How to Perform Netilat Yadayim
We are now going to discuss Netilat Yadayim, washing of one’s hands before we eat bread. Bread is the most fundamental human food and because it is so, there is a special Mitzvah, a special ceremony, especial relationship with god that one expresses in thanking god for the gift of bread. The first thing we do before we eat is we wash out hands. This is similar to the washing of the hands that the Kaw-hah-neem, the priests of the temple did. The priests were given food that was holy food. They were given a gift from us but which god asked us to give and before eating anything holy, the hands had to be purified. Because we understand that all our food is a gift from Hashem or a gift from God. We therefore wash our hands nowadays also before we eat bread as an acknowledgement that eating is not just fueling oneself. It is not just eating as it exists in the animal kingdom but that we are absorbing the energy from the world, from the bread, from the plants which in turn gets their energy from the sun and the moon and all of existence and we take that energy, make it part of our being and use it to be a better person. Use it to do good with god and with our fellow human beings. And therefore it is necessary to purify ourselves, these are all reasons why do this intensely, spiritual purification of cleaning the hands, of washing the hands because the truth is, before you even wash your hands, your hands must be completely clean. When they are completely clean, then we can purify them. We take a cup, preferably one that has two handles and we are going to wash, following the way again, there are minor variations. This is how we do it in the Betkabah(ph). You fill it up with water because you want it to be full properly wash, and we are going to try to avoid getting any water on anything before we need to. So we are going to wash. I am a leftie, a rightie washes his right hand first, the leftie the left hand first. You wash in such a way the water goes down to the wrist and doesn’t come back. (Jewish prayer) The blessing on the bread is recited on any type of bread and one should each eat at least an ounce preferably two. In order to wash, say the blessing and then say, (Jewish term) The blessing for washing the hands means blessed are you the infinite one, the source of life of everything who has commanded us concerning washing our hands, sanctified us with this commandments who commanded concerning washing the hands and the blessing on bread is once again, blessed are you, god the infinite one, the source of our life, the king of the universe who brings forth bread from the ground which sustains us.