Ru'ach Ra'ah and the Morning Handwashing

After rising in the morning and saying the “Modeh Ani” the very first mitzva of the day is the netilat yadayim, the ritual washing of our hands in order to remove the “ruach ra’ah.[1]” Ruach ra’ah means “impurity” or “evil spirit,” and, in this case, it refers to the impurity that is said to be on one’s hands upon awakening from sleep. There are other things that we do in consideration of ruach ra’ah, as well.

That being said, there is a school of though that teaches that ruach ra’ah no longer exists, or that it is not as strong as it once was.[2] This is said to be the view of the Rambam [3] and the Maharshal.[4]

Some attribute the lessening of the ru’ach ra’ah to the story of Graf Potoczki, born in Poland to aristocratic parents, who desired to convert to Judaism. Since conversion to Judaism was forbidden during this time, he converted secretly and immersed himself in the study of Torah. Eventually, he was caught and arrested for his conversion. He was given a choice to return to Christianity or to be burned alive. Graf chose to die, thereby publicly sanctifying God’s Name. As the story goes, after Graf was murdered the Vilna Gaon said that the ruach ra’ah lost some of its strength, particularly regarding the ruach ra’ah upon awakening.

Nevertheless, the halacha treats ru’ach ra’ah as real and, as such, one should wash one’s hands promptly upon awakening in the morning.The halacha is to wash one’s hands beside one’s bed, or without walking more that 4 Amot (two meters), therefore, one should prepare the cup for washing one's hands next to the bed. If, however, it wasn't prepared, then Lechatchilah one should not walk four amot (two meters) in one go; rather, one should walk a little less, then stop, and then continue to walk a little less than four amot until reaching the sink. (this stringency doesn't apply if one fell asleep after Chatsot (Halachic midnight). One should not touch any bodily orifices before washing one’s hands in the morning.

There are other areas of life relating to ru’ach ra’ah as well, such as the ban not to eat peeled onions and eggs that were left uncovered overnight and not to store food under one’s bed, which will be dealt with in future articles.[5] 

One should make an effort to comply with all ru’ach ra’ah concerns but one may be lenient in situations of difficulty and financial loss, though specific examples are beyond the scope of this article.

1. Although reciting Modeh Ani upon awakening is certainly commendable, it is not a “mitzva” in the classical sense.

2. Tosafot, Yoma 77b. But see Tosafot, Shabbat 141a, s.v. “Hani,” and Tosafot, Beitza 14a, s.v. “Ika,” for what appears to be a contradictory view.

3.   Lechem Mishna , Shevitat Ha’asor 3:2.

4.  Maharshal, Chullin 8:31.

5. Aruch Hashulchan , OC 165:4; Shulchan Aruch Harav ; Shemirat Haguf V’hanefesh 67; Chochmat Adam 68:3