Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

In an earlier installment, we saw that one who touches his exposed legs must wash his hands, even if he normally wears shorts and leaves his legs exposed. Although touching parts of the body which are generally exposed does not, as a rule, require washing, Hacham Ovadia Yosef maintained that legs mark an exception, and one who touches legs must wash his hands. Hacham Ovadia conceded, however, that this stringency does not apply when one touches the legs of an infant. Since it is common to leave an infant's legs bare, one is not required to wash his hands after...

As a general rule, one must wash his hands after touching a part of the body which is normally covered, due to the accumulation of perspiration on these areas. If one does not have water, it suffices to wipe the hands on some surface, and he may then learn Torah, pray or recite Berachot. The Ben Ish Hai (Rav Yosef Haim of Baghdad, 1833-1909), in his work Rav Pe'alim, writes that if one touched these parts of the body immediately after bathing, when his body is perfectly clean, then he is not required to wash his hands. Since this requirement...

Parts of the body that are normally covered are presumed to have an accumulation of sweat, and therefore, one who touches such areas is required to wash his hands as a matter of hygiene and cleanliness. (The Ben Ish Hai warns against allowing any drops of perspiration into one's mouth, as this could pose danger to one's health. The only exception is perspiration from one's brow, which is not dangerous if ingested. Halachic sources also warn against carrying food items inside one's shirt, touching his skin.) For men, the forearm – from the elbow down to the hand – is considered a part...

Before exploring the question of whether one is required to wash his hands after shaving – just as one must after taking a haircut – it must be emphasized that shaving with a razor is strictly forbidden. If one shaves his entire face with a razor, he is likely in violation of five separate Torah prohibitions, for removing hair with a razor on the five different areas of the face. Shaving with an electric shaver is generally accepted as permissible, though some Poskim felt that shavers with a "lift-and-cut" mechanism should not be used. According to this opinion, people with such shavers to b...

One who cuts his hair, or has somebody else cut his hair, must wash his hands afterward, even if only a small amount of hair was removed, and even if just several pieces of hair were trimmed. It makes no difference whether the hair was cut with scissors or with an electric haircutter. This Halacha applies to both men and women. It suffices for satisfying this requirement to wash just once by passing one's hands under running water. The Ben Ish Hai (Rav Yosef Haim of Baghdad, 1833-1909) recommended being stringent after cutting one's nails, and to wash three times...

One is required to wash his hands after touching his scalp, such as if he scratches his hair. Touching the hair itself does not require washing. This can be proven from the simple fact that men touch their hair while placing and adjusting their Tefillin Shel Rosh each morning, and nowhere do we find any requirement to wash one's hands after putting on Tefillin. It is only if one touches his scalp, which has sweat and grime, that Halacha requires washing his hands. Moreover, this requirement applies only if one touches a part of his scalp that is normally covered...

One who touches his feet – or, for that matter, somebody else's feet – must wash his hands. Rav Haim Palachi (Turkey, 1788-1868), in his Lev Haim, writes that one who touches his feet immediately after bathing, when his feet are clean, does not need to wash his hands. He draws proof from the Kohanim in the Bet Ha'mikdash, who were required to wash their hands and feet before entering the Bet Ha'mikdash to perform the service. They would wash by placing the right hand on the left foot and washing them together from the Kiyor (faucet in the Mikdash), and then plac...

The Shulhan Aruch (Orah Haim 4:18) writes that one must wash his hands after removing his shoes. There were those who inferred from this formulation that the removal of shoes itself requires washing, such that one must wash even if he removed his shoes without touching them. The consensus, however, does not follow this opinion, and rather understands the Shulhan Aruch to mean that one must wash his hands after touching his shoes, and he wrote "removes" simply because people generally touch their shoes while removing them. Therefore, one must wash his hands only if he touched his shoes. One who...

