Hand-Washing for a New Day

Question

Dear Rabbi, why do Jewish people wash their hands in a special way upon waking each morning? I heard it’s called negelwasser – (finger)nail water.

Thanks

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Answers

  1. The Just Ask! - AskTheRabbi.org Team

    There are two basic reasons for this special ritual washing, an act that is accompanied by a special morning blessing. One reason is that in the Temple, the priests would wash their hands in a special way from the large Temple “sink” before beginning their daily service for a new day. We do this washing nowadays since, in a sense, every individual is a priest in the “Temple” of their own heart and dwelling.

    Another reason: Since hands are often active while sleeping, they may have touched an unclean area of the body and should be washed before saying any prayer.

    The blessing is (in English): “Blessed are You, Hashem, our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and has commanded us regarding washing the hands.”

    Washing our hands in the morning is part of preparing ourselves spiritually for the forthcoming day. In the same way we physically prepare ourselves for each day, so too we begin with preparation for the spiritual dimension of our daily lives. Washing our hands in the morning shows that despite the mundane nature to our daily life, we are nevertheless striving to transcend the physical. Since our hands symbolize our physical actions, and every physical act – with cleanliness and purity – can be uplifted into a truly spiritual deed.

    Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team