Q&A: Getting Up in the Morning
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
Getting Up in the Morning
Question
Rabbi, is it permitted to touch the eyes after getting up in the morning and before washing the hands? I would appreciate some detail.
Answer
See Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim, at the beginning of section 4, where it is forbidden. True, some halakhic decisors have questioned whether the evil spirit is still relevant nowadays, but there are other reasons there as well. I do not see a reason to permit it, since there is no clear indication that the enactment was due to some medical harm that is no longer applicable.
Discussion on Answer
As for mystical reasons, I don’t feel qualified to determine whether they are correct or not.
And if it is based on an incorrect mystical reason? Like pairs, water at the seasonal turning point, foods and drinks kept under the bed, etc.?