We have finished siman 5 and have a few points to clarify. We learned that if one began shemoneh esrei when it was muttar (i.e., they did not feel an urge), and then they felt an urge, they may finish shemoneh esrei.
Once a person begins baruch she’amar, they are not supposed to interrupt until they finish shemoneh esrei. Thus, the Shulchan Aruch Harav holds that if one began baruch she’amar when it was muttar, one may daven shemoneh esrei even if they have an urge which cannot wait 4 mil. However, most poskim disagree with the Shulchan Aruch Harav, and hold that we look at each section of davening as independent. Thus, if one began baruch she’amar when it was muttar, and then felt an urge, they would have to go to the bathroom before they begin the next section of davening (birchos kriyas shema).. One may wait until the end of the section they are in, such as waiting until they finish yishtabach if they feel the urge in pesukei dezimra. If one cannot wait, they should at least try to wait until bein haperakim.
If a person feels an urge while they are in birchos kriyas shema, although they could wait until they finish all of the brachos, we prefer not to interrupt between go’al yisroel and shemoneh esrei. Thus, one should preferably interrupt in one of the earlier bein haperakim, either after yotzair hameoros or after habocher be’amo yisroel.
If one is in the middle of birchos kriyas shema, if the time it takes to go to the bathroom is less than the time it takes to recite all of the birchos kriyas shema, they can continue where they left off. Similarly, if one is in the middle of shema, if the time it takes to go to the bathroom is less than the time it takes to recite all of the shema, they can continue where they left off. If it takes the person longer, they must repeat that section (the brachos or shema itself) from the beginning. For example, if birchos kriyas shema take a person eight minutes, if the interruption takes more than eight minutes, they would have to begin the brachos from the beginning.
When one goes to the bathroom, they take off their tallis and tefillin. The halacha is that meiikar hadin, a man can wear a tallis in the bathroom, and therefore men wear their tallis katan in the bathroom. However, since the tallis gadol is worn uniquely for tefillah, it is inappropriate to take it into the bathroom. Nevertheless, since it can inherently be worn in the bathroom, when he puts it back on, it was not considered an interruption, so it does not require a new bracha.
Generally, if one takes off a tallis or tefillin with the intention to put it back on, they do not need to make a new bracha. If they take it off because they are forced to take it off, it is considered an interruption and they make a new bracha. As talis can be worn in the bathroom meiikar hadin, it is not considered a forced interruption, and no bracha is needed. Tefillin, however, cannot be worn in the bathroom, so one would need to make a new bracha on the tefillin. We will clarify more of these halachos in the upcoming shiur, be’ezras Hashem.
Summary
- If one begins davening when it is muttar, and then feels an urge, they cannot go further than finish the section of davening in which they are currently holding. Preferrably, they should wait to interrupt until they are bein haperakim.
- If one interrupts in the middle of birchos kriyas shema or shema itself, if the interruption is longer than the time it takes them to recite that section, they must repeat that section from the beginning.
- When one interrupts to go to the bathroom, they take off their tallis and tefillin. The tallis does not require a new bracha, but the tefillin require a new bracha.
