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(יז) וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר ה' אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃ (יח) וְעָשִׂ֜יתָ כִּיּ֥וֹר נְחֹ֛שֶׁת וְכַנּ֥וֹ נְחֹ֖שֶׁת לְרׇחְצָ֑ה 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 חׇק־עוֹלָ֛ם ל֥וֹ וּלְזַרְע֖וֹ לְדֹרֹתָֽם׃ {פ}
(17) ה' 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 ה', (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.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר קִדְּ֒שָֽׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ עַל נְטִילַת יָדָֽיִם:
they shall wash. From here the Talmud Berachot 15a) (connects) washing of the hands to prayer. [Responsa of the Rashba 191]
אָמַר רַבִּי חִיָּיא בַּר אַבָּא אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: כָּל הַנִּפְנֶה, וְנוֹטֵל יָדָיו, וּמַנִּיחַ תְּפִילִּין, וְקוֹרֵא קְרִיאַת שְׁמַע, וּמִתְפַּלֵּל — מַעֲלֶה עָלָיו הַכָּתוּב כְּאִלּוּ בָּנָה מִזְבֵּחַ וְהִקְרִיב עָלָיו קׇרְבָּן, דִּכְתִיב: ״אֶרְחַץ בְּנִקָּיוֹן כַּפָּי וַאֲסוֹבְבָה אֶת מִזְבַּחֲךָ ה׳״. אֲמַר לֵיהּ רָבָא: לָא סָבַר לַהּ מָר כְּאִילּוּ טָבַל, דִּכְתִיב: ״אֶרְחַץ [בְּנִקָּיוֹן]״ — וְלָא כָּתַב ״אַרְחִיץ [כַּפָּי]״. אֲמַר לֵיהּ רָבִינָא לְרָבָא: חֲזִי מָר הַאי צוּרְבָּא מֵרַבָּנָן דַּאֲתָא מִמַּעְרְבָא וְאָמַר: מִי שֶׁאֵין לוֹ מַיִם לִרְחוֹץ יָדָיו — מְקַנֵּחַ יָדָיו בְּעָפָר וּבִצְרוֹר וּבְקִסְמִית. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: שַׁפִּיר קָאָמַר, מִי כְּתִיב ״אֶרְחַץ בְּמַיִם״? ״בְּנִקָּיוֹן״ כְּתִיב — כֹּל מִידֵּי דִּמְנַקֵּי, דְּהָא רַב חִסְדָּא לָיֵיט אַמַּאן דִּמְהַדַּר אַמַּיָּא בְּעִידָּן צְלוֹתָא. וְהָנֵי מִילֵּי לִקְרִיאַת שְׁמַע, אֲבָל לִתְפִלָּה מְהַדַּר. וְעַד כַּמָּה? — עַד פַּרְסָה. וְהָנֵי מִילֵּי לְקַמֵּיהּ, אֲבָל לַאֲחוֹרֵיהּ — אֲפִילּוּ מִיל אֵינוֹ חוֹזֵר. [וּמִינַּהּ] מִיל הוּא דְּאֵינוֹ חוֹזֵר, הָא פָּחוֹת מִמִּיל — חוֹזֵר.
On a similar note, Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Anyone who relieves himself, washes his hands, dons phylacteries, recites Shema, and prays, the verse ascribes credit to him as if he built an altar and offered a sacrifice upon it, as it is written: “I will wash in purity my hands, and I will encircle the altar of the Lord” (Psalms 26:6).
Rava said to him: Do you not maintain, Master, that one who does so, it is as if he immersed his entire body, as it is written: “I will wash in purity,” and it is not written: “I will wash my hands”?
Ravina said to Rava: My Master, look at this Torah scholar [tzurva merabbanan] who came from Eretz Yisrael and said something astonishing: One who has no water with which to wash his hands, it is sufficient that he wipes his hands with earth, a rock, or a sliver of wood. Rava replied to Ravina: He spoke well, as, is it written: I will wash with water? In purity, is written referring to anything that cleans..
