עַל נְטִילַת יָדָיִים

FAQs

• When considering ancient custom, the first question should be: hocus-pocus ceremony v utility?

  If you believe hand-washing serves some hocus-pocus supernatural magic, then this isn't the website for you. If you lean toward hand-washing as a prophylaxis against filth and disease from ancient times, which can have symbolic parallels in the non-physical realm, then the question is not whether you splash a bit of water on each hand twice or three times, which hand must be splashed first, or some magic spell you unwittingly in­cant. Wash your hands with soap and water before eating—and that kind of utilitarian pragmatism carries over into the symbolism in the non-physical realm of the Creator-Singularity Existant that created this spectacularly logical, utilitarian, pragmatic real world, which necessarily reflects its Author.

• Why after the Qi•dūshꞋ?

  Again, from the utilitarian standpoint, the point is washing hands before eating. It's a widespread custom to drink alcohol at a festive occasion before sitting down to eat. It wasn't deemed necessary to wash the hands before drinking. So the custom developed to wash the hands immediately before eating, which began with bread. In the SeiꞋdër, it isn't important whether you wash your hands before coming to the table (to raise washed hands for the Qi•dūshꞋ as well) or immediately before eating bread.

• Why do we wash hands before dipping?

  Biblical and other descriptions of that era suggest that routine meals included dipping bread in a dip; e.g., a bowl of olive-oil spiced with garlic, onion and salt, perhaps with some khumꞋus. Since all dipping involves using one's fingers to dip a morsel into the dip, washing was required before dipping; before handling food with one's fingers, whether bread or some other morsel.

The Bᵊrâkh•âhꞋ after washing hands:

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהוָׂה אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְותָיו וְצִוָּנוּ עַל נְטִילַת יָדָיִים׃

Although most denominations of Judaism have a custom of not speaking between the נְטִילַת יָדָיִים and הַמּוֹצִיא, allowing no speech to intervene between uttering the bᵊrâkh•âhꞋ for "picking up hands and placing upon" and the the bᵊrâkh•âhꞋ before eating bread, Tei•mân•iꞋ don't practice this later custom.

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