SECOND MITZVAH OF THE DAY - ASHER YATZER - BATHROOM TIME

BS"D I don’t know about you, but after I wash my hands in the morning, it is a direct route - Do not pass Go - to the bathroom. So then after relieving ourselves, it’s time to say thank you again to HaShem and we get to do another Mitzvah…

We wash our hands again – the same way we did first thing in the morning (see Mitzvah Number One below). Then we go outside of the bathroom because we are not supposed to talk inside the bathroom (ever notice that there are no mezuzzos on a bathroom door) and we say this blessing:

Blessed are you, Lord our G-d, King of the Universe, who has formed man in wisdom, and created within him numerous orifices and cavities. It is revealed and known before the Throne of Your Glory, that if but one of them were to be blocked, or one of them were to be opened, it would be impossible to exist even for a short while. Blessed are you, Lord, who heals all flesh and performs wonders.

Amazing - thank you Hashem for thinking of everything we need to exist in this world. Everything we take for granted twenty-four/seven – You thought of everything – all we need to do is say: Thank you.

Here is a great story seen on the AABJD website (http://www.aabjd.org/) :

The following article, first printed in the Journal of the AmericanMedical Association, addresses many of the issues related to Asher Yatzar. Please note that he is attributing the tefillah to Abaye which is possible, but not necessary reading of the Gemara, he also edits the text.

For Everything A Blessing by Kenneth M. Prager, M.D.Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, New York. When I was an elementary school student in yeshiva – a Jewish parochial school with both religious and secular studies – my classmates and I used to find amusing a sign that was posted just outside the bathroom. It was an ancient Jewish blessing, commonly referred to as the asher yatzar benediction, that was supposed to be recited after one relieved oneself.

For grade school children, there could be nothing more strange or ridiculous than to link to acts of micturition and defecation with holy words that mentioned God’s name. Blessings were reserved for prayers, for holy days, or for thanking G-d for food or for some act of deliverance, but surely not for a bodily function that evoked smirks and giggles. It took me several decades to realize the wisdom that lay behind this blessing that was composed...

READ THE REST OF THIS STORY ON: http://jewishstoriesandmore.blogspot.com/

You can get your own ASHER YATZER poster to hang outside your bathroom by calling: FOUNDATIONS (800) 700-9577