Cleaning the Hand After Touching a Dirty Place
This question and answer were automatically translated using our trained AI and have not yet been reviewed by a qualified rabbi. Please treat this translation with caution.
go to original →
Question
Dear Rabbi, shlita, hello and blessings! When cleaning the hand by rubbing it with anything that cleans, it seems that merely passing over does not clean the entire surface of the hand (between the fingers and on the side), and it is written in Siman D, as far as I recall, that one must clean the entire hand as with water. My question is whether one must strive to clean all areas or is it sufficient to pass the hand on both sides? Thank you and blessings.
Answer
Hello and blessings
According to the instructions of the Gaon, Rabbi Ovadia Fried, shlita, it is sufficient to rub the entire hand, but there is no need to clean between the fingers and in various crevices, even though water would reach there. It is enough that the action removes the sweat and dirt found in covered areas.
Before prayer, the obligation is to wash the hands in case there is a place that was touched and unnoticed, therefore the obligation is for the entire hand.
However, if in the middle of study he touched only the tip of the finger in a covered place, there is no need to clean the entire hand.
Source
Mishnah Berurah (Siman D, S.K. 57).