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DAAT · LEVEL 1 — INTRODUCTION

Siman פ״א · A child's excrement

דין צואת קטן — a child's excrement: once he can eat a כזית דגן in the time of an אכילת פרס, we distance ourselves from his excrement and urine as from an adult; one who sees excrement before him while reciting casts it to ד׳ אמות; where to resume, and the shitah of רבינו יונה
סימן פ״א · ב׳ סעיפים
דין צואת קטן
🌱 Introductory level · Beginners
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This siman teaches the law of a child's excrement (צואת קטן): once the child has reached the age at which other children like him can eat a כזית דגן in the time of an אכילת פרס, we מרחיקין — distance ourselves — from his excrement and urine as from an adult; one who sees excrement before him while reciting goes forward to cast it to ד׳ אמות; he resumes only from the place he stopped, and per רבינו יונה he sometimes returns to the beginning. Hebrew text, fluent English translation and explanation of the ב׳ seifim, with a section of practical cases.

Topic: A child's excrement — צואת קטן, כזית דגן בכדי אכילת פרס, ראה צואה כנגדו
Source: שולחן ערוך אורח חיים סימן פ״א · ב׳ סעיפים

Compiled by: רב יוסף חיים סממה
DAAT · daattorah.com

Our Sages taught (סוכה מ״ב.): קטן היודע לאכול כזית דגן — מרחיקין מצואתו וממימי רגליו — once a child knows how to eat a כזית of grain, we distance ourselves from his excrement and urine. The siman fixes this age threshold, then addresses one who, while reciting, sees excrement before him: how to move away from it and where to resume. We study here at the level of principle; for personal conduct, one refers to the custom and to the ruling of the Rav.

📑 Study outline

A. The ב׳ seifim — צואת קטן and the threshold כזית דגן בכדי אכילת פרס (séif 1), ראה צואה כנגדו: ד׳ אמות, returning and רבינו יונה (séif 2)
1. Practical case — the child's age: from when do we distance ourselves
2. Practical case — seeing excrement while reciting: casting it to ד׳ אמות
3. Practical case — where to resume: למקום שפסק, and the shitah of רבינו יונה
+ Comprehension questions and going further

A. A child's excrement — the ב׳ seifim

צוֹאַת קָטָן — a child's excrement — the excrement and urine of a very young infant require no distancing, for they have no odour; but once the child grows and his diet becomes that of an adult, they are subject to the same הרחקות. The criterion fixed is an age threshold: can the child eat a כזית of grain (דגן) in the time of an אכילת פרס? From this also follows the conduct of one who, mid-recitation, notices excrement before him.

Séif 1 — צואת קטן: the age threshold

קטן שהגיע לכלל שאחר כיוצא בו יכול לאכול כזית דגן בכדי שיכול גדול לאכול אכילת פרס — מרחיקין מצואתו או ממימי רגליו.
Séif 1: a child who has reached the age at which another child like him (כיוצא בו) can eat a כזית of grain (כזית דגן) in the time an adult takes to eat an אכילת פרס — we distance ourselves (מרחיקין) from his excrement or urine.
The criterion is not an age in years but a capacity to eat: can this child, or a child of his age, eat a כזית of grain (דגן) within the span of an אכילת פרס (the time to eat half a loaf)? If so, his excrement and urine give off an odour like an adult's, and we מרחיקין (distance ourselves) as from an adult. Below this threshold, we are lenient.

Séif 2 — ראה צואה כנגדו: seeing excrement while reciting

היה קורא וראה צואה כנגדו — ילך כדי שיזרקנה מאחריו ארבע אמות; ואם אי אפשר, כגון שיש לפניו נהר או דבר אחר המעכב — ילך כדי שיניחנה לצדדין ד׳ אמות. ואינו צריך לחזור אלא למקום שפסק; ולהרב רבינו יונה, אם היה במקום שהיה לו לתת אל לבו שיש שם צואה — צריך לחזור לראש.
Séif 2: if he was reciting and saw excrement before him — he goes forward so as to cast it behind him by four amot (ד׳ אמות); and if that is impossible, for example a river or another obstruction lies before him — he goes forward so as to leave it to the side (לצדדין) at ד׳ אמות. He need not go back except to the place he stopped (למקום שפסק); and per Rabbeinu Yonah, if he was in a place where he should have paid attention (לתת אל לבו) to the presence of excrement — he returns to the beginning (לראש).
One must recite at a distance of ד׳ אמות (four amot) from any excrement. One who notices some before him while reciting goes forward to place it at ד׳ אמות behind him; if a river or an obstruction prevents him from advancing, he arranges to leave it at ד׳ אמות to the side. As for the recitation, אינו צריך לחזור אלא למקום שפסק: he does not start again from the beginning, he resumes where he stopped. But רבינו יונה adds: if he was in a place where he should have suspected excrement might be present and did not check, he is negligent and returns to the beginning.
The siman in one sentence: we distance ourselves from a child's excrement (מרחיקין מצואת קטן) once he can eat a כזית דגן בכדי אכילת פרס, as from an adult; and one who, while reciting, sees excrement before him goes forward to cast it to ד׳ אמות (behind or to the side), resuming from the place he stopped — except, per רבינו יונה, in a place where he should have paid attention: he then returns to the beginning.

Practical cases

Case 1 — The child's age

Situation: until what age may one recite the ק״ש or pray near a young child without distancing from his excrement?
Conduct: the criterion is the capacity to eat — can the child eat a כזית דגן in the time of an אכילת פרס? As long as he has not reached this threshold, we are lenient; once he has, מרחיקין מצואתו וממימי רגליו as from an adult. For the concrete assessment (the exact age, a weak child), one follows one's Rav.

Case 2 — Seeing excrement while reciting

Situation: he was reciting the ק״ש and notices excrement before him. What to do?
Conduct: a distance of ד׳ אמות is needed. He goes forward so as to cast the excrement to ד׳ אמות behind him; if a river or another obstruction prevents him, he leaves it at ד׳ אמות to the side (לצדדין). For the exact distance and borderline cases, one follows one's Rav.

Case 3 — Where to resume (רבינו יונה)

Situation: after moving away from the excrement, must he resume from the beginning or only from where he stopped?
Conduct: as a rule אינו צריך לחזור אלא למקום שפסק — he resumes from the place he stopped, without starting over. But per רבינו יונה, if he was in a place where he should have paid attention (לתת אל לבו) to the possible presence of excrement and did not check, he is negligent and returns to the beginning. For the practical application, one follows one's Rav.

Comprehension questions

Check your understanding:
  1. What is the criterion from which we distance ourselves from a child's excrement (séif 1)?
  2. What does « כזית דגן בכדי אכילת פרס » mean, and why this threshold?
  3. One who sees excrement before him while reciting — what does he do, and at what distance (séif 2)?
  4. What does he do if he cannot advance (a river or obstruction)?
  5. Where does he resume as a rule, and what does רבינו יונה say (séif 2)?

Going further

If you wish to deepen this siman:
Continue to the next simanSiman 82 →
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DAAT · רב יוסף חיים סממה

סימן פ״א · ב׳ סעיפים · Level 1 — Introduction
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