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Assuming that one is forbidden from taking Judaic materials into a bathroom (referenced here https://judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/60768/source-for-keeping-holy-books-out-of-bathroom and here Bringing wallet with benscher into bathroom) how strictly is this applied?

I was visiting my kid's dorm this morning and there is a laminated "Asher Yatzar" on the outside of the bathroom door. However, the door swings IN to the bathroom, so the printed bracha swings into the bathroom each time the door is opened. Is this a problem (I am not asking for a psak, but for any discussion of this as a phenomenon or practice, plus any sources which deal with something like this)?

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  • Does the door actually swing into a room with a toilet/shower, or into the bathroom-area? Jan 26, 2016 at 15:40
  • @DannySchoemann Hmmm .. is today the "Dan" club? See my answer.
    – DanF
    Jan 26, 2016 at 15:50
  • @DannySchoemann I didn't check (it is a girls' school), but for the sake of argument, let's say that it swings right into the room with the toilet.
    – rosends
    Jan 26, 2016 at 16:10
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    seems inconvenient if the sign is actually needed as someone would be blocked from looking at the blessing whenever the door was opened for someone to go in and out. If it is laminated then perhaps it isn't a problem b/c it is covered. Not sure if this is prohibited but the concern could be alleviated by simply putting it next to the door instead of on the door which would also make it more usable as well.
    – Dude
    Jan 27, 2016 at 1:09
  • @Dude Despite my answer, I absolutely agree with your suggestion. I'm also puzzled as to why they need to put the poster on the door itself. Then again, I've seen "Do not enter" signs on doors that swing inwards too, and I can't figure that out either.
    – DanF
    Jan 27, 2016 at 13:57

1 Answer 1

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Very interesting question.

According to what is written on p. 114 of this article, R. Moshe Feinstein in Iggerot Moshe E.H. 1:114 states that even though one may not daven (which includes any bracha or reciting Torah, etc.) opposite the walls of a bet hakiseh, the walls of today's bathrooms are considered walls of the house / building and not the bathroom. the same status would apply to the bathroom door. Therefore, he states that one may recite brachot opposite the bathroom even when the door is open. Rav Tzvi Pesach Frank (Har Tzvi O.C. 1:48) reached a similar conclusion.

If you read the rest if the article, there is a discussion if current bathrooms even obtain a status of the bet hakiseh altogether, which may make your question irrelevant. You may want to ask your rav about this further.

In summary, if the door itself is considered a part of the house, as stated above, then it seems that it wouldn't matter that the door is open, swinging into the bathroom. I'm logically deducing from this, that if the door is not considered part of the bathroom, then placing the brachot on the door would not put the brachot poster in the bathroom either, even when the door is swung open.

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  • I am less concerned with the person's physical position when reciting the bracha, and more with the idea that a text with a bracha on it is moved into a bathroom.
    – rosends
    Jan 26, 2016 at 16:11
  • @Danno Yes, I got that. My last paragraph is my logical deduction based on the premise that the door itself is not considered part of the bathroom.
    – DanF
    Jan 26, 2016 at 17:16

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