The pastor in a recently replayed episode said “If you read
this book (The Bible) it will tell you it’s a sin to go to the bathroom.”
Knowing Mr. Groening’s style, he seems to speak truth about those groups which he targets. Is there any truth to this one (and if so, where)?
Apparently, you caught a rerun.
Some research should be able to pinpoint these references (as, alas, I have obviously NOT done said research…), but here’s what I know about the subject…
You know the Sabbath, that one day out of seven you are supposed to rest/pray/worship/etc/etc/etc? The Old Testament places all kinds of restrictions on what you can and can’t do on the Sabbath: you can’t perform any manual labor, cook, conduct business, work for a wage, etc. etc. etc. beyond the basics needed to sustain life (i.e. you may feed and water your sheep, but not shear them; you may eat food you cooked the day before, but may not cook on the Sabbath).
And some restrictions get very, very, very specific. For instance: you’re not allowed to walk more than 100 paces on the Sabbath. That’s the catch.
Elsewhere in the Bible (Old Testament again, I think) there are rules spelled out for “soldiers on the march or camping in the field” and other manner of persons (shepherds?) living outside a permanent settlement. In these guidelines it specifies that the latrines be located more than 100 paces from camp.
So… on the Sabbath you aren’t supposed to walk more than 100 paces, yet sometimes the bathroom would be more than 100 paces away. Very inconvenient.
I’m pretty sure that’s what Reverend Lovejoy was talking about on the Simpsons.
One other interesting Sabbath rule: if on the Sabbath your ox falls in a ditch you may help get it out, but if you fall in a ditch you must stay there until sundown (when the Sabbath is over).
Jeff the Neck!
Yea, sure, the shephard cant walk the 100 paces alone, but, if, say, he and his mates ( i am working with 3 shephards here 
) give each other piggy backs ( 2 ppl on one shephard walking ) they could make it to the latrine and back, and have a few paces left to nip to the shops and pick up the paper!
That is of course if you dont cvount carrying your 2 best mates 100 paces manual labour…
What’s the problem? Locate the latrine 100 paces and 1 mm away from the camp, then walk your 100 paces and defecate/urinate “the distance.”
But then you can’t walk back and you are stuck at the latrine until sundown.
Exodus 16:29 admonishes people not to “go out of their place” on the Sabbath. The Talmud elaborates on this and determines a person’s place to be 2,000 cubits (about 3/4 of a mile) in every direction (not 100 paces!!). Furthermore, this only applies outside of a city. Within a city, you can walk the entire length of the city (with the entire city being “your place”) and then an additional 2,000 cubits beyond that.
Zev Steinhardt