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DAAT · LEVEL 1 — INTRODUCTION

Siman קס״ד · Stipulating a condition (tenai) on netila

שיכול להתנות על הנטילה — one washes one's hands in the morning and stipulates a condition (תנאי) valid for the whole day, provided one does not divert one's attention from them (שלא יסיח דעתו מהם) ; but the condition does not help for the netila of a meal ; and one who touches the covered parts of the body during a meal washes his hands again and recites the blessing
סימן קס״ד · ב׳ סעיפים
שיכול להתנות על הנטילה
🌱 Introductory level · מתחילים
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This siman teaches that one may stipulate a condition on netila: נוטל אדם ידיו שחרית ומתנה עליהם כל היום — a person washes his hands in the morning and stipulates a condition (תנאי) valid for the whole day, provided only that he does not divert his attention from them (שלא יסיח דעתו מהם) and does not soil them. The Rama's gloss clarifies that the condition works only for a netila that is not for a meal. The second seif teaches that one who touches, during a meal, the covered parts (מקומות המכוסים) or scratches his head washes his hands again and recites the blessing. Hebrew text, fluent English translation and explanation of the ב׳ seifim, with a section of practical cases.

Topic: Stipulating a condition on netila — תנאי, שמירת הידים and חזרה ונטילה בסעודה
Source: שולחן ערוך אורח חיים סימן קס״ד · ב׳ סעיפים

Compiled by: רב יוסף חיים סממה
DAAT · daattorah.com

The morning netilat yadayim can, under certain conditions, last the whole day by means of a stipulation (תנאי): נוטל אדם ידיו שחרית ומתנה עליהם כל היום. Everything rests on guarding the hands — שלא יסיח דעתו מהם: not diverting one's attention from them, and not soiling them. The siman adds that this condition does not help for the netila of a meal, and that touching the covered parts of the body during a meal requires washing again. We study here at the level of principle; for personal conduct (measures, particular cases), one refers to the custom and to the ruling of the Rav.

📑 Study outline

A. The ב׳ seifim — the morning נטילה בתנאי and guarding the hands (séif 1), the חזרה ונטילה בסעודה after touching the covered parts (séif 2)
1. Practical case — the morning stipulation (תנאי)
2. Practical case — water becomes available (חוזר ונוטל בלא ברכה)
3. Practical case — scratching during a meal (מקומות המכוסים)
+ Comprehension questions and going further

A. Stipulating a condition on netila — the ב׳ seifim

תְּנַאי — the stipulation — the ability to wash one's hands in the morning and stipulate that this netila remains valid for all of the day's uses, so long as the hands remain guarded. The pivot is guarding the hands (שמירת הידים): not diverting one's attention from them (שלא יסיח דעתו מהם) and not soiling them. The Rama teaches that this תנאי works for a netila that is not for a meal, similar to the morning washing, but not for the netila of bread.

Séif 1 — נוטל אדם ידיו שחרית ומתנה עליהם כל היום

נוטל אדם ידיו שחרית ומתנה עליהם כל היום אפילו שלא בשעת הדחק ובלבד שלא יסיח דעתו מהם (ולא יטנפם) ואם מים מצויים לו טוב שיחזור ויטול ידיו אבל לא יברך.
Séif 1: a person washes his hands in the morning and stipulates a condition over them for the whole day, even when not in a time of pressing need, provided only that he does not divert his attention from them (and does not soil them) (Tur). And if water is available to him, it is good that he wash his hands again, but he should not recite a blessing.
The principle. One washes in the morning and makes a stipulation (מתנה עליהם): this netila is valid for the whole day, even when not in a time of pressing need (אפילו שלא בשעת הדחק). Decisive qualification: not diverting one's attention from them (שלא יסיח דעתו מהם) nor soiling them. And if water is available, it is good to wash again — but without a blessing (אבל לא יברך).