§ When Rav Dimi came from Eretz Yisrael he said: Due to the failure to wash with the first waters, they ultimately fed a Jew pig meat. This case involved a storekeeper who would sell different meat to his Jewish and gentile customers. When a Jew who came to eat with him neglected to wash before eating, the storekeeper assumed he was a gentile and fed him pig meat.
אָמַר רַבִּי זְרִיקָא אָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר כׇּל הַמְּזַלְזֵל בִּנְטִילַת יָדַיִם נֶעֱקָר מִן הָעוֹלָם אָמַר רַב חִיָּיא בַּר אָשֵׁי אָמַר רַב מַיִם רִאשׁוֹנִים צָרִיךְ שֶׁיַּגְבִּיהַּ יָדָיו לְמַעְלָה מַיִם אַחֲרוֹנִים צָרִיךְ שֶׁיַּשְׁפִּיל יָדָיו לְמַטָּה תַּנְיָא נָמֵי הָכִי הַנּוֹטֵל יָדָיו צָרִיךְ שֶׁיַּגְבִּיהַּ יָדָיו לְמַעְלָה שֶׁמָּא יֵצְאוּ הַמַּיִם חוּץ לַפֶּרֶק וְיַחְזְרוּ וִיטַמְּאוּ אֶת הַיָּדַיִם
The Gemara continues its discussion of washing hands. Rabbi Zerika says that Rabbi Elazar says: Anyone who treats the ritual of washing hands with contempt is uprooted from the world.
Rav Ḥiyya bar Ashi says that Rav says: With regard to the first water, i.e., the water used when washing one’s hands before a meal, one must raise his hands upward after washing. With regard to the last water, i.e., the water used when washing one’s hands at the conclusion of the meal before reciting Grace after Meals, one must lower his hands downward. This distinction is also taught in a baraita (Tosefta, Yadayim 2:2): One who washes his hands before a meal must raise his hands upward after washing, lest the water advance past the joint onto the part of the hands that he was not required to wash, becoming impure, and then return to the area he had washed, rendering his hands ritually impure.
וְאֶת מִי נִדּוּ, אֱלִיעֶזֶר בֶּן חֲנוֹךְ, שֶׁפִּקְפֵּק בְּטָהֳרַת יָדָיִם. וּכְשֶׁמֵּת, שָׁלְחוּ בֵית דִּין וְהִנִּיחוּ אֶבֶן עַל אֲרוֹנוֹ. מְלַמֵּד שֶׁכָּל הַמִּתְנַדֶּה וּמֵת בְּנִדּוּיוֹ, סוֹקְלִין אֶת אֲרוֹנוֹ:
whom did they excommunicate? Eliezer the son of Hanoch who cast doubt against the laws concerning the purifying of the hands. And when he died the court sent and laid a stone on his coffin. This teaches that whoever is excommunicated and dies while under excommunication, his coffin is stoned.
[whom did they excommunicate? Eliezer the son of Hanoch who cast doubt against the laws concerning the purifying of the hands. And when he died the court sent and laid a stone on his coffin. This teaches that whoever is excommunicated and dies while under excommunication, his coffin is stoned. English Explanation of Mishnah Eduyot 5:6:8]
Mark 7
1The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus 2 and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. 3 (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. 4 When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.[a])
5 So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?”
6 He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:
“‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
7 They worship me in vain;
their teachings are merely human rules.’[b]
8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”
9 And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe[c] your own traditions! 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’[d] and, ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’[e] 11 But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is Corban (that is, devoted to God)— 12 then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother. 13 Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.”
14 Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. 15 Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.” [16] [f]
17 After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. 18 “Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? 19 For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.)
