Hilchos Tefilah and Birkat Kohanim – Chapter 4: Preparation for Prayer: Cleanliness, Concentration, and Proper Conduct
Halachah 1 — Five Prerequisites for Prayer
Five factors can prevent a person from praying even when the time has arrived:
- Cleanliness of the hands
- Proper covering of nakedness
- Cleanliness of the place of prayer
- Freedom from physical distractions
- Proper concentration (kavanah)
Halachah 2 — Washing the Hands
Before prayer, one must wash his hands with water up to the wrist.
If traveling and water is within four mil, he must go wash.
If water is farther, he cleans his hands with earth, stone, wood, or the like and prays.
Halachah 3 — Water Behind Him and Morning Prayer
If water is behind him, he need only return up to one mil.
If he has already gone farther, he cleans his hands and prays.
For Shacharit, one should ideally wash face, hands, and feet.
If water is unavailable, washing hands alone suffices.
Halachah 4 — Ritual Impurity and Prayer
Ritual impurity does not prevent prayer; all impure persons need only wash their hands.
Ezra decreed that one with a seminal emission should immerse before Torah study; later courts applied this to prayer.
These decrees were abolished, since they were not universally observed.
Halachah 5 — Seminal Emission and Immersion
At the time of the decree, anyone with a seminal emission—regardless of other impurity—had to immerse to pray or recite Shema.
This was not due to impurity, but to discourage excessive intimacy.
This decree regarding prayer was later nullified.
Halachah 6 — Customary Full Immersion
In some places (e.g., Shin’ar and Spain), the custom is for one who had relations to bathe fully before prayer.
This applies to healthy individuals and sick persons who had relations, but not to accidental emissions or other cases.
Those individuals need only clean themselves, wash hands, and pray.
Halachah 7 — Covering the Heart
For prayer, one must cover not only his nakedness but also his heart.
If the heart was not covered but nakedness was, the prayer is valid after the fact, but this should not be done initially.
Halachah 8 — Cleanliness of the Place
One may not pray in a place of filth, a bathhouse, a latrine, or a garbage heap.
One must not pray in any place where the Shema would be forbidden.
This includes separation from excrement, urine, foul odor, corpses, and nakedness.
Halachah 9 — Discovering Filth During Prayer
If one failed to check beforehand and finds filth afterward, he must repeat the prayer.
If he finds filth during prayer:
- he should walk forward until it is four cubits behind him,
- otherwise move sideways,
- if neither is possible, he must stop praying.
The Sages avoided praying in places with foul odors even if technically clean.
Halachah 10 — Bodily Needs
One who must relieve himself may not pray.
If he does, his prayer is an abomination and must be repeated.
If he can restrain himself for the time it takes to walk a parsah, the prayer is valid, but ideally one should relieve himself beforehand.
Halachah 11 — Bodily Disturbances
Voluntary burping, yawning, or sneezing during prayer is disrespectful.
Involuntary occurrences are permitted.
Saliva should be absorbed discreetly; if distracting, it may be discarded behind him.
If one passes gas unintentionally, he pauses until the odor passes and resumes prayer.
Halachah 12 — Intentional Passing of Gas
If one feels intense pressure, he should:
- step back four cubits,
- relieve himself,
- wait until odor subsides,
- recite a brief humility prayer,
- then return and continue praying.
Halachah 13 — Urine During Prayer
If urine flows during prayer, one pauses until it stops and resumes.
If the pause equals the length of the entire Amidah, he must restart from the beginning.
Halachah 14 — Waiting Before and After Urination
After urinating, one waits the time to walk four cubits before praying.
After praying, one should wait the same amount of time before urinating, to show respect for prayer.
Halachah 15 — Requirement of Proper Intention
Prayer without proper concentration is not considered prayer.
If one prayed without intention, he must repeat it.
One who is emotionally disturbed, fatigued, or agitated may not pray until calm.
The Sages taught to wait three days after a journey before praying.
Halachah 16 — What Is Proper Intention
One should clear his mind of worldly thoughts and imagine standing before God.
One should pause briefly before and after prayer.
Prayer should be said calmly and supplicatorily, not like a burden.
The pious of earlier generations would:
- wait an hour before praying,
- pray for an hour,
- wait an hour afterward.
Halachah 17 — Drunkenness
A drunk person may not pray; his prayer is invalid.
A slightly intoxicated person should not pray, but if he did, the prayer is valid.
Drunkenness is defined as being unable to speak respectfully before a king.
Halachah 18 — Mental State Before Prayer
One should not begin prayer amid laughter, frivolity, argument, or anger.
Rather, one should pray after words of Torah that do not require intense concentration.
Halachah 19 — Reviewing Prayers and Danger Situations
Before infrequent prayers (e.g., Musaf), one should review them.
If praying in a dangerous place, one recites a single short blessing while walking.
Upon reaching safety and composure, one must then pray the full Amidah of nineteen blessings.
