(יד) וְיָתֵ֛ד תִּהְיֶ֥ה לְךָ֖ עַל־אֲזֵנֶ֑ךָ וְהָיָה֙ בְּשִׁבְתְּךָ֣ ח֔וּץ וְחָפַרְתָּ֣ה בָ֔הּ וְשַׁבְתָּ֖ וְכִסִּ֥יתָ אֶת־צֵאָתֶֽךָ׃ (טו) כִּי֩ ה׳ אֱלֹקֶ֜יךָ מִתְהַלֵּ֣ךְ ׀ בְּקֶ֣רֶב מַחֲנֶ֗ךָ לְהַצִּֽילְךָ֙ וְלָתֵ֤ת אֹיְבֶ֙יךָ֙ לְפָנֶ֔יךָ וְהָיָ֥ה מַחֲנֶ֖יךָ קָד֑וֹשׁ וְלֹֽא־יִרְאֶ֤ה בְךָ֙ עֶרְוַ֣ת דָּבָ֔ר וְשָׁ֖ב מֵאַחֲרֶֽיךָ׃ {ס}
(14) With your gear you shall have a spike, and when you have squatted you shall dig a hole with it and cover up your excrement. (15) Since your God ה׳ moves about in your camp to protect you and to deliver your enemies to you, let your camp be holy; let [God] not find anything unseemly among you and turn away from you.
Blessed are You, Adonai, our God, Eternal Sovereign of the Universe, who formed the human being wisely and created openings and hollow parts in people. It’s obvious and known before Your throne of glory that if any of these would be opened or blocked at the wrong time we wouldn’t be able to exist or stand before You. Blessed are You, Adonai, who heals all flesh and Who performs wonders.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה׳ אֱלֹקֵינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר יָצַר אֶת הָאָדָם בְּחָכְמָה וּבָֽרָא בוֹ נְקָבִים נְקָבִים חֲלוּלִים חֲלוּלִים גָּלוּי וְיָדֽוּעַ לִפְנֵי כִסֵּא כְבוֹדֶֽךָ שֶׁאִם יִפָּתֵֽחַ אֶחָד מֵהֶם אוֹ יִסָּתֵם אֶחָד מֵהֶם אִי אֶפְשַׁר לְהִתְקַיֵּם וְלַעֲמֹד לְפָנֶֽיךָ. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה׳ רוֹפֵא כָל בָּשָׂר וּמַפְלִיא לַעֲשׂוֹת.
מִצְוָה לְהַתְקִין יָתֵד לַחְפֹּר בּוֹ – לִהְיוֹת לְכָל אֶחָד מִבְּנֵי הַחַיִל, יָתֵד תְּלוּיָה עִם כְּלֵי מִלְחַמְתּוֹ, אוֹ כְּלִי אַחֵר שֶׁרָאוּי לַחְפֹּר בּוֹ, כְּדֵי שֶׁיַּחְפֹּר בּוֹ מָקוֹם בָּאָרֶץ לַעֲשׂוֹת בּוֹ צְרָכָיו בַּדֶּרֶךְ הַמּוּכֶנֶת לָזֶה (עי' ספהמ"צ להרמב"ם עשה קצג ובהל' מלכים פ"י), וְעַל זֶה נֶאֱמַר (דברים כג יד) וְיָתֵד תִּהְיֶה לְךָ עַל אֲזֵנֶךָ. פֵּרוּשׁ אֲזֵנֶךָ כְּלֵי זַיִן.
The commandment to set up a spike to dig with: That there be to each one of the soldiers a spike — or another tool with which it is fitting to dig — suspended with his war gear, in order that he dig with it a place in the ground to take care of his needs in a way that is prepared for this. (See Sefer HaMitzvot, Positive Commandments 193 and Mishneh Torah, Kings and Wars 10.) And about this is it stated (Deuteronomy 23:14), “With your aazen you shall have a spike” — the explanation of (the word,) your aazen is your weapons.
וְשֹׁרֶשׁ מִצְוָה זוֹ, וְכָל עִנְיָנָהּ בַּמִּצְוָה הַקּוֹדֶמֶת לָהּ. וְזֶה הַפָּסוּק הוֹאִיל וּבָא לְיָדֵינוּ נִכְתֹּב עָלָיו הַמִּדְרָשׁ שֶׁסָּמְכוּ לוֹ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה בַּגְּמָרָא שֶׁאָמְרוּ (כתובות ה, ב), לָמָּה אֶצְבְּעוֹתָיו שֶׁל אָדָם עֲשׂוּיוֹת כִּיתֵדוֹת, כְּלוֹמַר שֶׁהֵן מְשֻׁפּוֹת ? שֶׁאִם יִשְׁמַע אָדָם דָּבָר שֶׁאֵינוֹ הָגוּן יִתֵּן אֶצְבָּעוֹ לְתוֹךְ אָזְנוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר וְיָתֵד תִּהְיֶה לְךָ עַל אֲזֵנֶךָ אַל תִּקְרֵי אֲזֵנֶךָ אֶלָּא אָזְנֶךָ.
