22. The Name of God

5:13 We don’t have chamber pots like they used to but we still have bedpans. These are like a bathroom and one may not pray or learn Torah in their vicinity, even if they are clean. They must be removed or covered (and sliding them under the bed does not count as covering for this purpose). This is the case when it comes to porous materials like ceramic (which includes porcelain – see Mishnah Brurah 87:5) but if they are made of metal or glass and have been well cleaned so that there isn’t even any odor remaining, then one does not have to distance oneself from it. As an aside, because a pig roots in the muck, one must assume that its snout has excrement on it and distance oneself from it in order to pray or study. (Again, this is not something that most of us will ever have to deal with.)

5:14 One may not speak words of Torah or think about matters of holiness in a public bath house. (At first glance, this may not appear to be a contemporary reference but what about the sauna and showers at the gym?) Likewise, one may not mention the Name of God in any language in a bath house or in any unclean place. Examples: Gott in German, Dios in Spanish, etc. (Please note that “Allah” is the Arabic name for God and is used by Arabic-speaking Jews the same way that “God” is used by English-speaking Jews.) One may also not greet a friend in these places with the salutation “Shalom” as this is also considered a Name of God (see Talmud Shabbos 10b). If that also happens to be the friend’s name, it is a matter of discussion among the authorities as to whether or not one may address him by name in the bath house.