20 He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. 21 For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22 adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23 All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”
See also Matthew 15
בא חבירו וישב (נ"י כנגד) כנגדי (נ"י ואף בזה יש מקרא ואין בו משנה) ואף בזה היה מקרא ולא היה בו משנה ואמר לי רבי רחיצת ידים מן התורה לא נאמר לנו מהר סיני (נ"י אמר) אמרתי לו בני דברים הרבה יש לנו וחמורין הן ולא צריך הכתוב לאמרן לפיכך הטילו אותן על ישראל ואמר הן יבדילו אותן כדי להרבות שכרן. ומנין לך תדע לך שכן הוא כשהיו ישראל במדבר אמר הקב"ה למשה (שמות י״ט:י׳) לך אל העם וקדשתם היום ומחר וכבסו שמלותם ושנו במשנה וקדשתם בטבילה גם למדנו רחיצת ידים מן התורה מן משה ואהרן ובניו שנאמר בבואם אל אהל מועד ירחצו מים (שמות ל׳:כ׳) ואצל ישראל מהו אומר (ויקרא כ׳:ז׳) והתקדשתם והייתם קדושים כי קדוש אני מכאן היה רבן גמליאל אוכל חולין בטהרה ואמר לתלמידיו לא לכהנים בלבד ניתנה קדושה אלא לכהנים ולוים וישראלים כולן שנאמר (ויקרא י״ט:ב׳) דבר אל כל עדת בני ישראל וגו' קדושים תהיו מכאן אמרו כל המזלזל בנטילת ידים סימן רע לו ועליו הוא אומר (דברים כ״ט:י״ח) והיה בשמעו את דברי האלה הזאת וגו' לא יאבה ה' סלוח לו וגו' ומחה ה' את שמו מתחת השמים הא למדת כל האוכל בלא נטילת ידים כאלו בא על אשת איש.
His students came and sat and he taught that and he had mikra (ie: written law) but no mishnah (ie: oral law) and Rebbe said to me, washing the hands is from the Torah but was not told to us at Mt. Sinai. I said by son there are many things that are stringent and the verse does not have to say them (explicitly) therefore they were given to the children of Israel and it was said that they will distinguish you in order to give you reward. And from where do we know that it is so? When the Israelites where in the desert God said to Moshe (Exodus 19: 10) go to the people and sanctify them today and tomorrow and wash their clothing, and refrain from relations and make them holy with immersion. We learnt that washing the hands is from the Torah from Moshe and Aaron and their children as it says "When you enter the Tent of Meeting and you should wash with water (Exodus 30: 20) and with regard to Israel what it says (Leviticus 20: 7) and you should be holy becasue I am holy. From here Raban Gamliel ate Hulin in purity and said to his students "Not to the Cohonim only was given holiness but rather to Cohanim, Leviim and Israelites, all of them as it says (Leviticus 19: 2) speak to the whole congregation of Israel etc. You shall be Holy, and from here we learn that he who belittles washing the hands it is a sign that he is evil and about him is is written (Deuteronomy 29: 18)
When such a one hears the words of these sanctions, ... The LORD will never forgive him; ... the LORD blots out his name from under heaven. So we learnt anyone who eats without washing thier hands it's as if he fornicated with a married woman.
(א) מצות קדוש ידים ורגלים בשעת עבודה - לרחץ (סהמ''צ להרמב''ם עשה כד) הידים ורגלים בכל עת הכנס להיכל (עי' תוס' יומא ה ב בד''ה להביא) והבא לעבד עבודה, וזאת היא מצות קדוש ידים ורגלים, שנאמר (שמות ל יט) ורחצו אהרן ובניו ממנו את ידיהם ואת רגליהם בבאם אל אהל מועד וגו' או בגשתם אל המזבח וגו'.
(ב) משרשי המצוה. היסוד הקבוע שאמרנו להגדיל כבוד הבית וכל המלאכות הנעשות שם, על כן ראוי לנקות הידים שהן העושות במלאכה בכל עת יגעו הכהנים בעניני הבית. ומזה השרש אמרו זכרונם לברכה (זבחים יט ב) שאין הכהן צריך לקדש ידיו בין עבודה לעבודה אלא פעם אחת בבקר, ועובד כל היום וכל הלילה, והוא שלא יישן ולא יטיל מים ולא יסיח דעתו. נראה מכל זה שאין הכונה ברחיצה מתחלה אלא להגדלת כבוד הבית שאפילו היה טהור ונקי בתחלת באו שם צריך לרחץ. ומשהתחיל בעבודה, אין צריך עוד לרחיצה בין עבודה לעבודה זולתי ביום הכפורים לרב חמרו של יום,...
