Mishneh Torah, Reading the Shema 3-4

Sugya Map

• Issue: Reciting Kri'at Shema when human feces are present in a hole and covered by one's shoe.
• Nafka Mina: The precise definition of prohibited contact ("דבוקה") between shoe and feces.
• Primary Sources: Berachot 25b¹; Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Kri'at Shema 3:11².

Text Snapshot

The Rambam rules: "היתה צואה בגומא, עומד על גביה בסנדלו וקורא. אבל אם היתה צואה דבוקה בסנדלו, אסור." (MT, Kri'at Shema 3:11)

• Dikduk/Leshon Nuance: Berachot 25b, discussing "צואה דבוקה בסנדלו," ends in a teiku (unresolved). The Rambam interprets "דבוקה" (stuck) broadly, prohibiting any direct contact (noge'a) between shoe and feces, not just when it's actively adhering. This contrasts with permitted standing over a hole without contact.

Readings

Rambam vs. Ra'avad

The Rambam, ruling stringently on the teiku, prohibits Kri'at Shema with any physical contact between shoe and feces (equating davek with noge'a)³. The Ra'avad (ad loc.) disagrees, interpreting "דבוקה" narrowly as actually stuck (i.e., carried if the shoe moves), allowing Kri'at Shema with mere contact⁴.

Friction

Kushya: Why the Rambam's stringent psak on a teiku for mere contact, especially when a glass partition permits recitation despite visible feces (MT 3:10)?⁵ Terutz: The Taz (Orach Chayim 76:2) offers a powerful terutz: A sandal, as malbush (clothing), is "חשוב כגופו" (considered like one's body)⁶. Thus, contact via shoe is akin to direct bodily contact, justifying the stringent interpretation for kavod haTorah.

Intertext

• MT, Hilchot Kri'at Shema 3:10: Permits recitation with a glass partition, contrasting with the shoe. The Taz's "חשוב כגופו" reconciles this distinction⁷.
• Shabbat 48b: Discussions of "כל המחובר לגופו" (anything attached to one's body) support the Taz's rationale for the shoe's halachic status⁸.

Psak/Practice

The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 76:2) follows the Rambam, prohibiting Kri'at Shema if feces touch one's shoe⁹. The Mishnah Berurah (76:9) affirms this stringent psak.

Takeaway

The Rambam's ruling, clarified by the Taz, demonstrates that kavod haTorah demands meticulous cleanliness, extending to objects intimately connected to one's person during Kri'at Shema.

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¹ Berachot 25b. ² Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Kri'at Shema 3:11. ³ Kessef Mishneh on Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Kri'at Shema 3:11. ⁴ Ra'avad, ad loc. ⁵ Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Kri'at Shema 3:10. ⁶ Taz, Orach Chayim 76:2. See also Yitzchak Yeranen on Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Kri'at Shema 3:11:1. ⁷ Steinsaltz on Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Kri'at Shema 3:10:1. ⁸ Tzafnat Pa'neach on Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Kri'at Shema 3:11:1. ⁹ Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 76:2.