Meal Hand-Washing
Beyond Pasteur!
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Your table is an altar. You are the high priest. That plate of delicious morsels before you, that’s the sacrifice. You do the ritual washing of hands, say a blessing on the food, and then dig in, to elevate all those carbs and proteins into a divine experience.
So here’s ritual hand washing 101 (a.k.a. netilat yadayim):
- Do this only before eating a meal with bread or matzah (halachah also requires washing before cake, if it is eaten as
a full meal). Bread is considered the staple food of all foods. Potatoes just missed the boat.
- This may sound strange, but before washing your hands, be sure that they are clean and free of anything that will obstruct the waters from reaching the entire surface of your hands. This is a spiritual experience, you recall. Beyond Pasteur.
- This is a spiritual experience, you recall. Beyond Pasteur . . .Remove your rings—unless you never remove them, in which case they are considered “part of your hand.”
- Fill a cup with water and pour twice on your right hand. Repeat on the left. (Lefties: reverse the order.) Chabad custom is to pour three times on each hand. Make sure the water covers your entire hand until the wrist bone with each pour. Separate your fingers slightly to allow the water in between them. Rabbi Chisda says, “Don’t skimp. Fill your hands with water and G‑d will fill them with His goodness.”
- After washing, lift your hands chest-high and say:
Blessed are you, L‑rd our G‑d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us concerning the washing of the hands.
[Say this blessing only if you intend to eat more than two ounces of bread.]
- Rub your hands together and then dry them. Be careful not to speak or get involved in anything else until you’ve recited the blessing on your bread and swallowed some too.
- If you take a washroom break during your meal, or otherwise soil your hands, you need to wash again—this time, without a blessing.
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Latest Comments:
I am a leftie, and I do wonder sometimes if I am supposed to do things differently. Now I know, yes, in this case! Thank you again, because your explanation make washing the hands seem like so much more than I ever thought of before! I love reading these Mitzvah Minutes, because even though they are 'short and sweet', they always seem almost poetic!
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1- by live water,do you mean sink water from the faucet?
2- is it best to wash outside right?
3- which of the blessings first ?
4- do i need to say birkat as well ?
Thank you for all the precious info.
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1. If you only have water but no cup, you can dunk your hands into "live" water.
2. In a pinch, you can wash in the bathroom. Just make sure to say the blessing outside of it.
3. If you did not recite netilat yadayim at any time before your bathroom visit, you would indeed say both blessings together (as is the custom of Chabad).
4. If you will be eating less than 2 oz of bread, you do not say a blessing for washing. You do, however, say hamotzee for your bread.
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Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) was a French chemist and microbiologist who is credited with discovering germs. The discovery led to more conscientious sanitary regulation.
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Great article, very helpful,
1-What if water is accessible but not a washing cup ?
2-can morning washing or after restroom washing be done in the restroom?
3-If using restroom upon waking up and washing after do we say only the prayer after restroom use or netilat only or both?
4-What if less than 2 oz of bread is eaten do we need to say any blessing?
Thanks.
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I just started adding this to my daily routine. I am doing it upon awaking. After that I come downstairs and have coffee and a muffin. Should I do it again? Should I also do it at lunch and dinner? What about dessert? Also, do I need to do it at the end of the day before I go to sleep?
I bought a ritual wash cup. Can I just use an ordinary bowl with it at my bedside? Also, can I use an ordinary towel?
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Yes, you should make sure that your hands are clean and dry before doing netilat yadayim.
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If one is traveling on the road without water, and the next time he will come across water will be in over four "mil" (approximately four km.) -- or if he would have to turn back toward his point of departure and go more than one "mil" (approximately one km.) to find water -- there are those who are lenient and rule that he should grasp the bread with a cloth, thus ensuring that he does not touch the bread, and he may eat it that way.
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The prayer is for rinsing of hands not washing them (Netilot not Rachatzah). This implies two things:
1. The hands have already been made clean and 2. the purpose of the rinsing of hands is to comply with a commandment (Mitzvah) and not for removing dirt etc.
I find this confusing. Am I to wash my dirty hands first and dry them without a prayer? and then rinse them again with the prayer? Or does washing automatically cover the rinsing part?
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