Forgotten Berachos - Unclean Areas

QUESTION: One may not recite berachos in a bathroom or if they are in proximity of excrement or urine. What should one do if they find themselves in an unclean place and they are very hungry or thirsty?

ANSWER: Mishnah Berurah (62:8-9) writes that if one is a choleh (sick) or there is another type of oneis (situation out of one’s control) and it is not possible for them to recite a beracha, he may eat without reciting a beracha. However, if the situation will soon change and it is not difficult to wait, one is required to wait. Therefore, the Mishnah Berurah writes that you may not drink water in a bathhouse (a place where it is forbidden to recite berachos), even if you are very thirsty, since it is possible to wait to drink until you leave. How long is one required to wait? Shevet Halevi (6:23) writes that for one who is ill, there is no need to wait. However, if one is healthy but is stuck in a dirty surrounding, he must wait the equivalent of how he would feel after fasting for a day.

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The Gerald & Karin Feldhamer OU Kosher Halacha Yomis is dedicated to the memory of Rav Yisroel Belsky, zt"l, who served as halachic consultant for OU Kosher for more than 28 years; many of the responses in Halacha Yomis are based on the rulings of Rabbi Belsky. Subscribe to the Halacha Yomis daily email here.