When one performs Netilat Yadayim before eating bread, he recites the Beracha of "Al Netilat Yadayim" immediately after he pours the water on his hands, before he dries them. If a person dried his hands and remembered only then that he had yet to recite the Beracha, should he recite the Beracha at that point? Hacham Ben Sion Abba Shaul (Israel, 1923-1998), in his work Or Le'sion (vol. 2, 11:4), rules that once the person's hands are completely dry, he may no longer recite the Beracha of "Al Netilat Yadayim." However, if even a small part of his hands still have enough...

The Ben Ish Hai (Rav Yosef Haim of Baghdad, 1833-1909) in Parashat Nisavim discusses methods of purification. The best way is immersing in a Mikveh containing 40 Se'ah. However, if one is unable to use a Mikveh, he presents an alternative: Netilat Yadayim (washing the hands) forty times. The first step is to wash once on the right and then once on the left, with Kavana (intent) on the first letter of the divine name of seventy two. This refers to the YKVK (Tetragrammaton) spelled out with the letter Yud, which equal 72 in Gematria. (Listen to audio for detailed explanation). This...

When one performs Netilat Yadayim before eating bread, he pours water over his right hand three times, and then three times over the left. After washing, he must perform "Shifshuf," which means that he shakes his right hand three times to remove excess water, and he then shakes his left hand three times. One should then raise his hands in front of him, opposite his face. The Ben Ish Hai (Rav Yosef Haim of Baghdad, 1833-1909) writes that when one raises his hands, he should ensure that the entire length of the arms, from the elbow through the hands, is...

Halacha requires washing one's hands after he cuts his fingernails or toenails, regardless if he used scissors, a clipper or his teeth, and regardless if he cut all the nails, just one nail, or even just part of a nail. The Hazon Ish (Rav Avraham Yeshaya Karelitz, 1878-1953) ruled that one does not need to wash after removing only part of a nail, but the consensus among the Poskim does not follow this opinion. Even if one removed just a small part of a nail, there is some degree of impurity on his hands that must be removed through washing...

After a person bathes or showers, he must wash his hands, despite the fact that his hands are, quite obviously, clean, due to a mild spirit of impurity that descends upon the hands in a bathhouse, even in a private bathing room. As this impurity is very slight, it suffices to simply place one's hands under running water. One does not need a utensil or to wash each hand three times, as is required for the Netilat Yadayim after waking in the morning. Nevertheless, some people use a utensil as a measure of stringency, which is why in many Mikva'ot...

acham Ovadia Yosef ruled that when washing one's hands is required, one should not use for this purpose a sink in a restroom, where a toilet is present. The Talmud speaks of the "Persian restrooms" which do not have the halachic status of a restroom because the bodily waste immediately falls through a piping system and is carried away. However, Hacham Ovadia maintained that the same cannot be said about contemporary restrooms, because the bodily waste remains in the toilet for some time before it is flushed away. As such, modern-day restrooms are unfit for halachically-required hand-washing. If, however, there...

The Yesod Ve'shoresh Ha'aboda (Rav Alexander Siskind of Grodno, d. 1794) writes that the impurity that descends upon the hands in the restroom is equivalent in severity to the impurity that descends upon the hands overnight while one sleeps. The consensus among the Poskim, does not follow this opinion. Therefore, the laws governing conduct after using the restroom before washing are more lenient than those that apply before washing in the morning. As we have already seen, one need not refrain from touching the orifices of his body (such as his ears or nostrils) after using the restroom before washing the...

The Ben Ish Hai (Rav Yosef Haim of Baghdad, 1833-1909), in Parashat Toledot, writes that after one uses the restroom, he must wash his hands three times, just as he must upon waking in the morning. The reason is that forces of impurity descend upon the hands in the restroom, and they must be removed by washing the hands three times, just as one must wash in the morning three times to remove the impurity that descends upon the hands during the night. Indeed, the Hida (Rav Haim Yosef David Azulai, 1724-1806) writes that all the elder sages of his...

