DailyHalacha.com for Mobile Devices Now Available

Halacha is Deborah Marciano
 Shlomo Ben Chana

Dedicated By
Deborah Marciano

Click Here to Sponsor Daily Halacha
      
(File size: 630 KB)
When Must One Wash Mayim Aharonim, and How Much of the Hand Must be Washed?

Anytime a person eats bread, he is required to wash Mayim Aharonim before reciting Birkat Ha’mazon. The question arises, are there other situations requiring one to wash Mayim Aharonim, or does this obligation apply only when one eats bread?

The Gemara in Masechet Hulin (108a) establishes that people who had the job of measuring salt were required to wash their hands at the end of the day, after finishing their work. Even if they did not eat anything, they were obligated to wash their hands. The Halacha of Mayim Aharonim was instituted out of the concern that some salt may stick to a person’s hands during the meal, and this salt could endanger his eyesight if he touches his eyes. By the same token, people who handle salt are required to wash Mayim Aharonim to remove the salt from their hands, even if they did not eat anything.

Hence, the Ben Ish Hai (Rav Yosef Haim of Baghdad, 1833-1909) and Hacham Ben Sion Abba Shaul (Israel, 1923-1998) rule that one must wash Mayim Aharonim anytime he eats a salty food. This would apply to salty foods such as pickles, pretzels, popcorn and potato chips.

Which part of the hand must be washed when one performs Mayim Aharonim?

This issue is subject to debate among the Halachic authorities. The Shulhan Aruch (Orah Haim 181) rules that one needs to wash only his fingertips, until the knuckles in the middle of the fingers. The Arizal (Rav Yishak Luria of Safed, 1534-1572), by contrast, held that Mayim Aharonim requires washing the entirety of one’s fingers (including the thumb). Thus, according to this view, one must wash not only the fingertips, but rather the entire length of his fingers, until the knuckles in the middle of the hand. It is proper to follow this stringent ruling of the Arizal, and wash the entirety of one’s fingers, until the middle of one’s hand.

Summary: One must wash Mayim Aharonim after eating bread and after eating any salty food, such as pickles, pretzels and popcorn. When washing Mayim Aharonim, one must wash the entirety of all his fingers, and not merely his fingertips.

 


Recent Daily Halachot...
Shabbat – Ensuring That the Countertop is Dry Before Putting Down a Hot Pot
Reheating Solid Food With Some Liquid on Shabbat
Is it Permissible to Eat Soup That Was Reheated on Shabbat?
Placing Cold Liquid Near the Stove on Shabbat
Placing a Raw Food Next to a Hot Food on a Plate on Shabbat
Can A Man or Woman Eat or Drink Prior To Kiddush On Shabbat Morning
Asking a Gentile to Write on One’s Behalf on Shabbat
Is It Permissible To Take Vitamins On Shabbat
Tying Knots on Shabbat-Basic Understandings of Restrictions and Permissions
Is It Permissible To Trap Pets in the House on Shabbat?
Is It Permissible To Eat A Meal Just Prior To Shabbat
Is It Permissible to Lace Shoes on Shabbat?
Is It Permissible to Set Up a Mousetrap on Shabbat?
May One Move a Garment on Shabbat if There is Money in the Pocket?
Is It Permissible To Cover A Pot with its Cover or Tin Foil or Other on Shabbat
Page of 239
3585 Halachot found