ושאין מכניסין ידיהן לתוכו אלא שופכין ממנו על ידיהם, וגם זה דרך כבוד,...
ואפילו בתרומה עצמה נטילת ידים בה מדרבנן הוא, כי מן התורה לא נמצא טהרה רק בכל הגוף בבת אחת. ומה שאמרו זכרונם לברכה (חולין שם) שהנטילה מדכתיב (ויקרא טו יא) וידיו לא שטף וגו', אסמכתא בעלמא הוא, כן כתוב בספר המצות של הרמב''ן זכרונו לברכה. (עי' ספר המצוות שרש א בד''ה בתשובה השנית).
(1) The commandment of sanctifying the hands and the feet at the time of the service: To wash (Sefer HaMitzvot LaRambam, Mitzvot Ase 24) the hands and the feet at all times when one enters into the sanctuary and when one comes to do the service (see Tosefot on Yoma 5b, s.v. lehavi) - and that is the commandment of the sanctification of the hands and the feet - as it is stated (Exodus 30:19-20), "And let Aharon and his sons wash their hands and feet [...] When they enter the Tent of Meeting, etc. or when they approach the altar to serve, etc."
(2) From the roots of the commandment is the fixed foundation that we have said [that it is] to aggrandize the glory of the [Temple] and all of the [activities] that are done there. ..
It appears from all of this that the intention of the washing at the beginning is only for the aggrandizement of the glory of the [Temple], since even if he was pure and clean from the beginning of his arrival there, he [still] needs to wash. And once he has started the service, he does not need to wash again between one service and [another] service, except for on Yom Kippur, due to the stringency of the day. ...
And that they do not put their hands into [the water], but we pour it over their hands - and this is also the way of honor. ...
And even about the priestly tithe itself, its [washing] of the hands is rabbinic; as by Torah writ, one only finds purity for the entire body at once, and that which they, may their memory be blessed, said (Chullin 106a) that the [washing] is [derived] from that which is written (Leviticus 15:11), "and he did not wash his hands, etc." - that is just a memory device (asmakhta). And so is it written in the Sefer HaMitzvot of Ramban, may his memory be blessed (see Sefer HaMitzvot LaRambam, Shoresh 1, s.v. beteshuvah hashenit).
כָּל מָקוֹם שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בַּתּוֹרָה רְחִיצַת בָּשָׂר וְכִבּוּס בְּגָדִים מִן הַטֻּמְאָה אֵינוֹ אֶלָּא טְבִילַת כָּל הַגּוּף בְּמִקְוֶה. וְזֶה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בְּזָב (ויקרא טו יא) "וְיָדָיו לֹא שָׁטַף בַּמָּיִם" כְּלוֹמַר שֶׁיִּטְבֹּל כָּל גּוּפוֹ.
Whenever the Torah mentions washing one's flesh or laundering one's garments from impurity, the intent is solely the immersion of the entire body or article in a mikveh. The phrase, Leviticus 15:11: "And he did not wash his hands in water," also refers to the immersion of the entire body.
