וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהוָ֔ה כָּ֣כָה יֹאכְל֧וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל אֶת־לַחְמָ֖ם טָמֵ֑א בַּגּוֹיִ֕ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר אַדִּיחֵ֖ם שָֽׁם׃
Lalu Yang Mahakekal berfirman, “Beginilah orang Israel akan memakan roti mereka yang menjijikkan di tengah bangsa-bangsa, ke mana Aku akan mencerai-beraikan mereka.”
Shulchan Shel Arba
Washing the hands, even though it is not explicitly commanded in the Torah, was given by our rabbis z”l the authority from a verse in the Torah, as it is written, “If one with a discharge, without having rinsed his hands in water, touches another person.”26Lev. 15:11. In other words, this verse assumes that there was a requirement for the one with a discharge to wash his hands, but he didn’t do it. Rabbi Elazar ben Arakh said from here our rabbis z”l gave the command to wash hands the authority of the Torah. Washing hands, whether it’s before eating unconsecrated food or the terumah offering, is done up to where the wrist joint is connected to the palm of the hand.27B. Hullin 106a-b, as understood by R. Bahya’s teacher, R. Shlomo ben Adret (according to Chavel). Chavel says he’s also following the R”IF (R. Yitzhak al-Fasi). Whatever applies to ritual immersion also applies to washing hands.28Ibid., 106b. A person washing their hands in the morning can set the condition that it covers the whole day.29Ibid., 106b-107a. Some have explained that this applies specifically to an exigent situation,30E.g., Rabbenu Hananael, cited in R. Shlomo ben Adret in Torat Ha-Bayit 6.4 near the end.while others say even when it is not an exigent situation.31E.g., Maimonides and R. Shlomo ben Adret himself, ibid. One who washes his hands should not eat until he has wiped them dry, because anyone who eats without drying, it is as if he eats unclean bread, as it is said, “So shall the people of Israel eat their unclean bread.”32Ez. 4:13; b.Sotah 4b. The word lahmam -“their bread”- is an acronym for lihot mayim – “wet with water.”33I.e., “hands wet with water.” Ozar Geonim on b.Sotah 4b. Someone washing must raise their hands up, so that the water will not run back down below his wrists, and make his hands unclean all over again.34B. Sotah 4b. Chavel says that this also means that one should only raise one’s hands after he’s dried them, so that the water above his wrists doesn’t drip back down afterwards and make his hands unclean again.