a mix of spiritual and mundane, who can use them both together to spread Hashem’s light!
This avodah is really the culmination of the avodah of eating, when we then take food which is gashmi, and eat with kedushah, thinking about the Oneness of Hashem, ein od milvado. Then we begin the process of separating the klippos, and the culmination of it all is when we come out of the bathroom, and we acknowledge the wonder that we human beings, with our human limitations, have the opportunity to be “oimed l’fanecha — to stand in the Presence of Hashem.”
We say in Asher Yatzar, “u’vara vo nekavim nekavim, chalullim chalullim… she’im yipase’ach echad meihem” — Hashem created openings and hollows, and if one of them were to be ruptured or blocked, it would be impossible to exist and stand before You.” The deeper meaning of this is that nekavim are like pipes that bring down the light of Hashem, and challulim are the keilim/vessels which capture and hold that light. Too much light without the vessels to hold it is not a good thing, and too many vessels without light for them to hold is not a good thing. In order to stand before Hashem, we want to be balanced! Now that one has gone to the bathroom and gotten rid of the klippos that were within him, he is more balanced than he was before he went, and has more of the ability to stand before Hashem and serve Him properly. We thank Hashem for the great gift of being able to serve Him.
Now let’s zoom out, and we will see the chronological order of our morning routine: first we wash our hands and say “al netilas yadayim,” getting rid of the outer dirt and klippos, and then go to the bathroom and say “Asher Yatzar,” getting rid of the inner dirt and klippos, and preparing our bodies to be keilim for Hashem’s light. We then say “Elokai neshama,” thanking Hashem for and accessing the neshama, which is Hashem’s light!
Moment of Mindfulness
As you say Asher Yatzar, thank Hashem for the miracle that we human beings have the great opportunity to stand before Hashem and serve Him with both our physical and spiritual parts.
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Issue 90.