There are several activities after which one is obligated to wash Netilat Yadayim, besides the obligation to wash one's hands upon waking in the morning and before eating bread: Exiting the restroom or a public bathhouse (such as a Mikveh) Nail-cutting (fingers or toes) Touching one's shoes Touching one's feet Scratching one's head Being in a cemetery or in the presence of a dead body Delousing garments Marital relations Touching an insect Touching a part of the body that is normally covered, such as if one scratches his chest or back Bloodletting, such as taking a blood test or donating...

If one realized after praying Shaharit that he had not washed Netilat Yadayim in the morning before praying, he does not need to repeat the prayer. He may rely on the opinion among the Poskim that failure to wash in the morning does not invalidate one's prayer after the fact. If, however, one wishes to act stringently and satisfy all opinions, he may repeat the Amida prayer with a stipulation. Before repeating the Amida, he should declare that according to the opinion requiring him to repeat the Amida, his prayer should be counted as his obligatory Shaharit prayer, whereas according...

If a person has no water for Netilat Yadayim in the morning, then he should wipe his hands on some object or material, such as on a piece of furniture or cloth, or even one's pajamas. In such a case, the Shulhan Aruch writes that one recites the Beracha "Al Nekiyut Yadayim" instead of "Al Netilat Yadayim." The Magen Abraham (Rav Abraham Gombiner, d. 1682) questioned the Shulhan Aruch's ruling, noting that later (Orah Haim 159), the Shulhan Aruch rules that one who washes for bread by dipping his hands in a Mikveh recites the normal Beracha, "Al Netilat Yadayim." It is...

A person should ensure to sleep at night enough to maintain his physical wellbeing and his ability to remain alert throughout the day. Some people make the mistake of trying to follow the example of rare Torah sages, such as the Gaon of Vilna, who slept only a couple of hours at night, without realizing that this practice is not appropriate for the vast majority of people. The Rambam famously writes that one should sleep for eight hours every night. The general rule is that one must sleep enough at night to remain healthy and to function well throughout the...

The question of whether one is required to wash Netilat Yadayim after sleeping during the day would, seemingly, depend on the different opinions as to the reason for the morning Netilat Yadayim obligation. The Rosh maintained that washing is required after sleep due to the likelihood that one's hands came in contact with unclean body parts during the night. According to this opinion, it should make no difference whether one slept during the day or during the night, and under all circumstances, a person who slept must then wash Netilat Yadayim. The Rashba, however, understood that we wash our hands...

If a person took only a brief nap during the night, must he wash Netilat Yadayim in the morning with a Beracha? Let us begin by addressing this question based on the different reasons given for the morning Netilat Yadayim obligation. The Rosh explained that washing is required because of the likelihood that one touched unclean parts of the body during the night. According to this opinion, it is likely that there is no such concern if one slept very briefly, and so he would not be required to wash. Likewise, according to the Zohar, that washing is required to...

The Shulhan Aruch (Orah Haim 4:14) writes that if somebody woke up early in the morning, before Alot Ha'shahar (daybreak), and washes Netilat Yadayim, it is uncertain whether he must wash a second time after Alot Ha'shahar. The possibility exists that his hands become impure again with the onset of dawn, such that he would need to repeat the washing. The Yalkut Yosef cites the Teshubot Ve'hanhagot (Rav Moshe Sternbuch, contemporary) as testifying that he observed many great Torah sages rise before dawn to learn Torah, without repeating Netilat Yadayim after dawn. The explanation, he suggests, is that as long as...

The Shulhan Aruch (Orah Haim 4:13) writes that it is uncertain whether one is required to wash Netilat Yadayim in the morning if he had not slept during the night. The Mishna Berura explains that this issue depends on the reason underlying the Netilat Yadayim requirement. According to the opinion that washing is necessary because the hands may have touched unclean body parts during sleep, this obligation does not apply unless one had slept. Likewise, according to the view of the Kabbalists, that Netilat Yadayim is required to eliminate the impurity that descends upon one's hands as he sleeps, this is...

If a person went to sleep in the evening, and woke up for the day before Hasot (halachic midnight), must he wash Netilat Yadayim, and, if so, does he recite a Beracha over this washing? This can happen if a person's job requires working a nightshift, and so he sleeps in the early evening hours and wakes up before midnight. Another example is a person who sleeps for a few hours before Hasot on the night of Hoshana Rabba or Shabuot so he will be able to remain awake throughout the night. Rav Shneur Zalman of Liadi (founding Rebbe of...

