At the point that depravity meets its nadir we find Ba'al Peor, an idol quite unique in its worship-- defecation for deification. The braissa quoted in Chagiga 16a (Avos d’R’ Nosson, ch. 37) relates that humans have three things in common with the animal kingdom: eating and drinking, piryah v'rivyah, and hotza'as re'e. While we can be mikadesh our eating, drinking,[1] and piryah v'rivyah[2] throughout the year, explains R’ Shimon Shalom from Amshinov,[3] we can never really fully sanctify the act of going to the bathroom.[4] Even on Yom Kippur, a day that entails complete abstention from food and drink as well as marital relations, we can never completely personify the celestial angels because of our necessity to excrete bodily waste.

That is why, continues the Amshinover Rebbe, Chazal[5] declare that most tzaddikim die by cholei mei’ayim, bowel and intestinal problems. After all, tzaddikim surely sanctify all parallel acts to the animals;[6] the only aspect thus remaining- and, therefore, the only means the mal’ach ha'maves has at his disposal- is closely related to being motzi re'e.