Ritual Washing in Judaism - Rabbinical Judaism

Rabbinical Judaism

Both traditional religious and secular scholars agree that ritual washing in Judaism was derived by the Rabbis of the Talmud from a more extensive set of ritual washing and purity practices in use in the days of the Temple in Jerusalem, based on various verses in the Hebrew Bible and received traditions. There is disagreement, however, about the origins and meanings of these practices. This article first describes these practices as they exist in contemporary traditional Judaism, then discusses various alternative perspectives on their nature, origins, and meaning.

Traditional Judaism requires certain types of ritual washing. Some of these types do not require a special ritual body of water (and can be done with tap water):

1. Netilat Yadayim Shacharit ("Raising the hands of the morning"), when getting up in the morning after a full night's sleep, or even after a lengthy nap, there is the custom to wash one's hands ritually by pouring a large cup of water over one's hands, alternating three times. In the custom of some communities, it is also done without a blessing after engaging in sexual intercourse or other seminal emission.
2. Netilat yadayim ("Raising the hands"), also known as Mayim Rishonim. which is done with a blessing, prior to eating any bread with a meal, and done without a blessing, after touching objects that convey tumah (such as one's private parts, leather shoes, or a ritually unclean animal or insect or after paying a visit to a cemetery).
3. Mayim acharonim ("After-waters") a law or custom of ritually washing off one's fingers after a meal, to protect oneself from touching the eyes with hazardous residue.
4. During a Passover Seder, a third washing of netilat yadayim is performed without any blessing being recited, before the eating of a vegetable, called karpas, prior to the main meal.
5. After visiting the bathroom, the ritual washing of one's hands as a symbol of both bodily cleanliness and of removing human impurity - see Netilat yadayim above.
6. Every Kohen present has his hands ritually washed in synagogue by the Levi'im (Levites) before uttering the Priestly Blessing in front of the congregation.
7. To remove tuma ("impurity") after cutting one's hair or nails
8. To remove tumat met ("impurity from death") after participating in a funeral procession, or entering a cemetery, or coming within four cubits of a corpse
9. Some communities observe a requirement for washing one's body (which may be done with tap water) after experiencing a seminal emission, including ejaculation or receiving seminal fluid during sexual intercourse since these activities make the man baal keri (one who is impure due to ejaculation.)

Other occasions require full immersion in a special body of water, such as a spring, stream, or mikveh:

1. By a married Jewish woman after her niddah period concludes following menstruation or other uterine bleeding and she wishes to resume conjugal relations with her husband. This requires special preparation.
2. The day before ("eve of") Yom Kippur and other Festivals
3. By some Orthodox Jews on Friday afternoons (in preparation for Shabbos)
4. When converting to Judaism.
5. Taharah, ("Purification"), the ritual washing and cleansing, and immersion in a mikveh according to some customs, of a Jew's body prior to burial.