Halacha allows reciting the Birkot Ha'shahar – morning blessings – already from Hasot (halachic midnight). The Ben Ish Hai (Rav Yosef Haim of Baghdad, 1833-1909), in his work Rav Pe'alim, brings the teaching of the Rashash (Rav Shalom Sharabi, 1720-1777) that one who is awake at Hasot should recite Birkot Ha'shahar immediately after Hasot even if he plans on going back to sleep. According to the Rashash, immediately after the Hasot is the preferred time for reciting the morning blessings. However, the Ben Ish Hai elsewhere – in Ben Ish Hai (Parashat Toledot) – rules that this practice should not be followed, and one who plan...

The Kabbalists taught that the forces of impurity descend upon a person's hands only if he is sleeping at the moment of Hasot (halachic midnight). According to this opinion, if a person goes to sleep after Hasot, he does not need to wash Netilat Yadayim in the morning, since his hands did not become impure over the course of the night. However, the Rashash (Rav Shalom Sharabi, 1720-1777), cited by the Ben Ish Hai (Rav Yosef Haim of Baghdad, 1833-1909), writes that this applies only if the individual had "fortified" his soul by reciting the morning blessings – which may be re...

The Shulhan Aruch rules that one can fulfill the obligation of the morning Netilat Yadayim even without a utensil; in his view, it suffices to place one's hands under running water to satisfy this requirement. However, the accepted position is that of the Kabbalists, who require pouring water from a utensil three times on each hand. Therefore, if one does not have a utensil for the morning washing, he should turn on the faucet and pass his hands three times under the running water, in accordance with the Shulhan Aruch's view, but he should not recite a Beracha, out of...

The Gemara (Shabbat 50b) teaches that one must wash his face, feet and hands each day, as an expression of honor for Hashem. The Rambam (Hilchot Tefila 4:3) understood that the Gemara requires washing one's face, hands and feet before each prayer. The Ra'abad challenges the Rambam's view that one must wash his feet before prayer. Maran (Rav Yosef Karo, author of the Shulhan Aruch), in his Kesef Mishneh commentary, notes that Rashi interprets the Gemara to mean that it is permissible for a man to was his feet for cleanliness, and this does not fall under the category of forbidden...

If a person wakes up in the middle of the night and wants to drink, he is not required to wash Netilat Yadayim. Many times, when people wake up in the middle of the night, they prefer not getting their hands wet, as this could – especially in the winter – make it difficult for them to go back to sleep. In such a case, it is permissible to recite the Beracha of "She'ha'kol" and drink without washing. The person may rely on the opinion that although it is forbidden to recite Shema or pray before washing Netilat Yadayim, reciting Berachot is allo...

If a person wakes up in the middle of the night, and wants to read a Torah book, or think Torah matters, must he first wash Netilat Yadayim? If the individual does not plan on going back to sleep, and is awake for the day, then he should of course wash Netilat Yadayim right away. If, however, he plans on falling back asleep, then he is allowed to silently learn Torah even without Netilat Yadayim. As long as he does not speak any words of Torah, he is allowed to learn without Netilat Yadayim. If he slept without clothes, such...

The Talmud (Berachot 26a) distinguishes between ordinary restrooms and those used in ancient Persia, which featured a long, diagonal duct beneath the room, such that the bodily waste never remained in the room. Normal restrooms, the Gemara states, are overrun by forces of impurity, whereas the Persian restrooms are not, since the bodily waste does not remain there. Some Poskim compared modern-day bathrooms to the Persian restrooms discussed by the Gemara, since the waste products are immediately flushed away, as opposed to ancient latrines, where the waste remained in an opening in the ground. Hacham Ovadia Yosef, however, disagreed with...