הגה (Rama) — the reach of the stipulation

והא דמהני תנאי דוקא בנטילה שאינה צורך אכילה דומיא דנטילת שחרית אבל אם נוטל לצורך אכילה לא מהני תנאי באותה נטילה.
Rama: and the fact that the stipulation is effective — this is only for a netila that is not for the sake of eating, similar to the morning washing ; but if he washes for the sake of eating, the stipulation does not help for that washing (Beit Yossef in the name of the Ri).
The limit. The Rama sets the scope of the תנאי: it works only for a netila that is not for a meal (נטילה שאינה צורך אכילה), similar to the morning washing (דומיא דנטילת שחרית). But for a netila made for the sake of eating (the netila of bread), the stipulation does not help (לא מהני תנאי): there, a netila is required at the very moment.

Séif 2 — מי שעומד בסעודה ונזכר שנגע במקומות המכוסים

מי שעומד בסעודה ונזכר שנגע בשוק וירך ומקומות המכוסים באדם או שחיכך בראשו וכל כיוצא בזה צריך לחזור וליטול ידיו ויברך על נטילת ידים.
Séif 2: one who is in the middle of a meal and remembers that he touched the leg, the thigh, and the covered parts of the body, or that he scratched his head, and anything similar, must wash his hands again and recite "al netilat yadayim".
The renewed netila. Touching, during a meal, the covered parts of the body (מקומות המכוסים) — the leg, the thigh — or scratching one's head (שחיכך בראשו) soils the hands. The din: one washes one's hands again and recites the blessing (צריך לחזור וליטול ידיו ויברך על נטילת ידים). Here, unlike the morning, the stipulation does not apply: the netila of a meal requires clean hands anew, with a berakha.
The siman in one sentence: one may stipulate a condition on the morning netila for the whole day (מתנה עליהם כל היום), provided only that one guards the hands (שלא יסיח דעתו מהם) ; if water becomes available one washes again without a blessing ; but this condition does not help for the netila of a meal ; and touching, during a meal, the covered parts obliges one to wash again and to bless.

Practical cases

Case 1 — The morning stipulation

Situation: in the morning, one may not have water within reach later in the day. Can one plan for this?
Conduct: yes — one washes one's hands in the morning and makes a stipulation (מתנה עליהם כל היום) so that it is valid for the whole day, even without pressing need. But everything depends on guarding the hands: שלא יסיח דעתו מהם — not diverting one's attention from them, not soiling them. To know which uses are covered by this stipulation, one follows one's Rav.

Case 2 — Water becomes available again

Situation: one made a stipulation in the morning, and now water is available again. What does one do?
Conduct: ואם מים מצויים לו טוב שיחזור ויטול ידיו אבל לא יברך — it is good to wash one's hands again, but without reciting a blessing, since the morning netila (with the stipulation) is still in force. The new washing is a good practice, not an obligation with a berakha. For the details, one follows one's Rav.

Case 3 — Scratching during a meal

Situation: in the middle of a meal, one scratches one's head or touches a covered part of the body. Must one do anything?
Conduct: yes — צריך לחזור וליטול ידיו ויברך: one washes one's hands again and recites "al netilat yadayim". Touching the covered parts (מקומות המכוסים) or scratching one's head makes the hands need cleaning before continuing to eat bread. For borderline cases, one follows one's Rav.

Comprehension questions

Check your understanding:
  1. What does מתנה עליהם כל היום mean, and on what condition does the stipulation hold (séif 1)?
  2. What does שלא יסיח דעתו מהם mean, and why is it decisive (séif 1)?
  3. If water becomes available again, why does one wash again without a blessing (séif 1)?
  4. Why does the stipulation not help for the netila of a meal (Rama, séif 1)?
  5. What must one who touches the covered parts during a meal do (séif 2)?

Going further

If you wish to deepen this siman:
Continue to the next simanSiman 165 →
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DAAT · רב יוסף חיים סממה

סימן קס״ד · ב׳ סעיפים · Level 1 — Introduction
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