Netilas Yadayim - Removing Shoes

QUESTION: Must you wash your hands if you remove your shoes without touching them?

ANSWER: Shulchan Aruch (OC 4:18) writes that one who removes his shoe must wash his hands. The Olas Tamid (4:12) infers from the wording of Shulchan Aruch that you must wash your hands even if you did not actually touch the shoe. Just removing your shoes is enough to cause ru’ach ra’ah, and this requires washing your hands. However, most poskim disagree with the Olas Tamid. The accepted opinion is that you need only wash your hands if you directly touched the shoe. If you wore gloves, or in any other way removed your shoe (or anyone else’s shoe) without touching it, there is no need to wash. The Chazon Ish (Orchos Rabbeinu Vol. 3, p. 186) and many other poskim write that one need not wash if one only touched the shoelaces. Similarly, the Aruch Hashulchan (OC 4:21) writes that touching or removing socks does not require washing hands, so long as you do not touch your foot. Poskim as well write that handling a brand-new shoe (such as in a shoe store) will not necessitate washing your hands, even if the shoe is made of leather, as none of the concerns of cleanliness or ru’ach ra’ah apply to a brand-new shoe.

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