May one sleep with his feet or head towards the door of the room

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May one sleep with his feet or head towards the door of the room?

It is permitted to sleep facing the door of a room in any direction that one chooses, whether his head is facing the door, or his feet are facing the door. There is no known source in Judaism, neither in Halacha nor in Kabbala, that restricts the sleeping directions of a person who is sleeping facing the door of a room. Furthermore, the Poskim[1] omit writing any restriction in this matter within the Halachic topic of bed directions, hence solidifying the fact that no such prohibition exists. Nonetheless, it is customary amongst many people to avoid sleeping with one’s feet facing the door due to it being similar to a corpse who faces the opening of the room.[2] [Practically, one who has not received this custom as a family tradition is not required to start keeping it.[3] However one who has traditionally guarded this custom is to continue doing so.[4]]  

 

Sparks of Kabala:

The reason why the water has ability to remove the impurity from the hands is because water is Chesed [kindness] while the impurity is Gevuros [severities]. The Chasadim of water thus come and nullify the Gevuros.[5]

 

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[1] See Kama 3/9-10. Michaber 3/6; Omitted in Basra

[2] Custom of many; Heard from Harav Eliyahu Landa; Harav A.L. Kohen; See Tzavas Rav Yehuda Hachassid 6, recorded in many Poskim, that the body of the deceased is to be positioned facing the opening of the room, and

[3] This is the traditional ruling regarding all matters that are not Halachically based, that one cannot enforce their practice upon others.

[4] Rav Eliyahu Landa and Rav Kohen ibid

The reason: As even customs that have no written source are customarily respected, such as the custom of pregnant woman not to enter a cemetery [see Minchas Yitzchak 10/42; Nitei Gavriel Aveilus 2/84-4; Our Sefer on Rosh Hashanah Supplement “Visiting a cemetery” Halacha 22]; or the custom not  to step over a child, or not to allow a child to look in the mirror until he grows teeth. [see Beir Moshe 36]; or the custom not to have two people dress a child or not to place a candle on the floor. [Rav Eliyahu Landa]

[5] Kaf Hachaim 4:12

About The Author

Rabbi Yaakov Goldstein is a 6th generation descendent of the famous Chief Rabbi of Izhmir, Rav Yehoshua Avraham Krispin, who authored a number of Sefarim, and was a colleague of Rav Chaim Falagi, and father in-law of the Pesach Hadvir. He currently lives with his wife Shayna, and twelve children K”H, in Tzfas, Israel. Rabbi Goldstein received Semicha from Rabbi Schneur Zalman Labkowski of the Tomchei Temimim headquarters in 2005 and served as a chaplain in the Lotar/Kalatz and K9 unit of the IDF from years 2005-2008. He is also a certified Shochet, and has performed Hashgacha work in slaughterhouses. Rabbi Goldstein is the director of Shulchanaruchharav.com, the world’s leading web-based Halacha database, and is the director of the Home Study Semicha Program, a self-study web-based Semicha program. He is a prolific author of over 50 Sefarim studied by a wide range of readers throughout the world, which is used regularly in Semicha programs around the globe. He is a world renowned Posek, answering questions to a web-based market, and serves as a local Posek, Rav, and Lecturer, in the Tzemach Tzedek community Shul in Tzefas, Israel. His many classes can be heard both from his website, Vimeo and YouTube channel. Students can join live to classes given in the Tzemach Tzedek Shul, through the “בית חבד צפת Chabad Tsfat” YouTube channel.

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