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6 ‎[1] **The Laws of the Blessings "Asher Yatzar" and "Elokai Neshama" and Their Meanings. Containing 4 Se'ifim:**
When one leaves the bathroom he should recite the blessing of "Who formed man with wisdom", as the creation of man was done with great wisdom. There are those who interpret this to mean, that the body is similar to a sack full of air, and is full of holes, as is [mentioned shortly] below [in this siman]. Others understand "with wisdom" [to mean], that G-d prepared the food of Adam HaRishon [before he was created] and afterwards he was created. "And created in him openings, openings, empty spaces, empty spaces" - Meaning: many holes, like the mouth, nose, and anus, and also created in him many organs with empty spaces, like the heart, belly and intestines. "If **one** of them were to close up" - Meaning: that regarding the holes [of the body], there is one hole, which is the mouth, that when he (ie. the person) is inside his mother's womb, it is closed, and if, when he comes into the air of the world, it (his mouth) would remain closed, it would not be possible to remain alive even for one moment. And regarding the organs with empty spaces, if one of them were to open, it would not be possible to remain alive for even one moment. There is another interpretation: That there is a limit in regards to a person - that the openings [in his body] can close up and [yet] the person will not die; but once that limit is surpassed, it is impossible to remain alive for even a moment. And since, in general, the openings [made reference to in the blessing] are the anus and [urethra] hole of the male organ, and, in general, the hollow organs [mentioned in the blessing], which if they were to open [even for a moment] it would be impossible to live, are the stomach and intestines - it is fitting that this praise is in the context of relieving oneself. And another possible [interpretation] is that since, if one were to defecate so much, to the extent that if it would surpass the [normal] limitations [of relieving oneself] he would die, this falls under the category of "if one of them were to open", This [demonstrates] that [the phrase] "if one of them were to open" is also, literally, in the context of relieving oneself. [The phrase] "The healer of the sickness of all flesh" refers to the holes that G-d created in him to take out the waste of his food, because if it spoils while inside his stomach he will die - and [therefore], taking [the waste] out of him is the remedy. "And does wondrous things" [is in the text] because man is compared to a sack full of air, and if one were to make a hole in the sack as small as the tip of a needle, the air would escape, and the fact that man has many holes in him and his spirit is still kept inside him, this is a wondrous thing. Another explanation is that it is referring to [how the body] selects the good parts of food and pushes out the waste. Rem"a: Another explanation is that "does wondrous things" refers to [the fact] that [G-d] keeps the spirit of man within his body and binds something spiritual to something physical, and all this [is possible] because He is the healer of all flesh, because then man stays healthy, and his soul is maintained within his body (His (ie. the Rem"a's) own opinion). ‎[2] Some have the custom to wait to make the blessing "on the washing of hands" until they arrive at the synagogue, and they say it along with the rest of the [morning] blessings. The descendants of the Sephardim do not have this practice. (Nevertheless, one should not make the blessing twice; and one who recited it at home should not recite it at synagogue, and one who recited it in the synagogue should not recite it at home (Kol Bo - Siman 2). And one who learns before he enters the synagogue or prays before, should recite the blessing at home and not recite it in the synagogue. Even in these scenarios, there are those whose practice is to recite it along with the other blessings in the synagogue and they do not recite it in their homes) (Maharil - Laws of Prayer). ‎[3] The blessing of my "My G-d, the soul..." does not begin with [the word] "Blessed", because it is a blessing of thanks, and blessings of thanks do not begin with [the word] "Blessed", like we find with the blessing of the rain. ‎[4] There are those who have a custom, that after one has said the Morning Blessings and the others answered Amen, one of those who answered Amen then says [the Morning Blessings] and they all answer Amen, and in this way all that initially answered Amen follow. And one shouldn't protest this and say that they have already fulfilled their obligation with the Amen's that they answered initially, since the one making the blessing does not intend to fulfill the obligation for others; and even if he had that intention, the others intended to not fulfill their obligation with his blessings.
Version: Sefaria Community Translation
Source: https://www.sefaria.org
License: CC0