In Judaism, hand-washing is an ancient act of faith
The Zohar, the preeminent and most revered work of Sephardic Kabbalistic thought, was compiled by the Jewish mystic Moses de León in 13th century Spain. In the Moroccan Jewish tradition the words contained in this sacred work are so deeply transformative that it is believed they have the power to safeguard life.
From my ancestral Morocco I have inherited several gorgeous historical Kabbalistic artifacts that adorned my mother’s family’s former home in Oujda. The imagery of the hand surrounded and intricately decorated by Hebrew script is most prominent.
In North Africa, the popularity of such symbolism, which according to folklore wards off the evil eye, has been traced by some historians to the time of the Carthaginian Empire between the sixth and second centuries BCE. This elegant kind of artwork highlights how the hands have the power to heal or to harm. The Zohar emphasizes the strength possible, proclaiming: “the hands of a human being inhabit the height of the world.”
Jewish literature contains a substantial number of references to ritual purity and hygiene. The sages of old relied on cautionary tales to warn their followers about the perils of failing to wash. The great rabbinic scholar Maimonides (1138–1204) of Córdoba, Spain, devoted a volume of his great compendium of Jewish law to the topic of cleanliness.
A key prayer in the historical development of our religion is known as netilat yadayim. In observant circles this practice has great weight and priority. The benediction is called for in relation to the act of washing one’s hands. According to the Encyclopedia of Jewish Prayer:
The Ashkenazic and Sephardic Rites, “netilat yadayim” literally means “lifting up of the hands.” The author further explains that in this action “we raise our hands symbolically from a lower, purely physical nature to their higher moral purpose.”
Contemporary scholars such as Steven Weitzman, director of the Katz center for Advanced Judaic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, write that during the time of the
Great Temple in Jerusalem, “cleansing oneself of impurity” was “a preoccupation for many Jews,” from the type of vessels they utilized to their usage of the mikveh, or ritual bath. He notes that in ancient Israel, while there were “different approaches to handling impurity,” in particular between the Pharisees and the Essenes, they both shared the common “belief that purification was a concern not just for priests but for ordinary Jews during their daily lives.”
Over the centuries famous non-Jewish writers, such as Charles Dickens, have picked up on this Jewish habit of cleanliness, hailing Jews in 1866 as “a people who wash their hands and anoint their heads, and pay respect to times, seasons, and observances.” Compliments aside, this concern for an unsullied, untainted existence unites all peoples throughout the world as they seek to alleviate suffering and they strive their hardest to uphold the highest standards of safety and wellbeing.
We salute in particular all of the brave men and women working tirelessly to save lives during this frightening pandemic. This past Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, as part of our online congregational worship, I paid tribute to doctors and nurses who were recognized by Yad Vashem as Righteous Among the Nations for risking it all to assist, treat and rescue
Jews during World War II.
I shared with our audience a unique facsimile of the handwritten diary of an Austrian-born Swiss nurse, Friedel Bohny-Reiter, which was presented to me at a special service I conducted at Western Europe’s largest Holocaust memorial, the Musée Mémorial du Camp de Rivesaltes in France. In the pages of her journal we read the innermost thoughts of a woman who raised her hands in service for a cause with a higher moral purpose, saving lives.
During this pandemic, each of us can play a role in preventing the spread of
COVID-19 in our community. There are ways we can, so to speak, lend a helping hand to people in need without endangering ourselves and others. The CDC, Virginia Department of Health and our local trusted news sources, the Daily Press and The Virginian-Pilot, provide reliable information and guidance.
Judaism values life so much that saving a life takes precedence over virtually all other commandments. At my synagogue, as part of our online Shabbat gatherings, I reintroduced the ritual of hand-washing, including a special prayer that speaks to the sacredness of the life of every soul on our planet. Let us continue to unite against this global crisis and together build a safer world before the situation gets further out of hand.