Handwashing: Cleanliness, Holiness, Godliness

(17) The Eternal One 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 Eternal, (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.

(1) את ידיהם ואת רגליהם THEIR HANDS AND THEIR FEET The priest washed his hands and his feet simultaneously. (See Zevachim 19b.)

§ The Sages taught: How is the mitzva of sanctification of the hands and feet performed? The priest lays his right hand on top of his right foot, and his left hand on top of his left foot, and sanctifies them with the water flowing from the Basin.

Rabbi Yosei, son of Rabbi Yehuda, says: He lays both his hands one on top of the other, and lays them together on top of both his feet, themselves laid one on top of the other, and sanctifies them.

..."And the priest took the holy water" (Num. 5:17). There is no holy water except what is made holy by being put in a vessel, and that is the water of the laver. And why is that the water from the laver? Because the laver was made from the mirrors of the women, as it is written, "And he made the laver from copper [and its stand from copper, from the mirrors of the women who served (tzavu) at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting]" (Ex. 38:8)

(1) These are the accounts of the tabernacle … and the bronze of the offering (Exod. 38:21, 29).... You find that while the Israelites were making bricks in Egypt, Pharaoh decreed that they were not to sleep at home so that they would not have intercourse with their wives. R. Simeon the son of Halafta said: What did the Israelite women do? They would go to the Nile to draw water, and the Holy One, blessed be God, would fill their jugs with little fishes. Small fishes arouse sexual desire (Berakhot 40a). They would (sell some), cook and prepare (the fish), and buy some wine (with the proceeds of the sale), and then bring it to their husbands in the fields, as it is said: In all manner of service in the field (Exod. 1:14). While the men were eating and drinking, the women would take out their mirrors and glance into them with their husbands. They would say: “I am more attractive than you,” and the men would reply: “I am more attractive than you.” In that way they would arose their sexual desires and become fruitful and multiply. The Holy One, blessed be God, caused them to conceive on the spot.

(4) When the Holy One, blessed be God, told Moses to build the Tabernacle, all the Israelites brought their contributions. Some brought silver, others brought gold or copper or onyx stones or unset stones. They brought everything eagerly. The women asked themselves: What contribution can we make to the Sanctuary? They arose, took their mirrors, and brought them to Moses. When Moses saw them he became angry with them. He said to the Israelites: Take your canes and beat them on their shoulders. What purpose do these mirrors serve? The Holy One, blessed be God, called out to Moses: Moses, do you mistreat them because of these? These very mirrors produced the hosts in Egypt. Take them and make a basin of brass and its base for the priests, that they may sanctify the priests from it...

(1) He should wash his hands clean and recite the blessing ‘Blessed are you, YHVH our God, Sovereign of the universe, who sanctified us with mitzvot and commanded us concerning handwashing.’

One should be exacting in pouring over the hands three times on account of the evil spirit (ruah ra'ah) alighting upon the hands prior to washing, which is not vitiated until he has poured over them three times.

Therefore, one 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) A Kabbalistic approach: the washing of the ten fingers and ten toes was an allusion to the ten emanations which enabled the physical universe to be created out of a totally abstract domain. When a person raises their hands above their head they raise ten fingers, i.e. alluding to these ten emanations. By standing on the ground with ten toes a person demonstrates that their beginning and end (in our parlance “top to bottom”) is all a reminder of these ten emanations. This is also the reason that the sages decreed that prior to praying one ought to wash one’s hands (Berachot 15). 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.”