And the root of this commandment and all of its content is in the commandment that is before it. And since this verse has come to our hand, we will write the midrash about it; that they, of blessed memory, affixed to it in the Gemara, when they said (Ketuvot 5b), “Why are the fingers of a person made like spikes?” — which is to say, tapered? “So that if a person hears a thing that is not proper, he should put his finger into his ear (ozen), as it is stated, ‘With your aazen you shall have a spike’ — do not read, ‘your aazen,’ but rather ‘your ozen.’”
מִצְוָה לְהַתְקִין מָקוֹם לְהִפָּנוֹת בּוֹ – שֶׁנִּצְטַוִּינוּ כְּשֶׁיֵּצְאוּ חֵילוֹתֵינוּ לַמִּלְחָמָה, שֶׁנָּכִין וּנְיַחֵד לַחַיִל מָקוֹם יָדוּעַ (עי' תוספתא מגילה פ"ג הט"ו), שֶׁיִּהְיֶה שָׁם כָּל אִישׁ יוֹצֵא לַעֲשׂוֹת צְרָכָיו, כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יַעֲשׂוּ צָרְכֵיהֶם בְּכָל מָקוֹם וּבֵינוֹת הַמְּלוֹנוֹת, כְּמוֹ שֶׁיַּעֲשׂוּ הָאֻמּוֹת (סנהדרין קד ב), וְעַל זֶה נֶאֱמַר (דברים כג יג) וְיָד תִּהְיֶה לְךָ מִחוּץ לַמַּחֲנֶה וְגוֹ', וּלְשׁוֹן סִפְרֵי, אֵין יָד אֶלָּא מָקוֹם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמואל א טו, יב) וְהִנֵּה מַצִּיב לוֹ יָד.
The commandment to set up a place in which to defecate: That we were commanded that when our soldiers go out to war that we set up and designate a set place (see Tosefta Megillah 3:15) for the soldier, in which every man can go out to take care of his needs; so that their “needs” not be [found] in every place and between the lodgings, like the [other] peoples do (Sanhedrin 104b). And about this it is stated (Deuteronomy 23:13), “And there shall be a yad for you outside the camp, etc.” And the language of Sifrei is “A yad is always a place, as it states (I Samuel 15:12), ‘and behold, he established a yad.’”
מִשָּׁרְשֵׁי הַמִּצְוָה. כְּעִנְיָן שֶׁכָּתוּב בַּפָּרָשָׁה כִּי ה׳ אֱלֹקֶיךָ מִתְהַלֵּךְ בְּקֶרֶב מַחֲנֶךָ וְהָיָה מַחֲנֶךָ קָדוֹשׁ וְגוֹ', כְּלוֹמַר שֶׁנַּפְשׁוֹתָן שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל דְּבֵקוֹת בַּשְּׁכִינָה לְעוֹלָם, ... וְרָאוּי לָהֶם לַעֲמֹד בִּנְקִיּוּת, כַּאֲשֶׁר יָדוּעַ וּמְפֻרְסָם, שֶׁהַנְּקִיּוּת מִדָּה מִן הַמִּדּוֹת הַטּוֹבוֹת הַמְּבִיאָה לִידֵי רוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ .... וְגַם יֵשׁ בָּזֶה שֶׁבַח לָאֻמָּה כִּי יָבוֹאוּ אֲלֵיהֶם מַלְאֲכֵי גּוֹי וְיִרְאוּ מַחֲנֵיהֶם קָדוֹשׁ וְנָקִי מִכָּל טִנּוּף (עי' מו"נ ח"ג פמ"ח).
It is from the roots of the commandment [that it is] like the matter that is written in the section of the Torah [wherein this is mentioned), “Since the Lord, your God, moves about in your camp [...], let your camp be holy” which is to say that the souls of Israel always cling to the Divine presence. ... And it is fitting for them to stand in cleanliness, as is known and famous — since cleanliness is from the good traits that bring the holy spirit .... And there is also praise to the people in this, when gentile messengers come and see that their camp is holy and clean from all filth. (See Guide for the Perplexed 3:48.)
וְנוֹהֶגֶת בִּזְמַן הַבַּיִת בִּזְכָרִים, כִּי הֵם הַנִּלְחָמִים, לֹא הַנְּקֵבוֹת. וְהָעוֹבֵר עַל זֶה וְלֹא הִתְקִין לוֹ מָקוֹם מִחוּץ לַמַּחֲנֶה וְלִכְלֵךְ מְקוֹם הַמַּחֲנוֹת בִּטֵּל עֲשֵׂה זֶה, וְעָנְשׁוֹ גָּדוֹל מְאֹד שֶׁגּוֹרֵם לַשְּׁכִינָה לְהִסְתַּלֵּק מִמַּחֲנֵה יִשְׂרָאֵל, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב וְלֹא יִרְאֶה בְךָ עֶרְוַת דָּבָר וְשָׁב מֵאַחֲרֶיךָ, כְּלוֹמַר, בִּהְיוֹתְכֶם בְּתוֹךְ הַלִּכְלוּךְ תַּרְחִיקוּ עַצְמְכֶם מִן הַטּוֹב.
And it is observed at the time of the Temple by males, since they are the fighters, not the females. And one who transgresses it, and does not set up a place for himself outside of the camp and dirties the place of the camps, violates this positive commandment. And his punishment is very great, since he caused the Divine Presence to withdraw from the camp of Israel. And [it is] like it is written, “let Him not find anything unseemly among you and turn away from you” — which is to say that, in your being among dirt, you will distance yourself from the good.