Q&A: Morning Hand Washing
Morning Hand Washing
Question
In tractate Shabbat (108b) they said: “A hand to the ear should be cut off; a hand to the male organ should be cut off,” etc. Rabbi Natan says: “This is a free spirit, and it is particular until he washes his hands three times.” And Rashi explains on the words “and this is a free spirit”: a spirit that rests on the hands before washing, and it does not depart until one washes three times.
My question is: if someone doesn’t really believe in evil spirits all that much (is this like demons?), is it enough for him to wash his hands once merely on grounds of cleanliness, since hands are busy and touch things constantly (the reason given by the Rosh), or on grounds of preparation for prayer, so that three times would not be necessary?
Answer
There are other explanations as well that do not require invoking an evil spirit: https://www.yeshiva.org.il/ask/1429. One can also discuss what an evil spirit is (whether this really refers to mysticism or to psychology). Therefore I would not dismiss it.
Discussion on Answer
Also, most people don’t wash properly anyway, because if this is due to impurity, then when people wash they don’t make sure the cup is dry [on the outside], so they end up touching the water and the water becomes impure, and then the washing won’t help, because they wash once and then hold the cup in the place where the impure water is, and so on in a cycle.
Rabbi Yaakov Ariel’s explanation is a novelty with no source at all. Why is the Rabbi taking it seriously? It’s just a nice little homiletic idea, no?
What does the Rabbi mean by “psychological”?