Bathing Feet
ורחצו אהרן ובניו ממנו את ידיהם ואת רגליהם. היה מקדש רגליו וידיו בבת אחת, ושנינו בזבחים כיצד קדוש מניח ידו הימנית על גבי רגלו הימנית וידו השמאלית על רגלו השמאלית ומקדש. וע"ד הפשט טעם רחיצת הידים מטכסיסי המלכות כי כן דרך המשרתים המתקרבים אל שלחן המלך לרחוץ ידיהם תחלה מפני שהידים עסקניות הן, ורחיצת הרגלים לפי שהיו משרתים יחפים. וע"ד הקבלה טעם רחיצת הידים והרגלים לרמוז על עשר ספירות שכן ראשית האדם עשרה בהגביהו ידיו למעלה וסופו עשרה, והוא הטעם שתקנו לנו רז"ל נטילת ידים בתפלה ולשון נטילה ירמוז לזה שהוא לשון הגבהה כלשון (תהילים קל״ד:ב׳) שאו ידיכם קדש וזהו (שם קיט) ואשא כפי אל מצותיך אשר אהבתי וגו'. ולכך תרגם אונקלוס מלת ורחצו לשון קדושה שאמר ויקדשון ולא תרגם ויסחון כמשפטו בשאר המקומות לרמוז כי הכהן העובד מתלבש ומתקדש בקדושת י' ספירות, ויש בצורת האדם דוגמא להם בעשר אצבעות הידים וברית הפה בינתים וכן עשר אצבעות רגלים וברית מילה בינתים.
ורחצו אהרן ובניו ממנו את ידיהם ואת רגליהם, “and Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet from this basin and the water therein.” The priest would wash his hands and feet at the same time, as has been explained in Zevachim 19. He would place his right hand on top of his right foot and his left hand on top of his left foot and would wash them. According to the plain meaning of our text, the need for performing this washing (assuming the priests had not entered the holy precincts with dirty hands or feet) was that it was an accepted ceremony before facing Royalty. Any of the king’s attendants who served food at his table had to wash his hands immediately prior to serving the food, seeing that hands are by nature busy with many activities of which the owner is often even unaware. The reason the priests also had to wash their feet immediately before performing sacrificial service was because they were barefoot (Jerusalem Talmud Shekalim 5,1). ...
The expression נטילת ידים for “washing one’s hands,” [as opposed to רחיצת ידים] is an allusion to Psalms 134,2 שאו ידיכם קדש, “elevate, raise your hands (before) performing something sacred and proceed to bless the Lord.” A similar expression to the word שאו is found Psalms 119,48 where the psalmist says: “I raise my hands (elevate) towards Your commandments.” This is why Onkelos translates the word ורחצו, “they shall wash,” as ויקדשון, “they shall sanctify.”
יוקח נא מעט מים ורחצו רגליכם אמר רבי ינאי ברבי ישמעאל אמרו לו וכי בערביים חשדתנו שהם משתחוים לאבק רגליהם כבר יצא ממנו ישמעאל
The Gemara continues its analysis of the verse: “Let now a little water be fetched and wash your feet” (Genesis 18:4). Rabbi Yannai, son of Rabbi Yishmael, said that the guests said to Abraham: Are you suspicious that we are Arabs who bow to the dust of their feet? Yishmael has already issued from him, i.e., your own son acts in this manner.
(לב) וַיָּבֹ֤א הָאִישׁ֙ הַבַּ֔יְתָה וַיְפַתַּ֖ח הַגְּמַלִּ֑ים וַיִּתֵּ֨ן תֶּ֤בֶן וּמִסְפּוֹא֙ לַגְּמַלִּ֔ים וּמַ֙יִם֙ לִרְחֹ֣ץ רַגְלָ֔יו וְרַגְלֵ֥י הָאֲנָשִׁ֖ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר אִתּֽוֹ׃
(32) So the man entered the house, and the camels were unloaded. The camels were given straw and feed, and water was brought to bathe his feet and the feet of the entourage under him.
(כד) וַיָּבֵ֥א הָאִ֛ישׁ אֶת־הָאֲנָשִׁ֖ים בֵּ֣יתָה יוֹסֵ֑ף וַיִּתֶּן־מַ֙יִם֙ וַיִּרְחֲצ֣וּ רַגְלֵיהֶ֔ם וַיִּתֵּ֥ן מִסְפּ֖וֹא לַחֲמֹֽרֵיהֶֽם׃
(24) Then the steward brought the men into Joseph’s house; he gave them water to bathe their feet, and he provided feed for their asses.
