The basis for hand washing in Judaism was originally related to the Temple service
and sacrifices, and it comes from the Torah in Exodus 30:17-21.
(יז) וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר ה' אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃ (יח) וְעָשִׂ֜יתָ כִּיּ֥וֹר נְחֹ֛שֶׁת וְכַנּ֥וֹ נְחֹ֖שֶׁת לְרָחְצָ֑ה וְנָתַתָּ֣ אֹת֗וֹ בֵּֽין־אֹ֤הֶל מוֹעֵד֙ וּבֵ֣ין הַמִּזְבֵּ֔חַ וְנָתַתָּ֥ שָׁ֖מָּה מָֽיִם׃ (יט) וְרָחֲצ֛וּ אַהֲרֹ֥ן וּבָנָ֖יו מִמֶּ֑נּוּ אֶת־יְדֵיהֶ֖ם וְאֶת־רַגְלֵיהֶֽם׃ (כ) בְּבֹאָ֞ם אֶל־אֹ֧הֶל מוֹעֵ֛ד יִרְחֲצוּ־מַ֖יִם וְלֹ֣א יָמֻ֑תוּ א֣וֹ בְגִשְׁתָּ֤ם אֶל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֙חַ֙ לְשָׁרֵ֔ת לְהַקְטִ֥יר אִשֶּׁ֖ה לַֽה'׃ (כא) וְרָחֲצ֛וּ יְדֵיהֶ֥ם וְרַגְלֵיהֶ֖ם וְלֹ֣א יָמֻ֑תוּ וְהָיְתָ֨ה לָהֶ֧ם חָק־עוֹלָ֛ם ל֥וֹ וּלְזַרְע֖וֹ לְדֹרֹתָֽם׃ (פ)
(17) The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: (18) Make a laver of copper and a stand of copper for it, for washing; and place it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar. Put water in it, (19) and let Aaron and his sons wash their hands and feet [in water drawn] from it. (20) When they enter the Tent of Meeting they shall wash with water, that they may not die; or when they approach the altar to serve, to turn into smoke an offering by fire to the LORD, (21) they shall wash their hands and feet, that they may not die. It shall be a law for all time for them—for him and his offspring—throughout the ages.
There are several times where Jewish law requires hand washing, including:
- after sleeping or napping
- after going to the bathroom
- after leaving a cemetery
- before a meal, if bread is involved
- after a meal, if the "salt of Sodom" was used
On Waking in the Morning
This ritual, known as negel vasser (literally “nail water” in Yiddish), is rooted in the belief that certain impurities come to the body when it is asleep and is also typically performed with a two-handled cup. Morning washing is followed by the recitation of the same blessing said after washing hands before bread.
After a Meal
In some Hasidic and other communities, it is customary to wash the hands after a meal, a practice known as mayim acharonim, or “afterwards water.” Though not as widely practiced as pre-meal washing, both Maimonides and the Shulchan Aruch (16th-century code of Jewish law) considered this practice obligatory. No blessing is recited over mayim acharonim.
Washing before eating bread:
After washing, as one dries their hands, the following blessing is recited:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה אדושם אֱלקֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעולָם אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְותָיו וְצִוָּנוּ עַל נְטִילַת יָדַיִם
- Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, asher kidshanu b’mitzvotav vitzivanu al n’tilat yadayim.
- Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with Your commandments, and commanded us concerning the washing of the hands.
Why we wash before eating bread?
