Illustration Credit: Elad Lifshitz, Dov Abramson Studio
Halakhah הֲלָכָה
How does טֻמְאָה (tum’ah, impurity) connect to our lives?
One important way is in the mitzvah of נְטִילַת יָדַיִם (netilat yadayim)!
Back in the time of the mishkan and the Beit Ha-Mikdash, the כֹּהֲנִים (kohanim, priests) received special gifts called תְּרוּמָה (terumah). Terumah had a holy status, and in order to be sure they weren’t touching it with hands that were טָמֵא (tamei, impure), the kohanim had to wash before eating it.
According to the Gemara, this led to the rule that all people should wash their hands before eating bread. This widespread practice would ensure that the kohanim would follow the rules (Talmud Bavli Hullin 106a).
The concerns about tum’ah and eating have changed over time, but the mitzvah of netilat yadayim remains. Here are some specifics:
What blessing should you make?
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה׳ אֱלֹקֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ עַל נְטִילַת יָדַיִם.
Blessed are You, God our Lord, Ruler of the world, Who has made us holy with God’s commandments, and commanded us about washing hands.
When to say the blessing?
- Netilat yadayim is done before eating bread, and also when waking up in the morning, as preparation for prayer (Talmud Bavli Berakhot 15a).
- For most mitzvot, a blessing is said before doing the action. However, netilat yadayim is different. It’s common to say the blessing after you wash your hands but before or while drying them (Mishnah Berurah 158:41).
What else do I need to know?
- The Shulhan Arukh says you should pour the water on your hands with an item that is supposed to hold water (Orah Hayyim 159:4). So use a cup rather than a baseball cap! You can also dip your hands into a natural body of water, like a spring or mikveh (Talmud Bavli Hullin 106).
- How many pours? There are different customs! The Shulhan Arukh says to wash each hand three times in the morning (Orah Hayyim 4:2). Before bread, the most common practice is two times on each hand, with some people adding a third pour. Mishnah Berurah (OH 160:66) writes: “if you pour an entire רְבִיעִית (revi’it, around 3-4 ounces), once on each hand, they also become tahor.”
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