Asher Yatzar - Time Limit

QUESTION: If one used the bathroom and forgot to recite Asher Yatzar, is there any time limit as to when the beracha may be said?

ANSWER: There are three positions in the poskim. Mishnah Berurah (7:1) writes that the beracha may be said even if a long time has elapsed; likewise, according to the Pri Megadim (AA 7:1), the beracha can be recited the entire day. A second opinion is that of the Ben Ish Chai who maintains that the beracha must be recited within 30 minutes of using the bathroom. However, Rav Ovadya Yosef zt”l (Yabia Omer 9:3) quotes Rishonim (Nimukei Yosef and Ritva) who write that the beracha must be recited within 72 minutes. Sefardim today generally follow Rav Ovadya Yosef, while Ashkenazim typically follow the Mishnah Berurah. All poskim agree that the beracha must be recited before the next need to use the bathroom again.

If the beracha was not recited before the above times, the Shulchan Aruch rules (7:3) that one can make up the missed obligation by reciting Asher Yatzar twice after the next bathroom use. The Mishnah Berurah (ibid. 6) notes that many poskim disagree with this position and say that there is no make-up for a missed Asher Yatzar. Since this is a matter of dispute, we follow the rule of “safek berachos l’hakeil” – when there is uncertainty, a beracha should not be said. For this reason, the Mishnah Berurah (7:6) advises that it is best to recite the beracha as soon as possible, because one might need to use the bathroom sooner than he expects and the beracha will be lost.

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