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DAAT · LEVEL 1 — INTRODUCTION
Siman פ״ו · Distancing from foul water
דין להרחיק ממים סרוחים — distancing from foul water (מים סרוחים) and from steeping water (מי משרה) in which flax or hemp is soaked: because they give off a foul smell, one must distance from them as from excrement (כמו מן הצואה) before reciting the ק״ש
סימן פ״ו · סעיף אחד
דין להרחיק ממים סרוחים
🌱 Introductory level · Beginners
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This siman teaches the distancing from foul water (מים סרוחים): stagnant water that has putrefied, and the steeping water (מי משרה) in which flax (פשתן) or hemp (קנבוס) is soaked. Because they give off a foul smell, one must distance from them as from excrement (כמו מן הצואה) before reciting the ק״ש or words of holiness. Hebrew text, fluent English translation and explanation of the סעיף אחד, with a section of practical cases.
Topic: Distancing from foul water — מים סרוחים, מי משרה, כמו מן הצואה
Source: שולחן ערוך אורח חיים סימן פ״ו · סעיף אחד
Compiled by: רב יוסף חיים סממה
DAAT · daattorah.com
The rule is simple and rests on the motive of smell: just as one does not recite the ק״ש facing excrement because of its foul smell (cf. סי׳ ע״ט, ברכות כ״ה.), so the Shulchan Aroukh teaches here: מים סרוחים או מי משרה ששורין בהן פשתן או קנבוס צריך להרחיק מהם כמו מן הצואה — from foul water, and from the steeping water of flax and hemp, one distances as from excrement. We study here at the level of principle; for the exact measure of distancing and for personal conduct, one refers to the ruling of the Rav.
📑 Study outline
A. The סעיף אחד — מים סרוחים ומי משרה : צריך להרחיק מהם כמו מן הצואה
1. Practical case — reciting the ק״ש near stagnant water that has gone foul
2. Practical case — near a steeping place (מי משרה) of flax or hemp
3. Practical case — the measure of distancing: כמו מן הצואה
+ Comprehension questions and going further
A. Distancing from foul water — the סעיף אחד
מַיִם סְרוּחִים — foul water — stagnant water that has putrefied and gives off a foul smell (ריח רע). The siman joins to it the מֵי מִשְׁרָה (steeping water), that is, the water in which flax (פשתן) or hemp (קנבוס) is soaked to separate the fibre: this soaking makes it rot and smell foul. The motive of the whole siman is the smell: since it is like that of excrement, the same law of distancing is applied.
The seif — מים סרוחים ומי משרה : כמו מן הצואה
מים סרוחים או מי משרה ששורין בהן פשתן או קנבוס — צריך להרחיק מהם כמו מן הצואה.
Foul water (מים סרוחים), or steeping water (מי משרה) in which flax (פשתן) or hemp (קנבוס) is soaked — one must distance from it as one distances from excrement (כמו מן הצואה).
Two cases, one rule. The מים סרוחים are waters that have gone stale and smell foul; the מי משרה are the steeping water of flax or hemp, which the maceration makes rot. In both, צריך להרחיק מהם כמו מן הצואה: one distances from them exactly as from excrement before reciting the ק״ש.
Why « as from excrement »? Because the reason for the prohibition is not the impurity of the substance but the foul smell (ריח רע). Since these waters give off a foul odour, they are given the same measure of distancing as excrement (detailed in סימן ע״ט).
The siman in one sentence: from foul water (מים סרוחים) and from the steeping water of flax and hemp (מי משרה), which smell foul, one must distance as from excrement (כמו מן הצואה) before reciting the ק״ש or words of holiness — because the motive is the foul smell.
Practical cases
Case 1 — Near stagnant water that has gone foul
Situation: he wishes to recite the ק״ש near a puddle or a basin of stagnant water that gives off a foul smell. What to do?
Conduct: these are מים סרוחים: he must distance from them as from excrement (כמו מן הצואה) before reciting, since the motive is the foul smell. For the exact measure of the distance, one follows one's Rav (cf. סי׳ ע״ט).
Case 2 — Near a steeping place (מי משרה)
Situation: near a vat where flax (פשתן) or hemp (קנבוס) is soaked for working, and the water smells very foul. May he recite the ק״ש there?
Conduct: the siman explicitly classes the מי משרה with foul water: since it putrefies and smells foul, one distances from it כמו מן הצואה, as from excrement. For the details (a faint smell, covered water), one follows one's Rav.
Case 3 — The measure of distancing
Situation: how far must one distance? Does the rule « כמו מן הצואה » denote a precise distance?
Conduct: the siman refers to the law of excrement: one distances until a place where the smell ends (the measures are detailed in סימן ע״ט). The central idea: as long as the foul smell is present, one does not recite the ק״ש or words of holiness. For the precise conduct, one follows one's Rav.
Comprehension questions
Check your understanding:
- What are מים סרוחים, and why must one distance from them (seif 1)?
- What is מי משרה and what is soaked in it?
- What does it mean to distance « כמו מן הצואה » — why this comparison?
- What is the common motive of the whole siman?
- Where are the precise measures of distancing found (reference)?
Going further
If you wish to deepen this siman:
📖Join the khavroutha
- 📚 Level 2 — Lamdan: for the pilpoul — גדר מים סרוחים ומי משרה, ופירוש «כמו מן הצואה» ; חלקו של הריח הרע והיחס לצואה (סי׳ ע״ט) ולמי רגלים (סי׳ פ״ז)
- ✨ Level 3 — Synthesis: for review and quick memorization
- 👑 Level 4 — Daat HaRav (the Alter Rebbe): the shitah of the Shulchan Aroukh HaRav — שיעור ההרחקה ד׳ אמות ממקום שכלה הריח, כמו מן הצואה