The Torah commands us to separate a small percentage of the wheat, wine and olive oil we produce and give it as a gift to the kohen (priest). Called terumah, this separated portion is holy and may not become impure. The sages declared that, since people fidget and touch things unknowingly, hands have a minor degree of impurity. The kohen must therefore wash his hands before partaking of terumah. (Shabbat 13b)
Biblically, terumah is to be taken from grain, wine and oil. Now, wine and oil are usually handled in a vessel and not touched directly with one’s hands, so it was never necessary to wash hands before consuming them. Grain, however, is usually eaten in the form of bread, so the rabbis required washing one’s hands before eating bread. (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 158:1)
The sages didn’t want to differentiate between different kinds of people (kohanim and Israelites), nor between breads (terumah and ordinary bread), so they instituted hand-washing before any kind of bread, thus ensuring that a kohen would never eat his terumah without washing. (Shulchan Aruch ha-Rav, Orach Chaim 158:1)
תנו רבנן מעשה ברבי עקיבא שהיה חבוש בבית האסורין והיה רבי יהושע הגרסי משרתו בכל יום ויום היו מכניסין לו מים במדה יום אחד מצאו שומר בית האסורין אמר לו היום מימך מרובין שמא לחתור בית האסורין אתה צריך שפך חציין ונתן לו חציין כשבא אצל רבי עקיבא אמר לו יהושע אין אתה יודע שזקן אני וחיי תלויין בחייך סח לו כל אותו המאורע אמר לו תן לי מים שאטול ידי אמר לו לשתות אין מגיעין ליטול ידיך מגיעין אמר לו מה אעשה שחייבים עליהן מיתה מוטב אמות מיתת עצמי ולא אעבור על דעת חבירי אמרו לא טעם כלום עד שהביא לו מים ונטל ידיו כששמעו חכמים בדבר אמרו מה בזקנותו כך בילדותו על אחת כמה וכמה ומה בבית האסורין כך שלא בבית האסורין על אחת כמה וכמה אמר רב יהודה אמר שמואל בשעה שתיקן שלמה עירובין ונטילת ידים יצתה בת קול ואמרה בני אם חכם לבך ישמח לבי גם אני ואומר חכם בני ושמח לבי ואשיבה חרפי
Concerning the significance of observing the words of the Sages, the Gemara relates: The Sages taught in a baraita: It once happened that Rabbi Akiva was incarcerated in a prison, and Rabbi Yehoshua HaGarsi would come to the prison to attend to his needs. Every day his disciples would bring him water in a measured quantity. One day the prison guard met Rabbi Yehoshua HaGarsi and said to him: The amount of your water today is more than usual; perhaps you need it in order to soften the walls and thus undermine the prison. He then poured out half the water, and gave him the other half to take in to Rabbi Akiva. When Rabbi Yehoshua came to Rabbi Akiva, and the latter saw the small amount of water he had brought, he said to him: Yehoshua, do you not know that I am old, and my life depends on your life? No one else brings me water, so if you bring me less than I need, my life is endangered. After Rabbi Yehoshua related to him the entire incident, Rabbi Akiva said to him: Give me water so that I may wash my hands. Rabbi Yehoshua said to him: The water that I brought will not suffice for drinking; how will it suffice for washing your hands? He said to him: What can I do; for transgressing the words of the Sages and eating without first washing hands one is liable to receive the death penalty. And if so, it is better that I should die my own death by thirst, rather than transgress the opinion of my colleagues who enacted that one must wash hands before eating. They said that he would not taste anything until Rabbi Yehoshua brought him water and he washed his hands. When the Sages heard about this, they said: If in his old age and weakened state he is still so meticulous in his observance of the mitzvot, how much more so must he have been in his youth. And if in prison he is so scrupulous in his behavior, how much more so must he have been when not in prison. Rav Yehuda said that Shmuel said: At the time that King Solomon instituted the ordinances of eiruv of courtyards and of washing hands to purify them from their impurity, which are added safeguards to the words of the Torah, a Divine Voice emerged and said in his praise: “My son, if your heart is wise, My heart will be glad, even Mine” (Proverbs 23:15). And it states with regard to him: “My son, be wise and make My heart glad, that I may respond to he who taunts Me” (Proverbs 27:11).
(ח) הָאוֹכֵל בְּלא נְטִילַת יָדַיִם, כְּאִלּוּ בָּא עַל אִשָּׁה זוֹנָה, וְהַמְזַלְזֵל בִּנְטִילַת יָדַיִם, נֶעֱקָר מִן הָעוֹלָם.
(8) One who eats without first washing his hands (in the way prescribed by halacha) is as if he had relations with a prostitute. And one who trivializes the ritual hand-washing is uprooted from the world.
Why custom of not speaking between hand washing & motzi (blessing over bread)?
In practice, one makes the Hamotzi blessing as quickly after washing as possible, and also does not speak or engage in any activities between washing and the Hamotzi.
The Jerusalem Talmud states, “Whoever recites the blessing directly after washing his hands will not suffer harm during that entire meal.” (Jerusalem Talmud, Brachot 1:1)
Based on this, many rabbis explain that one should try not to make a verbal interruption between washing and the Hamotzi. And although some say that two or three words are not considered an interruption, others say to be careful of any speech whatsoever unless it pertains to the actual meal (e.g. “please pass the salt,” which is needed for the Hamotzi).(Shulchan Aruch Harav Orech Chaim 166:1)