Question: Should we wash our hands in the bathroom with soap and water, or by pouring water from a vessel with handles three times, alternating hands? I have heard it said that a vessel is used only in the morning upon awakening. What are the rules pertaining to young children? What is the protocol if no vessel is available? Additionally, may we dry our hands via an electric dryer?
Harry Koenigsberg
(Via E-Mail)
Summary of our response up to this point: The Mechaber (Orach Chayyim 4:1) rules that upon arising in the morning, a person must wash his hands three times in order to remove the evil spirit that rests upon them at night and recite the blessing “Al Netilat Yadayim.”
The Rashba explains that in the morning, our souls return to our bodies and we are created anew. The Zohar elaborates that at night, when we sleep, our holy souls ascend to heaven and an evil spirit descends on our bodies in their absence. When the souls return in the morning, the evil spirit leaves but lingers on our hands. The Zohar specifies that water must be poured on our hands from a vessel.
The Mishnah Berurah notes that one should alternate pouring water on the right and left hands, three times each. The Machebar lists times at which one must ritually wash one’s hands and warns that a person who forgets to do so will forget what he learned or go out of his mind.
The Vilna Gaon explains that washing three times is only required upon arising from sleep. The Mishneh Halachot, Rabbi Menashe Klein, discusses the importance of teaching small children to perform netilat yadayim, for cleanliness (purity) reasons and also for educational reasons.
The Ba’er Heitev states that a person should say “Al Netilat Yadayim” after washing and not wait until he dries them. The Sha’arei Teshuva disagrees and states that an evil spirit does not depart one’s hands until after they are dried. Therefore, should dry one’s hands first and only then say “Al Netilat Yadayim.”
R’ Abuhu maintains that eating bread without wiping one’s hands first is like eating defiled bread. The Zohar adds that wiping one’s hands is required after washing in the morning and upon departing the lavatory.
The Mechaber rules that washing one’s hands in the morning upon awakening takes care of all washings for the rest of the day if water is scarce. The Rema disagrees, ruling that one must always wash for bread.
We quoted from the responsum of Rabbi Tovia Goldstein, zt”l, on wiping one’s hands after Netilat Yadayim. R. Abahu states that eating without wiping one’s hands first is considered loathsome; the bread is considered ritually defiled. The water that remains on one’s hands after washing are considered defiled and must be wiped away.
The Mordechai cites the Tosefta in Yadayim as stating that a person who immerses his hands in a mikveh need not wipe them as there are no defiled waters involved. The same is true if a revi’it is poured on one’s hands (together or individually). The Mechaber rules in accordance with this Tosefta.
The Tur, as well, like the Maharsha, sees no need for wiping in this instance as there is no tumah residue when one’s hands are washed in this manner. However, according to Rashi, one must always wipe one’s hand due to mi’us. If one washes with less than a revi’it, the Maharsha too would require wiping one’s hands.
Rabbi Goldstein notes the difficulty in reconciling Rashi with the Tosefta in Yadayim.
We cited the Levush, who reconciles the passage in Ezekiel (from which we infer that not wiping one’s hands is loathsome) with the Tosefta (that states that a person who immerses his hands in a mikveh, or pours a revi’it over them, need not wipe them) by noting that the verse might be merely an asmachta or cited only for the gematria we learn from it. We also noted that the opposing view – that wiping is an absolute requirement – rejects the ruling of the Tosefta.
We also listed some of the authorities who dispute the Mechaber and, like Rashi, maintain that one must always wipe one’s hands.
Last week, we noted the importance of using a full revi’it of water for Netilat Yadayim because, in so doing, the tumah is washed away and one could also then use an electric drying machine to dry one’s hands.
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Bi’ur Halacha (Orach Chayim 158:12 sv “k’ilu ochel lechem tamei”) introduces a different explanation for the need to wipe one’s hands: Rabbenu Chananel (Sota 4b) writes that we are not concerned about actual tumah; the water is not, as the Beit Yosef writes, tamei. Rather, the water will render the bread susceptible to tumah, and we want to avoid that. Hence, a person must dry his hands before touching the bread.
This concern – of rendering the bread susceptible to tumah – explains why it is important to dry one’s hands even when one poured a full revi’it (or mayim shniyim) over one’s hands. The water may be tahor, but even tahor water renders objects susceptible to tumah.
Interesting to note is a view cited by Shulchan Aruch HaRav (Orach Chayim 158:17) that if one washes one’s hands in such a manner that there is no possible tumah involved – e.g., one poured a full revi’it of water on both hands at once or a revi’it on each hand separately – there is no need to dry them. However, if one has a feeling of loathsomeness without drying one’s hands, one should dry them.
He also notes that when one washes one’s hands, one should always wash the right hand first. (Presumably, the same rule applies to drying one’s hands, in accordance with Yoma 16b – that we always give precedence to the right hand.)
Rabbi Goldstein notes: “Now according to the authorities who argue with the Mechaber and opine that the entire reason for wiping one’s hands is because of loathsomeness, drying them by means of an electric dryer should surely suffice and there would be no problem of loathsomeness at all.”
Rabbi Shamshon b. Abraham of Sens (on Yadayim 2:2) states, “A person who washes his hands must wipe them with a towel.” It is not clear why a towel should be required. The Chazon Ish (Orach Chayim 25:10) also found this matter difficult and writes, “Rabbenu Shamshon writes that one must wipe away the water on one’s hands with a towel or with other things. It would seem that one may wait until one’s hands dry of their own accord…whether [the reason for drying one’s hands is] because the water is tamei or because it is a matter of mi’us.”
Rabbi Goldstein also notes that he saw a similar conclusion in Reponsa Kinyan Torah (Vol 3:19).
I would venture to state that we should carefully focus on the words of Rabbenu Shamshon. He requires “drying with a towel or other things.” “Other things” could and should include an electric hand dryer.