נטילת ידים

(1) When a person wakes from his sleep, he says "E-lohay neshamah." When he hears the voice of a cock, one blesses "He who gives understanding." When he gets dressed, he blesses "Who clothes the naked." When he passes his hand in front of his eyes, he blesses "Who gives sight to the blind." When he sits, "Who frees the bound." When he stands, "Who straightens the bowed." When he puts his feet on the ground, he blesses "Who stretches the earth over the water." When he puts on his shoes, "Who provides me with all of my needs." When he goes out, he blesses "Who prepares the steps of man." When he puts on a belt, "Who girds Israel with strength." (Gloss: Or if he wears a sash that is sufficient to separate his heart and groin areas [beit Yosef in the name of the Ravad]) When he puts a hat or turban on his head, he blesses "Who crowns Israel with glory." When he washes his hands, he blesses "regarding the washing of hands." When he washes his face, he blesses "who removes the sleep from my eyes etc." and "may it be Your will etc." until "blessed are You Hashem who bestows loving-kindness on His people Israel." One does not answer 'Amen' after "who removes sleep from my eyes" until he has finished with "bestows loving-kindness on His people Israel," because it is all one single blessing.

(1) 4. He should wash his hands clean and recite the blessing ‘Blessed are you, Lord our God, king of the universe, who sanctified us with His mitzvot and commanded us concerning hand washing.’ He should be exacting in pouring over them three times on account of the evil spirit alighting upon the hands prior to washing, which is not vitiated until he has poured over them three times. Therefore, he needs to refrain from touching with his hand, prior to washing, to the mouth, to the nose, and to the ears and to the eyes, on account of the evil spirit alighting upon them. But if he has no water, he should wipe his hands with a stone chip or with any type of wiping implement and recite the blessing ‘concerning the cleaning of the hands.’

(3) One should not put his hands in his mouth, ears, eyes, or nose before washing one's hands.

(22) If one has no water, one may wipe one's hands in a lump of earth or dust or any cleansing agent and recite a blessing on the cleanliness of hands, and this permits him to pray but does not remove the evil spirit from them....

(2) Cleanliness of hands: How is this condition complied with? The hands are washed in water, up to the wrists, and then the prayers are recited. A person, travelling on the road, finds, when the time for prayer has arrived, that he has no water. If it can be procured within a distance of four miles, equal to 8000 cubits, he should proceed to the locality where there is water, wash his hands and then recite the prayers. If the distance exceeds that limit, he wipes his hands on a clod, or with loose earth, or on a beam and then reads the Service.

(3) This rule only applies if the direction of the place where water can be procured is in front of the traveller. But if it is in his rear, he is only obliged to retrace his steps a mile. If he has passed on from the place where there is water beyond this distance, he is not obliged to go back, but wipes his hands and recites the prayers. The statement that for prayers only the hands need to be cleansed refers to all services except the morning service. For this service, the face, the hands and the feet^*Why feet? Because these may be mired as people walked barefoot or only wearing sandals. should first be washed, and then the prayers are recited. If water is not accessible, one wipes the hands only, and recites the prayers.

(13) If one has stayed awake all night, then it is not clear whether he needs to wash his hands for the morning prayer or whether he needs to remove the foul spirit. Rema: He should wash his hands without reciting a blessing. (Rosh, Principle 2; Rashba, Chapter 123).

(14) If one arose from bed before daybreak and washed his hands, it is unclear whether he should wash his hands again when daylight appears, in order to remove the Bad Spirit which has passed through them.Gloss: He should wash his hands without reciting a blessing.

(15) If one sleeps during the day, it is unclear whether he should pour water three times onto his hands. Gloss: He should wash his hands without reciting a blessing.

(12) If one dabbles his hands into a vessel of water, then that counts as hand-washing for the purposes of reciting the Shema and the Amidah prayer, but he has not yet removed the foul spirit from his hands. If one dabbles each of his hands alternately into three different lots of water, then it is not clear whether he has removed the foul spirit from his hands.

(10) One should take up the vessel of water with his right hand, then transfer it to his left hand in order to pour water onto his right hand first.

(9) Water which has been used for hand-washing before morning prayers should not be used afterwards for any other purpose. One should not pour it out in a house, nor any place where people pass by.

(5) Ten wonders were wrought for our ancestors in the Temple: [1] no woman miscarried from the odor of the sacred flesh; [2] the sacred flesh never became putrid; [3] no fly was ever seen in the slaughterhouse; [4] no emission occurred to the high priest on the Day of Atonement; [5] the rains did not extinguish the fire of the woodpile; [6] the wind did not prevail against the column of smoke; [7] no defect was found in the omer, or in the two loaves, or in the showbread; [8] the people stood pressed together, yet bowed down and had room enough; [9] never did a serpent or a scorpion harm anyone in Jerusalem; [10] and no man said to his fellow: the place is too congested for me to lodge overnight in Jerusalem.