(יח) אלו דברים צריך נטילה במים. הקם מהמטה והיוצא מבית הכסא. ומבית המרחץ. והנוטל צפורניו. והחולץ מנעליו. והנוגע ברגליו. והחופף ראשו...
(18) After doing the following things, one is required to wash hands in water ... going out of the bathroom, or the bath house, cutting nails, taking off shoes, touching feet, or washing one's head...
Discussion Questions:
What do the things on this list have in common?
According to this text, why do we wash our hands?
Is this still a good reason to wash hands? Why or why not?
...ועל כן צריך למנוע מהגיע בידו קודם נטילה לפה ולחוטם ולאזנים ולעינים מפני שרוח רעה שורה עליהם
...Therefore, before he washes, he should not touch with his hand, the mouth, the nose, the ears and the eyes, on account of the evil spirit alighting upon them. ...
Questions to Discuss
According to the Tur, what are we not supposed to touch before we wash our hands?
Why does the Tur say we supposed to wash our hands?
If the evil spirit means something that can hurt us that we can't see, what scientific or medical thing could it be talking about instead?
With your new understanding of what this text might mean, what is the second reason we wash our hands?
And Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi says: Any priest (cohen) who did not first wash his hands may not lift his hands to recite the Priestly Benediction; as it is stated: “Lift up your hands in holiness and bless the Lord” (Psalms 134:2), which teaches that before reciting the Priestly benediction one must sanctify (make holy) his hands by washing them.
Discussion Questions
1. According to this text, what is the reason for washing hands?
2. How is this reason different from the first two?
3. What does it mean to sanctify your hands?
4. How is making something holy different from making it clean?
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Bonus (only if you have time left)
"The metaphor of Torah as water has always resonated with me. With Torah as water, the idea of learning, engaging with, and living through our sacred texts comes into focus. Just as we cannot live for long without water, so too will our lives become desiccated and empty without the study of Torah." - CHARLIE SCHWARTZ
Can you connect washing hands, Torah as water, and our Religious School faculty? How?