הלכה אויף תהילים 26:6

When he arises from his bed in the morning a person is considered as a newly created being, to serve the Creator, Blessed be His Name. He, therefore, must sanctify himself and wash his hands from a vessel, [just] as a Kohein washed his hands each day from the special basin [located in the Temple] prior to his service. This washing is indicated in the Scripture as it is said: "I will wash my hands in purity and I will encircle Your altar, Hashem, to proclaim a sound of thanks, etc."¹Psalms 26:6,7. There is also another reason for this washing. When man is asleep, his holy soul departs from him, and an unclean spirit comes and dwells upon his body. When he awakens from his sleep, the unclean spirit departs from his entire body except from his fingers, from which it does not depart until he pours water upon them three times alternately.²See paragraph 3 for exact procedure. It is forbidden to walk a distance of four amohs³It is also forbidden to lie in bed without washing your hands. Within the house you may walk even more than four amohs to get water for washing. (See glossary for equivalent of amah.) without washing the hands except in cases of extreme necessity.

When he arises from his bed in the morning a person is considered as a newly created being, to serve the Creator, Blessed be His Name. He, therefore, must sanctify himself and wash his hands from a vessel, [just] as a Kohein washed his hands each day from the special basin [located in the Temple] prior to his service. This washing is indicated in the Scripture as it is said: "I will wash my hands in purity and I will encircle Your altar, Hashem, to proclaim a sound of thanks, etc."¹Psalms 26:6,7. There is also another reason for this washing. When man is asleep, his holy soul departs from him, and an unclean spirit comes and dwells upon his body. When he awakens from his sleep, the unclean spirit departs from his entire body except from his fingers, from which it does not depart until he pours water upon them three times alternately.²See paragraph 3 for exact procedure. It is forbidden to walk a distance of four amohs³It is also forbidden to lie in bed without washing your hands. Within the house you may walk even more than four amohs to get water for washing. (See glossary for equivalent of amah.) without washing the hands except in cases of extreme necessity.

Before reading the Shema, the reader washes his hands in water. If the time for reading has arrived, and he does not find water for the preliminary washing, he is not to delay the reading in order to search for water; but he is to wipe his hands with earth, or on anything solid, on a beam or similar object, and then he reads.