Ritually Washing Hands in Bathroom
Question
Shalom aleichem Rabbi Lauffer. Thank you for answering my last question. It has been said that ritual washing of hands can be done in modern bathrooms. Does one have to wait, however, for the excrement to be completely flushed down before beginning to wash his hands, or can he wash his hands immediately after flushing the toilet, without waiting for the excrement to be completely flushed down before he starts washing his hands? Thanks a lot.
Answers
As you write, modern bathrooms are not considered to be as halachically problematic as bathrooms of days gone by. They are clean, and the dirt is washed away when the toilet is flushed. It is certainly preferable (l’chat’chila) that the toilet bowl be completely clean. If it is not, then, at the very least, the toilet must be closed so that none of the dirt is visible.
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