May one daven in a modern-day bathroom?

In earlier times, there was a type of bathroom known as beis hakisei shel Parsaim. This bathroom was built on a slope, so tzoah never remained in the beis hakisei. Involvement with a davar shebekedusha in such a beis hakisei was permitted as long as there was no foul odor there. Contemporary poskim debate whether a modern-day bathroom falls into the same category. Although tzoah is flushed away and does not remain in modern bathrooms, it does sit there until it is flushed. The poskim rule that one should be stringent and treat a modern-day bathroom as a regular beis hakisei.

סימן פ"ג ס"ד ס"ק י"א ביאורים ומוספים דרשו 24

Can a sink change the status of a room?

The poskim discuss whether a bathroom which contains a sink in addition to a toilet is in a different category than a regular beis hakisei. They rule that one should be stringent. One does not have to refrain from being involved in a davar shebekedusha in front of a commode which is clean. Since it is primarily used for sitting and not as a toilet, it is not classified as a beis hakisei.

ס"ק יג וביה"ל ד"ה בני וד"ה אין; ביאורים ומוספים דרשו, 15

What are the consequences of not treating devarim shebekedusha with the proper reverence?

The Biur Halacha writes about seeing homes of unscrupulous people where sefarim were stored in a room which was used as a bathroom. The homeowners tried to justify themselves by saying that they covered the hole where tzoah was located. This was clearly not sufficient, since a foul odor permeated the room. The Biur Halacha uses harsh rhetoric, describing this behavior as degrading the word of Hashem. Other poskim say that not treating devarim shebekedusha properly can shorten a person’s life.

ביה"ל ס"ה ד"ה אין; ביאורים ומוספים דרשו 28

• One may not be involved in devarim shebekedusha in the vicinity of a bais hakisei (a bathroom), even if it has been cleaned. Shulchon Aruch’s view is that this only applies to an open bathroom --one without walls. As for a bathroom with walls, if the walls obstruct the bathroom and reach down to within three tefachim of the ground, a davar shebekedusha may be said nearby. The walls do not have to be ten tefachim high.

• A davar shebekedusha may not be said at home in front of an open window which faces a bais hakisei.



• Many Achronim say that if the walls which were built around a bais hakisei were also built to serve as walls to the home, those walls do not have the status of a beis hakisiei. Later Achronim debate whether this leniency applies if the builder did not change the walls (i.e. thicken them) for the sake of the house. 

• May a davar shebekedusha be said in a bathhouse?

• May a davar shebekedusha be said in a mikvah?

• Can the name Shalom be uttered in a bathhouse?