(מ) וַיָּבֹ֜אוּ עַבְדֵ֥י דָוִ֛ד אֶל־אֲבִיגַ֖יִל הַכַּרְמֶ֑לָה וַיְדַבְּר֤וּ אֵלֶ֙יהָ֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר דָּוִד֙ שְׁלָחָ֣נוּ אֵלַ֔יִךְ לְקַחְתֵּ֥ךְ ל֖וֹ לְאִשָּֽׁה׃ (מא) וַתָּ֕קׇם וַתִּשְׁתַּ֥חוּ אַפַּ֖יִם אָ֑רְצָה וַתֹּ֗אמֶר הִנֵּ֤ה אֲמָֽתְךָ֙ לְשִׁפְחָ֔ה לִרְחֹ֕ץ רַגְלֵ֖י עַבְדֵ֥י אֲדֹנִֽי׃
(40) When David’s servants came to Abigail at Carmel and told her that David had sent them to her to make her his wife, (41) she immediately bowed low with her face to the ground and said, “Your handmaid is ready to be your maidservant, to wash the feet of my lord’s servants.”
Wudu is often translated as 'partial ablution', as opposed to ghusl as 'full ablution' where the whole body is washed. It also contrasts with tayammum ('dry ablution'), which uses sand or dust in place of water, principally due to water scarcity or other harmful effects on the person.[3] Purification of the body and clothes is called taharah.
Basis of Wudu
Quran[edit]
Qur'an 2:222 says "For God loves those who turn to Him constantly and He loves those who keep themselves pure and clean."[2:222] The Islamic prophet Muhammad said that "Cleanliness is half of faith."[4]
Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence)[edit]
Wudu by itself is a mustahabb (recommendable act) in Islamic rites, but it becomes obligatory in special conditions such as daily prayers (salah) and tawaf and worship.[5]
Foot Washing in Christianity
14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. John 13: 14-17 See Maundy (foot washing)
Reform - Brit Rechitza
A number of Jewish rabbis who disagree with the initiation custom of brit milah, or circumcision of a male baby, instead have offered brit shalom, or a multi-part naming ceremony which eschews circumcision. One portion of the ritual, Brit rechitzah, involves the washing of the baby's feet. see
Saved from the Plague ...
Norman Cantor suggested that the “popular belief that Jews were responsible for the Black Death . . . was inspired or at least exacerbated by a visibly lower incidence of the plague among Jews,” which he attributed to the “personal cleanliness, good housekeeping, and highly selective diets” prescribed by Jewish law.
This is the version of history that many of us heard in Hebrew school. We call it the Jewish cultural exceptionalism hypothesis: Jews were saved from the plague by handwashing, kashrut, and burying their dead quickly—and then were scapegoated and murdered in large numbers by their neighbors due to their relative health. In 1999, the medical historian Martin Blaser added the suggestion that cleaning for Passover might have helped, since the requirement to remove old grain products would have kept the rats away.
None of these or similar claims are scientifically plausible. Bubonic plague is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, which, during the 14th century, was carried by the black rat (Rattus rattus) and transmitted by the tropical rat flea (Xenopsylla cheopis), which jumped from rats to humans, infecting them with the disease.
For these and other reasons, some scholars have concluded that Jews didn’t really survive at higher rates than non-Jews during the plague and that contemporary claims they did were merely paranoid fantasies of medieval anti-Judaism. The cultural anthropologist and physician Leonard Glick, for example, has concluded that “it is likely that [the Jews] were afflicted as much as anyone else.”
See: Jews, Genes, and the Black Death, By Kathryn A. Glatter | Paul Finkelman, Jewish Review of Books, Spring 2021
Negel Vaser - Nails
Man entrusts his soul [to G‑d at night] tired and exhausted, and G‑d restores it to him rejuvenated and refreshed so that he may serve his Creator with all his capacity, this being the purpose of man. Therefore we should sanctify ourselves with His holiness, and wash our hands with water from a vessel before serving Him and ministering to Him, like the priest who would wash his hands from the basin each day before beginning his service [in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem].
