04 Mar PARSHAS KI SISA: AIR DRYING HANDS AFTER NETILAS YADAYIM

And you shall make a
laver of copper and a
copper stand for
washing.
Shemos 30:18

Introduction
Many public bathrooms and sinks are no
longer equipped with paper towels for drying
one’s hands but use air dryers instead. This is
often done with the intention of reducing
waste and maintenance, among other reasons.
This reality presents a question as to whether
air drying one’s hands is sufficient for the
mitzvah of netilas yadayim. The answer
depends on why we dry our hands in the first
place.
Three Reasons for Drying Hands Following
Netilas Yadayim
1. The Gemara (Pesachim 7b and elsewhere)
teaches that one should recite a birkas
hamitzvah right before one does the mitzvah,
“over la’asiyaso.” However, Tosafos (s.v. al)
and the Rosh (1:10) point out that the common
practice when washing netilas yadayim is to
recite the beracha after one washes. They

explain that since there are times that prior to
washing one’s hands, the hands are soiled to
the extent that he may not recite a beracha, it
was established as a lo plug that one recites
the beracha after one washes his hands. This
ensures that proper respect is afforded to the
beracha in all cases.
Tosafos and the Rosh add that since drying
one’s hands is part of the mitzvah of netilas
yadayim, as indicated by the fact that the
Gemara in Sotah (4b) teaches that one may
not eat bread without first drying his hands, it
is a partial fulfillment of over la’asayaso to
recite the beracha before drying one’s hands.
If we assume that drying one’s hands is
actually part of the mitzvah, perhaps it is
necessary to do so through a positive action of
drying, rather than leaving them beneath an air
dryer.
2. The Tur (ibid.) writes another reason that
one must dry one’s hands after washing them:
Since the water remaining on one’s hands
might still be tamei, as it is left over from the
initial pouring, we are concerned that this
water might come into contact with the bread
and be metamei it. The Mishna Berura (46)
points out that if one washes his hands with a

revi’is of water, the water never becomes
tamei and there is no need to actually dry
one’s hands before eating bread (according to
this reason). Indeed, the Shulchan Aruch (13)
rules that one who fulfills the mitzvah by
immersing his hands in a mikveh or washing
them with a revi’is or more can eat bread
without drying his hands.
According to this reason, it would seem that
air dryers would serve the same purpose as
conventional drying, as both serve to remove
the tamei water from one’s hands.
3. A third reason that one should dry his hands
after washing is based on Rashi in Sotah (4b,
s.v. kol). Rashi explains that the word “tamei”
in this Gemara refers to something disgusting,
not something ritually impure. One who eats
bread with wet hands is observing improper
table manners and eating in a manner
considered disgusting by Chazal. According
to this reason, it would seem that air dryers
would be just as effective for avoiding this
problem.
Which Reasons are Accepted LeHalacha?
The Shulchan Aruch (258:11) rules that the
best way to wash netilas yadayim is to recite
the beracha in advance, but it is common
practice to wash before one recites the
beracha, so that one’s hands are clean. The
Rema adds the reason that drying one’s
hands is part of the mitzvah. Similarly, the
Mechaber (12) cites the Gemara’s statement
in Sotah that one who eats bread without
drying his hands is considered to be eating
tamei bread.
The Mishna Berura (46) points out that the
Shulchan Aruch rules according to both the
reason of the mitzvah and that of cleanliness,
and we should be machmir for both reasons.
Thus, if one washes with a revi’is, although
there is no problem of tumah, one should
still dry his hands for the sake of cleanliness.
Similarly, if one’s hands are mostly dry to
the extent that they wouldn’t transmit tumah,
one should still dry them completely in
order not to make the bread soggy when
touching it.
The Mishna Berura (45) further points out
that one should not dry his hands with his
shirt, since doing so can cause one to forget
his learning. (This is a tradition of a
metaphysical phenomenon, not something
that can be explained through the laws of
nature).
Applying This to Air Drying
The Shulchan Aruch HaRav (17) writes that
it is best not to allow one’s hands to dry by
simply waiting, since drying them with a
towel is “metaharan beyoser,” makes them
more tahor. This is somewhat difficult to
understand, since it is hard to imagine that

making the hands somewhat dryer than they
would have been affects the laws of tumah and
taharah.
Rav Betzalel Stern (Shu”t BeTzeil
HaChochmah 4:141) explains that the
Shulchan Aruch HaRav means that if one
allows the tamei water to dry, some of it will
be absorbed back into his skin, but if one
wipes it away with a towel, all of the water is
removed.
The Chazon Ish (25:10) argues that there is no
reason to avoid letting them dry in the air, as
doing so doesn’t affect the tumah and taharah
of the situation.
However, if we assume that drying one’s
hands is part of the mitzvah of netilas yadayim,
it would seem that one should not simply
allow them to dry but should actively dry
them.
This is all regarding one who simply leaves
his hands in the air to dry. Concerning the
active use of an air dryer, Rav Betzalel Stern
writes that this is definitely acceptable, since
one is somewhat actively participating in the
drying process. If one washed with a revi’is,
there is no tamei water on his hands, such that
the Shulchan Aruch HaRav’s issue is not a
concern, and there is certainly no issue of
making the bread soggy if one keeps his hands
under the blower until they are dry. In a
follow-up teshuvah (5:32), Rav Stern clarifies
that putting one’s hands under the dryer is
definitely considered a ma’aseh. He adds that
one who washes with less than a revi’is should
dry his hands with a towel rather than using a
blower in order to satisfy the view of the
Shulchan Aruch HaRav.
There is no concern that the dryers are a bit
slower than using a towel to dry one’s hands,
since there is less concern for a hefsek once
one has already recited the beracha. Although
one should avoid talking or waiting a very
long time between drying one’s hands and
eating bread, it is much less of a concern than
talking in between the washing and the
beracha. One who talks prior to reciting the
beracha must wash again, as the beracha is
intended to apply to the washing that
immediately preceded it (as discussed above).