The Zohar teaches that one must not learn Torah or recite any Berachot before washing Netilat Yadayim in the morning. Nevertheless, if one heard a blessing before Netilat Yadayim, he may answer "Amen." Likewise, if one heard Barechu, Kaddish or Kedusha before washing, he may respond. This could happen if one lives near a synagogue and hears the prayers through his window. The reason for this leniency is that for the sake of fulfilling the Misva of answering "Amen" or responding to Kaddish or Kedusha, one may rely on the opinions that this is permitted before washing one's hands. The...

If a person uses the restroom before washing Netilat Yadayim in the morning, he washes immediately after performing his bodily functions, and must then recite two Berachot – "Al Netilat Yadayim" over the hand-washing, and then Asher Yasar over using the restroom. It could happen that the person might intend to recite "Al Netilat Yadayim," but he instead says Asher Yasar. Meaning, he recites "Baruch Ata Hashem Elokenu Melech Ha'olam" with the intention of reciting the Beracha over the hand-washing, but, since he had just left the restroom – and he is not very focused, as he had just woken up – he mindle...

Generally, when a person wakes up in the morning, he needs to relieve himself. The question thus arises as to when he should perform the morning Netilat Yadayim – before using the restroom, or afterward. On the one hand, we might assume that he must wash his hands first, because it is forbidden to touch the openings of one's body before washing Netilat Yadayim, and one is likely to touch an opening when cleaning himself. On the other hand, before drying one's hands, he must recite the Beracha of "Al Netilat Yadayim," and it is forbidden to recite a Beracha when on...

The Kabbalists, based on the teachings of the Zohar, ensure to avoid walking four Amot (approx. 6-8 feet) after waking in the morning before washing Netilat Yadayim. The Zohar is cited as warning that walking four Amot before washing in the morning is a capital offense. Therefore, the Kabbalists have the practice of keeping water next to their beds so they can wash right at their bedside. The Hida (Rav Haim Yosef David Azulai, 1724-1806) writes that if a person did not leave water next to his bed, and needs to walk four Amot or more to access water for...

Is one allowed to put on clothing before washing Netilat Yadayim in the morning? Often, during the winter, people want to put socks on their feet before stepping on the cold floor and going to wash Netilat Yadayim. Is this permissible, or must one be concerned that the impurity will transfer from their hands onto their garments, thus causing harm? The Ben Ish Hai (Rav Yosef Haim of Baghdad, 1833-1909), in the work for which he was named (Ben Ish Hai, Parashat Toledot, 6), cites the Arizal's teaching that one may not touch his clothing before washing his hands in the...

Many people are naturally inclined to rub their eyes upon waking in the morning, but this should be avoided. The Shulhan Aruch (Orah Haim 4:3) writes that one should not touch any of the openings to his body – his mouth, his nostrils, his ears, or his eyes – in the morning before washing Netilat Yadayim. Hacham Ovadia Yosef cites the Solet Belula as asserting that the Sages forbade this because it could lead to spiritual harm – meaning, touching one's eyes could cause spiritual "blindness," an inability to "see" and understand Torah, and touching one's ears could affect his spiritual "hearing," his ability to lis...

Hacham Ovadia writes in Halichot Olam (vol. 7, p. 209) that one should not store food or beverages underneath a bed while somebody sleeps on it. If a food or beverage was beneath a bed when somebody slept on it, then, according to some Poskim, the product may not be consumed. Most Poskim, however, allow partaking of the food or beverage after the fact, particularly if it was on a tiled or paneled floor, and not directly on the ground. Nowadays, then, as our floors are covered with panels or tiling, although one should not place food underneath a bed, food does...

When a person wakes up in the morning, his hands are considered impure, due to the harmful spiritual forces that descend upon them during the night, and he must wash Netilat Yadayim – three times on each hand, in alternating fashion – to remove them. If somebody touches food or a beverage before washing Netilat Yadayim in the morning, does the impurity transfer to the food and beverage, such that it should not be consumed? Hacham Ovadia Yosef ruled that one should preferably ensure not to touch any food or beverages before washing Netilat Yadayim in the morning. If a food product was...