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 Rishon LeTzion, HaRav Yitzhak Yosef tells us that one who sleeps with gloves can say blessings and study Torah in the morning without performing Netilat Yadayim since the evil spirit does not really rest on gloved hands. One should therefore perhaps wear gloves when going to sleep if no water is nearby.
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 the reason for washing in the morning is due to the evil spirit lingering, but sometimes the washing is simply for purposes of cleanliness. 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.
Last week, we discussed drying one’s hands after washing them. 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.”
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The Mechaber (Orach Chayim 159:1) rules: “Netilat Yadayim [for a meal] may only be done with a vessel.” He also states (supra 158:12): “And one should wipe them well before he breaks bread because eating without wiping one’s hands is like eating ritually defiled bread.”
The Mechaber bases this ruling on the statement of R. Abahu (Sotah 4b): “Whoever eats bread without first wiping his hands is like one who eats defiled bread, as Ezekiel 4:13 states, ‘Vayomer Hashem, kocha yochlu Bnei Yisrael et lachmam tamei bagoyim asher adichem shomoh – G-d said: Thus will the children of Israel eat their food [bread], unclean, among the nations where I will banish them.’ ” The Radak and Metzudat David both explain that the verse refers to Bnei Yisrael being unable, in the course of exile, to keep their food undefiled. R. Abahu understands this to mean that they eat without wiping their hands completely after washing them.
Here we see a clear indication that there is a requirement to wipe one’s hands after washing them. The Sha’arei Teshuva (Orach Chayim 4:1) applies this requirement to the morning Netilat Yadayim upon awakening, as well as to the washing of one’s hands when departing a lavatory.
