Maran (author of Shulchan Aruch), in Siman 4, lists the various situations in which Halacha requires one to perform Netilat Yadayim – hand washing. The situations discussed here require Netilat Yadayim without a Beracha; one washes his hands with a Beracha only before eating bread and after rising in the morning. Maran here lists additional instances where one is required to wash his hands, only without a Beracha.
For example, Maran writes that one must was his hands after cutting his nails, regardless of whether he cut them himself or had somebody else cut them for him, and regardless of whether he cut them with scissors, a clipper, or his teeth. The Ben Ish Chai writes that a Ru’ach Ra’a – harmful spirit – rests on the hands after nail cutting, particularly if the nails were long, extending beyond the skin of the fingertip. Therefore, after cutting his nails one should preferably wash his hands three times in alternating fashion, as we do upon waking in the morning, in order to eliminate the Ru’ach Ra’a.
By the same token, Maran writes, one must wash his hands after cutting his toenails, as well, even if his feet were clean.
One must also wash his hands after a haircut, regardless of whether he cut his hair himself or had it cut by somebody else. Washing each hand once from a utensil suffices, but one who wishes may be stringent in this regard and wash each hand three times in alternating fashion after a haircut. After shaving, however, one need not wash his hands, as Hacham Ben-Tziyon Abba Shaul (20th century, Israel) writes in his work, Or Le’tziyon.
Another situation requiring hand washing is when one touches his shoes, even without removing them. If one touches only the laces, or if he removes them with his feet, without touching them with his hands, then he need not wash his hands. Furthermore, when one tries on new shoes in the shoe store he is not required to wash hands afterwards. Generally, however, touching one’s shoes requires him to wash his hands.
Finally, Maran writes that one is required to wash his hands after marital relations, due to the Ru’ach Ra’a that descends upon his hands.
We must emphasize the importance of Netilat Yadayim in these situations. Maran warns that negligence with respect to this obligation brings upon a person an irrational fear, a sense of anxiety without knowing the cause of the fear. In addition, Maran writes, a Torah scholar who does not wash his hands in these situations will forget what he learns, and a layman who does not wash his hands will "go out of his mind," meaning, he will lose his sanity. One should therefore be aware that this requirement is due not only to hygienic concerns, but also to the harmful spirits on one’s hands that could potentially affect a person if they are not eliminated.
In summary, besides the obligation to wash one’s hands with a Beracha before eating bread and when waking in the morning, one must wash without a Beracha in the following situations:
1) After cutting one’s fingernails or toenails;
2) After a haircut (this does not include shaving);
3) After touching one’s shoes;
4) After marital relations.