Our sages teach [Zohar 1:207a.] that when anyone sleeps [approximately a half hour, his soul departs from him and a spirit of impurity comes and rests upon his body. As soon as he awakes from sleep, the spirit of impurity departs from his entire body with the exception of his hands. It does not depart from the hands until he pours water over each hand.Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, (1745–1812) Code of Jewish LawHilchot Netilat Yadayim, sec. 1 see
the Midrash which tells us that before Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of Knowledge, their bodies were covered with a nail-like covering. After they sinned, this was taken away. Another consequence of the sin was that womankind would begin to experience long and painful gestation and birth. Hence, when a woman passes over a nail clipping (reminiscent of the nail-like scales of Adam and Eve), there is a concern that the prosecuting angels would find reason to cause her grief and pain. see Baer Heitev, OC 260.
(א) שִׁ֗יר הַֽמַּ֫עֲל֥וֹת הִנֵּ֤ה ׀ בָּרְכ֣וּ אֶת־ה' כׇּל־עַבְדֵ֣י ה' הָעֹמְדִ֥ים בְּבֵית־ה' בַּלֵּילֽוֹת׃ (ב) שְׂאֽוּ־יְדֵכֶ֥ם קֹ֑דֶשׁ וּ֝בָרְכ֗וּ אֶת־ה'׃ (ג) יְבָרֶכְךָ֣ ה' מִצִּיּ֑וֹן עֹ֝שֵׂ֗ה שָׁמַ֥יִם וָאָֽרֶץ׃ {פ}
(1) A song of ascents.
Now bless the LORD,
all you servants of the LORD
who stand nightly
in the house of the LORD. (2) Lift your hands toward the sanctuary
and bless the LORD. (3) May the LORD,
maker of heaven and earth,
bless you from Zion.
שיר המעלות, בשיר הזה יסד פינה נפלאה על יסודי האמונה, והוא שהמקור העליון אשר לא יכזבו מימיו, יתברך ויתרבה ע"י מעשה התחתונים, כי ה' ישפיע הטוב לטובים והשפע למוכנים, ובעת שהדור בלתי ראוים לקבלו אז מעין נרפש ומקור משחת וצינורי השפע לא יריקו ברכתם וזה ענין הברכה שישראל מברכים את ה', שהוא שבמעשיהם הטובים ובתפלותיהם ימלא את הברכה העליונה פלג אלקים מלא מי החסד הטובה ורחמים, ועל הארץ יריקוה, וכשירעו מעשיהם יבשו אפיקי מים ונהר יחרב ויבש, וכמ"ש חז"ל שישראל מוסיפים כח בגבורה של מעלה, והברכה צורך גבוה, וכמ"ש בספר ארצות החיים (בארץ יהודה סי' ה') בפי' מלת ברוך בכמה ראיות, וז"ש הנה ברכו את ה', ר"ל תנו לו ברכה את גולות עלית ואת גולות תחתית על ידי מעשיכם הטובים, אתם כל עבדי ה' העומדים בבית ה' בלילות, כעבדים נאמנים העובדים ביום ובלילה ולא ימושו ממשמרתם רגע, אתם תברכו את ה' ותתנו עז לאלקים:
Song of ascents – There is within this song a wondrous cornerstone to the foundations of faith. This is that the supernal source, whose waters never fail, is blessed and increased through the actions of those below because the Lord pours out good to the good and abundance to those who are prepared. When the generation is not fit to receive this, then the spring is muddied, the source is ruined and the channels will not pour out their blessings, this is the notion of the blessing with which Israel blesses the Lord. Through their good deeds and prayers the supernal pool is filled, the river of God is filled with the waters of loving kindness, goodness and mercy, and it pours out upon the land. And when their actions are evil the streams of water dry up and the river becomes dry and desolate, as the Sages taught ‘Israel adds strength to the power above.’ Blessing is for the sake of the One above, as is written in the book The Lands of the Living (in the Land of Yehudah, 5) in explanation of the word ‘blessed’ with many proofs. This is what is written “Behold, bless the Lord,” that is to say – give Him blessing, exiles above and exiles below, through your good deeds. You “all servants of the Lord who stand in the house of the Lord at night,” like faithful servants who labor day and night and never leave their post for a moment, bless the Lord and give might unto God.
