Washing the Hands in the Morning

1. Because every morning one must rededicate himself to the service of G-d, he must purify himself and wash his hands out of a vessel, just as the Priest was commanded to do prior, to his service in the Holy Temple.

2. Another reason is this: When a man is asleep, the unclean spirit comes down upon it. When he rises from his sleep, the unclean spirit does not depart completely unless he spills water on his hands three times alternately.

3. One is not permitted to walk four cubits1 before washing his hands.

4. Before his morning hand-washing, one must not touch his mouth, nose, eyes, ears, anus; nor his clothes; nor any food; nor any place where a vein is open.

5. The hands are washed in the following manner:

a) The water filled vessel is taken in the right hand and placed in the left.

b) Water is poured on the right hand and then on the left hand.

c) Repeat twice. (Altogether each hand is washed three times: right, left, right, left, right, left.)

6. The water should be poured as far as the wrist except on Tisha b’Av and the day of Atonement, when the water should cover the fingers only.

7 One must also wash his face, and rinse his mouth of saliva, since he must utter G-d’s name- in purity.

8. Then, he should dry his hands, and carefully dry his face.

9. One must wash his hands into a vessel only, and not direct onto the ground.

10. The water used for washing must not be used for any other purpose, but must be spilled in a place where people do not go.

11. The hands should be washed by human effort. That is that he himself or some other person spill the water upon his hands.

12. If another person is pouring the water over his hands, that person must have washed his hands first.

13: If there is a river or a sea nearby, he could dip his hands therein three times, and recite the blessing.

14. In the latter instance, if the person found water later, he should wash his hands properly, omitting the benediction.

15. A man must worship G-d in purity. Therefore, he is forbidden to pray until he has moved his bowels and urine.

16. Therefore, upon washing the hands, one should not pronounce the benediction, unless he has already cleaned himself. After leaving the toilet he washes his hands again and makes the benediction.

17. In the following cases, a person should wash his hands, but should not make the benediction:

a) If he awoke during the night, washed his hands, and said the benediction -- after dawn the hands should be washed again (whether he slept again in the interim or not) but the blessing is not repeated.

b) Similarly, if he stayed awake the whole night, in the morning the hands are washed without the recitation of a blessing.

c) If he slept a half hour or more during the day.

18. The hands must be washed on the following occasions, but it need not be in the above mentioned manner of three alternating pours:

a) On awaking from a daytime nap.

b) On leaving the lavatory or bath, even if he did not use them.

c) On cutting the nails.

d) After hair-cutting.

e) After taking off the shoes with the hands.

f) After washing the hair.

g) After touching vermin.

h) After searching the clothes for vermin, even if he did not touch any.

i) After touching his bare feet.

j) After touching the body in places usually covered.

k) After leaving a cemetery.

1) After accompanying the dead.

m) After leaving a house where a corpse lies.

n) After blood-letting.2