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.
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The Mishnah (Yadayim 2:2) discusses washing one’s hands. It states that we first pour mayim rishonim (first waters) and then mayim shniyim (second waters). Since the water remaining on one’s hands after the first washing leaves the hands impure, we need a second washing to take away the impurity. We then wipe our hands to ensure no further defilement.
The commentary of Rabbi Shamshon (b. Abraham of Sens, late 12th century Tosafist) cites the Tosefta (Yadayim 1:2): “A person who washes his hands must wipe them….” Rabbi Shamshon notes that a person “must dry his hands with a towel or with other things.”
Your final question – concerning using an electric dryer instead of a towel – was asked of the Gaon Rabbi Tuvia Goldstein, zt”l (Responsa Emek Halachah, vol. 1:4). The question presented to him was as follows: “Is the need to wipe the hands with a towel an absolute requirement or may one use an electric air dryer as found in most restaurants and hotels? Does that suffices or must one use a towel as Rabbi Shamshon states?”