Monday, July 1, 2013

Prohibitions Before Washing Negel Vasser – An Overview by Rabbi Yair Hoffman

negelvassercup5tjt     There are three things that should not be done before one washes Negel Vasser in the morning.
  1. One should not touch the open areas of the face before washing Negel Vasser on the  hands:  These are the mouth, the nose, the ears and the eyes.  This is based upon the Gemorah in Shabbos (108b) which indicates that there is a danger to these orifices on account of the Ruach Rah that exists on the hands before it is washed off.  The Gemorah gives a warning to other body parts as well, but Rashi explains that these areas do not refer to Negel Vasser but to other times.   There is a debate as to whether the outer sections maybe touched, such as the lips, outer nose, outer ear, and eye lids.  It is best to be stringent according to the Mishna Brurah (MB 4:12). [...]

12 comments:

  1. What's this to do with daas torah?

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  2. Al pi nigleh only #3 exists. Lehalakhah, elimination of tum'ah is a prelude to certain mitzvos. Qabblah gives more motivation to eliminating tum'ah ASAP, but Qabbalah without shas can only define minhag, not din.

    The article also omits the Rambam and Teimanim, who do indeed only wash their hands once each for neigl vasr (or before hamotzi).

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    1. What do you mean by: or before hamotzi? One revi'is of water does cover both hands and possibly both hands of 2 people. You would struggle to do that once per hand; let alone mire.

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  3. Reb Micha, the Rambam doesn't mention Negel Wasser, only that one should wash hands (and face and feet) before Shacharis.

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    1. is this :

      a) halacha?
      b) Kabbalah?
      c) a law appearing in the Talmud - or just aggada?

      If Rambam does not consider it law, presumably it is a latter day innovation?

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    2. If Rambam does not consider it law, presumably it is a latter day innovation
      Right, because there isn't anyone who proceeds the Rambam, like say the Rif...(Daf 44b).

      כי לביש אומר ברוך מלביש ערומים כי מכסי סדינא אומר ברוך אשר קדשנו במצותיו וצונו להתעטף בציצית כי מנח ידיה על עיניה אומר ברוך פוקח עורים וכי תריץ ויתיב אומר ברוך מתיר אסורים כי נחית לארעא אומר ברוך רוקע הארץ על המים כי קאים אומר ברוך זוקף כפופים וכי משי ידיה אומר ברוך אשר קדשנו במצותיו וצונו על נטילת ידים וכי משי אפיה אומר ברוך המעביר שינה מעיני ותנומה מעפעפי יהי רצון מלפניך ה' אלהי שתתן חלקי בתורתך וכוף את יצרי להשתעבד לך ותנני לחן לחסד ולרחמים בעיניך ובעיני כל רואי ברוך אתה ה' גומל חסדים טובים כי אסר המייניה אומר ברוך אוזר ישראל בגבורה כי סאים מסאניה אומר ברוך שעשית לי כל צרכי כי מהלך אומר ברוך המכין מצעדי גבר: גרסינן בפרק התכלת

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  4. Rabbi Tzadok, that is not "negel wasser", that is washing before shacharis.

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    1. Negel wasser is just Yiddish for the same early morning custom/halakha. Before we say Birkhat HaShachar we have to wash our hands. The Gemmarra, and the Rif in those places brings three possible reasons.

      Just because the Rambam decided to ignore the writings of the previous generations, doesn't mean that he was indeed correct.

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    2. Correct, but the proponents of the "negel wasser" custom posit that it is completely assur to do anything, even walk four paces, without washing hands, and that violators are chayav misa (l'a).

      As Reb Micha says above "Qabbalah without shas can only define minhag, not din", and certainly not new issurei karais!

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    3. Correct, but the proponents of the "negel wasser" custom posit that it is completely assur to do anything, even walk four paces
      That is the halakha as codefied by the Rishonim and Achronim(including the Rif if you look back in the 8th chapter)
      without washing hands, and that violators are chayav misa
      Really who says that?

      and certainly not new issurei karais!
      Chayiv Mita(being eligible for the Death penalty by the Sanhedirin) and Karait are two entirely separate things... I hope that one of those was a typo.

