Word Prompt – Netilas Yadayim – Yehudah Pryce

Like with so many things in Yiddishkeit, there are multiple reasons why we do the things we do, and so it is with netilas yadayim, the beracha and its connected mitzvos. A seemingly simple act of washing and uplifting our hands with a beracha connects our cultivated intentions to purposeful actions, actions that in this case are tied to a Jew’s ultimate purpose.

In Teshuvos (1:191), Rashba lifts up the idea that every morning a Jew is considered to be created anew... for the purpose of serving Hashem. So we wash our hands like the kohanim did when they washed their hands with the waters of the kiyor to do their avodah. When we recite the beracha of al netilas yadayim after washing our hands in the morning, we can see it as a beracha that is in part expressing gratitude for meriting another day of being created anew, and gratitude for another day of life to fulfill a Jew’s purpose in life, service to Hashem. With al netilas yadayim, we are setting the intention to fulfill our purpose.

Living in gratitude, with intention and purpose, especially the ultimate purpose, can positively affect your mood, outlook on life, and how your day-to-day interactions are experienced in a fundamental way. It’s the orientation to adopt to guard oneself against self-limiting beliefs. It’s the mindfulness to fully live present in the moment, being in congruence with G-d’s will. And if we can all better live with this intention in mind, then bez”H, we can merit having kohanim wash their hands with the kiyor of the Beis HaMikdash speedily in our days.