ולפי שיהו"ה יתברך משפיע כל מיני שפע ואצילות בשם אדנ"י ובו כל גנזי המלך וכל מיני עושרו, ואליו יבואו ובו יתכנסו ויגנזו, ומשם יתפשטו למלאות צורך כל הבריות, והוא כדמיון בריכה שהנחל נמשך לתוכה ומן הבריכה מספיקים מים להשקות את הגן ולשתות ולשאר הצרכים, מכנים בתורה שם אדנ"י בכינוי ברכה, כי הברכה מלשון בריכה. וזהו השם שבו בירך יעקב אבינו עליו השלום את בניו, שירש אותו מיצחק אבינו ויצחק מאברהם. וה' יתברך מסר שם זה לאברהם אבינו עליו השלום, לפתוח שערי אדנ"י ולתת כל מה שצריך לו ולשאר כל בני העולם ומסר בידו ברכ"ה זו. וזהו סוד ואברככה ואגדלה שמך והיה ברכה (בראשית יב, ב); לא אמר והיה מבורך אלא 'והיה ברכה', הרי הברכה מסורה בידך קח כפי רצונך, ולא לך לבדך אני נותן לך רשות ליטול אלא לכל מי שתרצה תן בפי רצונך לכל בני העולם, וזהו: ונברכו בך כל משפחות האדמה (שם, ג)ו כלומר כל הרוצה ליטול כלום מברכה זו אינו נוטל אלא על ידך, שהרי היא מסורה בידך ושלך היא. ...
ולפיכך כשבא יעקב להיפטר מן העולם פתח ברכה זו לשנים עשר שבטים, שיקח כל אחד מהשבטים חלקו מברכה? לירושה, וזהו סוד: כל אלה שבטי ישראל שנים עשר וזאת אשר דיבר להם אביהם ויברך אותם איש אשר כברכתו ברך אותם (בראשית מט, כח). מאי איש אשר כברכתו? שמא תאמר מדעתו בירך לאחד מהם? אינו כן, אלא לכל שבט ושבט נתן לו חלקו הראוי לו מבריכה זו, ולא מדעתו אלא מדעת הברכה עצמה.
And since YHV"H, Blessed, showers all types of flow and emanation in the name Adona"y and in it there are all the treasuries of the King and every type of His riches, and to it they will enter, they will assemble and they will hide, and from there they will extend to fill the needs of every creature, and it is a resemblance of a pool that a river continues into, and from the pool there is enough water to satisfy the watering of the garden and drinking and all the rest of the needs, we name in the Torah the name Adona"y as a nickname of blessing, because the word blessing (brachah ברכה) comes from the word pool (berichah בריכה). And this is the name with which our father Ya'akov, peace be upon him, blessed his sons, [the name which] he inherited from Yitzchak our father, and Yitzchak from Avraham. And Hashem, Blessed, passed this name to Avraham our father, peace be upon him, to open the gates of Adona"y and to give all that he and the rest of the children of the world need, and He passed to his hand this blessing ברכ"ה. And this is the secret of "And I will bless you and make your name great and you, be a blessing." (Genesis 12:2); and He did not say "and you will be blessed", rather, "you, be a blessing," because behold the blessing is given in your hand, get according to your desire for all the children of the world, and this is "and through you all the families of the land will be blessed" (Genesis 12:3). That is to say, whoever wants to take whatever it is from this blessing only takes from your hand, since it is handed over to you and it is yours. ...
And therefore when Yaakov was about to separate from this world, he opened this blessing for the 12 tribes, so that each tribe would get its part of this blessing as inheritance, and this is the secret of "All these are the tribes of Israel, 12 in number, and this is what their father said to them and he blessed them, each according to his blessing he blessed them" (Genesis 49:28). What is "each according to his blessing"? Lest you say that he blessed each according to his [Ya'akov's] own ideas!? It is not so, rather, for each and every tribe he gave the appropriate portion from this pool, and it was not from his own awareness, rather from the awareness of the blessing itself.