Netilas Yadayim - Touching Shoes

QUESTION: Shulchan Aruch (OC 4:18) writes that if you touch your shoes, you must wash your hands before reciting berachos or learning Torah. If I will not be reciting a beracha for a while, must I still wash my hands right away or can I wait?

ANSWER: The answer depends on the reason why we must wash our hands. In general, there are two main categories of situations that require washing hands: as a matter of cleanliness, or to remove from our hands ru’ach ra’ah (harmful spirits). When the issue is only that of cleanliness, though one must wash before reciting a beracha, there is no need to hurry to do so. If the issue is ru’ach ra’ah, one must wash their hands at the first opportunity. The Mishnah Berurah (4:47) writes that it is considered detrimental to leave ru’ach ra’ah on your hands any longer than you must, since ru’ach ra’ah causes behavior which can lead to sin.

The Mishnah Berurah (4:41) rules that the concern with touching shoes is only that of cleanliness and not ruach ra’ah. Therefore, the Mishnah Berurah writes, there is no need to hurry to wash your hands. Likewise, if water is not available, one can clean their hands with a damp towel or anything else that cleans (see Mishnah Berurah 4:39). However, the Shulchan Aruch Harav (128:27), Pri Megadim (4:15) and many others write that there is also a concern of ru’ach ra’ah. According to this view, you should wash your hands immediately after touching your shoes, even if you were not planning on reciting berachos anytime soon, and you should specifically use water to clean your hands, since only washing with water removes ru’ach ra’ah (Shulchan Aruch Harav 4:18).

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The Gerald & Karin Feldhamer OU Kosher Halacha Yomis is dedicated to the memory of Rav Yisroel Belsky, zt"l, who served as halachic consultant for OU Kosher for more than 28 years; many of the responses in Halacha Yomis are based on the rulings of Rabbi Belsky. Subscribe to the Halacha Yomis daily email here.