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    4. Really who says that?

      See Be'er Heiteiv here, 4th line down:

      http://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=49566&st=&pgnum=10

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    5. You mean where he references the Bach, and says, like the Bach that this is not the halakha, and notes that the B"Y didn't bring these sources at all because they are not found in Chazal? That Beer Hetiv?

      You can read the Tolet Yaakov inside here:
      http://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=43096&hilite=bc861033-ebd5-4d17-a5ea-64a2cd973b24&st=%D7%A0%D7%98%D7%9C&pgnum=17
      Note that he does not source the Zohar(it would appear that in that the Bach was mistaken).

      Likewise the Shlah brings this on Chulin where he writes:
      קעז. והענין כתבו המקובלים (תולעת יעקב סוד נטילת שחרית), כשאדם ישן בלילה הנשמה יוצאה מגופו ומיד שורה רוח הטומאה על ידיו, מאי טעמא על ידיו, לפי שהם כנגד זרועות עולם אשר משם נאחזים כוחות הטומאה ולפיכך שורה על הידים. וההולך ארבע אמות בידים טמאות חייב מיתה לשמים, לפי שמביא אל אחר בידיו, ועליו הכתוב אומר (איוב יב, ו) 'ישליו אהלים לשדדים ובטחות למרגיזי אל לאשר הביא אלוה בידו'. מי הם 'מרגיזי אל', אותם המביאים אל אחר בידיהם. ולפיכך יתרחק מן הכיעור ומן הדומה לו, ויתרחק מצד הטומאה כדי שישרה עליו צד הקדושה והטהרה. ומים הללו צריכים שני כלים, כלי עליון להתקדש ממנו ירמז לעולם הקדושה, וכלי (ה)תחתון לקבל המים הטמאים ההם, והוא רמז לקליפה לעולם הקליפה שהוא צד הטומאה. ולפי שהאדם עד שלא נטל ידיו הוא טמא, לפיכך צריך שלא יטול ידיו אלא ממי שנטל, שנאמר (במדבר יט, יט) 'והזה הטהר על הטמא' וגו' (זהר ח"א דף נ"ג ע"ב; קפ"ד ע"ב). ואסור להעביר ידיו על עיניו לפי ששורה עליהם רוח הטומאה (שבת קט א; זהר שם), והם שלשה רוחות ולפיכך צריך לערות עליהם שלש פעמים להעבירם, ואסור לעשות שום דבר במים ההם, ואסור לשפכם אלא במקום מדרון, כדי שלא ידרכו בני האדם עליהם שלא יריעו לעולם (עכ"ל תולעת יעקב).

      While he does source the Zohar, looking at the Zohar inside will show that it is talking about the need for two vessels, not the idea of any sort of Chayav Mitah.

      So let's sum up. You have the Gemarra in numerous places saying that one needs to wash their hands before they do anything else in the morning. This is the halakha as codified by the Geonim(see the siddur of Rabbeinu Hai Gaon), and is brought as such by the Rif.

      The Rambam is unique amongst the Rishonim in that he seems to ignore this halakha(but he is a Daat Yachid, and clearly ignoring or ignorant of what previous generations wrote).

      The Tolet Yaakov(in a book of Kabbalah based musar I might add) says that one is Chayiv Mitah L'Shamayim(whatever that might mean)if one intentionally(not inadvertantly) walks four amot without Netilah.

      The Bach and everyone since(including some Kabbalistic heavyweights such as the Chida, see Birkei Yosef 4:1) say that the opinion of the Tolet Yaakov is not the halakha.

      BTW the list of things are listed as "Chayiv Mitah L'shmayim" in Musar seforim is quite lengthy(eating exceptionally tasty foods on a day other than shabbat even makes the cut in some of them). Musar uses hyperbolic language...

      So considering that the issur of walking 4 amot without washing being found in the Gemarra, Geonim and Rishonim(with a conspicuous absence apparently in the Rambam). How exactly is this a new custom? And once again who is positing that l'fi halakha someone is actually Chayiv Mitah?

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