Thinking about washing

(11) Everyone is permitted to pour water over the hands of another, even those who are deaf, mentally incapable, children, non-Jews, and a niddah woman. RAMA: There are those who say that a child under the age of six is considered like a monkey.

(12) If a monkey [RAMA: This is a kind of beast that we call simia] pours water over one's hands some consider this invalid, while some consider it valid, which seems correct. RAMA: However, it is good to be strict on this matter.

Those who forbid young children from washing hands hold that one needs intention (kavannah)

"A child is like a monkey" - because a very young child has no understanding (daat).

"A kind of beast" - it has some level of understanding (daat) to do things.

All are fit to pour water over the hands, even a deaf-mute, one mentally incapable, or a minor. A person may place the jug between his knees and pour out the water Or he may turn the jug on its side and pour it out. A monkey may pour water over the hands. Rabbi Yose declares these [latter] two cases invalid.

Rav Pappa said: With regard to an irrigation channel [arita dedalla’ei], into which water is poured from a river using buckets, and which then transports the water to the fields, one may not wash his hands in it. The reason is that this water does not come from koach gavra ('human force'), i.e., it is not poured on the hands by a direct act, as it moves by force of the current in the channel. But if one draws his hands near the bucket itself, in such a manner that the water poured on his hands comes from koach gavra before it begins to flow in the channel, then one may wash his hands with it.

A person washing his hands take care with regards to four things: 1) as to the water, that it should not be unfit for washing the hands; 2) as to the quantity, that there should be the fourth of a log for each pair of hands; 3) as to the vessel, that the water used for washing the hands should be in a vessel; 4) and as to the person who washes the hands, that the pouring of the water should result directly from the giving... and a monkey may wash someone's hands.

With regards to the monkey, the Talmud specifically requires koach gavra, human power, and Rambam admits this too. Why would you think that this category of 'human' applies to a monkey? A deaf-mute person, or mentally incapable, or a child - these all have the capacity for action. But a monkey is nothing!

The reason that the irrigation channel is not fit for washing hands is that there's no koach gavra, and this includes all living creatures. Even if you say only monkeys are allowed, even so, the Raavad is incorrect.

If you look closely at Rambam's language, you will see that he requires that the water be a result of the 'power of giving'. He was not particular about human power, just the giving of the water, whether human or otherwise.

On seeing an elephant, an ape or an owl one says, "Blessed be He Who varieth the forms of creatures."

This is because they each have qualities that are similar to those of a human, therefore one blesses 'Blessed is the One who changes the forms of creatures.'

Monkey - this is an animal that we call mona. It has hands like the hands of a man.

The first blessing is al netilat yada’im -“over the washing of the hands”. Our rabbis z”l specifically fixed the form of this blessing with the word “netilah,” which literally means “raising high,”...

It is necessary to raise up one’s hands when saying this blessing. Moreover this would include the point of raising hands in prayer, to concentrate one’s mind on them (i.e., the ten fingers of one’s hands) to be made holy by them from the ten sefirot. It is like someone who raises their hands upward to concentrate on opening the source above, pulling and drawing down the divine energy flow. This is what Scripture means when it says, “I reach up for your commandments which I love.”

This verse teaches you that in some of the commandments there is an imprint or picture above, which a person needs, in order to follow them below, so you should raise your hands toward them above.

Even here over the table when you are eating, you ought to lift up your hands and raise them above. You should concentrate on the ten sefirot when you lift (or wash) before you eat...

And know the truth, that the structure of the body with ten fingers on the hands that can be raised above, and ten toes below, with our body in the middle – was designed this way, to get us to visualize the connection between heaven and earth. Just so, our body links our upper and lower ten digits.

Impurity is not mud or filth to be removed with water, but is a matter of biblical decree; it depends on the heart's intent. Accordingly, the sages have declared: If a man immersed himself, but without a definite purpose in view, it is as though he had not immersed himself at all. Nevertheless, there is some ethical allusion to this: just as one who sets his mind on becoming clean becomes clean as soon as he has immersed himself, even though nothing new is produced in his physical being, so one who sets his mind on purifying himself from all the spiritual defilements, namely wrongful thoughts and evil traits, becomes clean as soon as he made up his mind to abstain from those notions, and brought his soul into the waters of reason. Indeed, Scripture declares: "I will pour clean water over you, and you shall be clean; from all your impurities and idolatries I will cleanse you" (Ezekiel 36:25).

If a wave was separated [from the sea] and was forty seahs, and it fell on a man or on vessels, they become clean. Any place containing forty seahs is valid for immersing oneself and for immersing other things. One may immerse in trenches or in ditches or even in a donkey-track whose water is connected in a valley. Bet Shammai say: one may immerse in a rain torrent. But Bet Hillel say: one may not immerse.

Perhaps we are dealing with one who is sitting and awaiting for when a wave will detach and fall on the vessels