Parshas Shoftim 5786
- Torah Tavlin
- Aug 14
- 3 min read
חולין דף קו. "נטילת ידים לחולין- משום סרך תרומה"
The Gemara says, the רבנן instituted נטילת ידים before eating לחם חולין because of סרך תרומה ועוד משום מצוה. Abaye says, "מצוה לשמוע דברי חכמים". Rashi explains, the רבנן were מתקן that by touching תרומה, we treat our hands as if they are טמא (שני) and must be washed. In order to keep the כהנים in the habit of washing before they eat תרומה, we were מתקן (even for ישראלים) to always wash prior to eating חולין as well. [ד"ה מצוה] תוס' asks: why is listening to the דברי חכמים a separate מצוה? It is the רבנן who say to wash for חולין because of סרך תרומה, so it is really one reason? תוס' answers, it is really 2 reasons. 1- Because of סרך תרומה. 2- Because of נקיות.
The Mishnah [שבת יד.] says: unwashed hands are פוסל תרומה because"הידים עסקניות הם" . Rashi explains, the reason is for נקיות. Since one’s hands are always active, it is likely he touched parts of his body that are unclean and it would be a גנאי for תרומה to be handled by unclean hands as it is מאוס. So, we were מתקן that hands should be considered טמא and thus must be washed prior to eating תרומה. Rashi brings from his "רבותינו" a different reason for this תקנה due to the concern that one’s hands are actually טמא. Rashi asks 3 קשיות on this פשט and says "לא נהירא". רבינו חננאל [שם] and the רמב"ם [פירוש המשניות זבים ה-יב] explain like "רבותינו" that it’s a חשש the hands were actually טמא.
The [או"ח קס"ד,ב'] שו"ע says, if one is in middle of his סעודה and realizes that he touched parts of his גוף that are normally covered, he must wash his hands again with a ברכה. The משנ"ב brings the מהרש"ל that one does not make a ברכה again and is מכריע that if one touched a מקום מטונף ממש, or went to he בית הכסא (גדולים), he makes another ברכה. If one just touched a part that is usually covered or went to the בית הכסא (קטנים), he washes again, but without a ברכה. In ביאור הלכה he brings the פרי מגדים that this הלכה is תלוי in our מחלוקת between רש"י and רבותינו. According to רש"י, one would need to make a new ברכה since נקיות is the עיקר טעם why we wash for תרומה (hands are עסקניות and probably touched מקום מטונפת). But according to רבותינו (and the רמב"ם) one would not need to make a new ברכה because the original תקנה was for a חשש maybe one touched a ראשון לטומאהso his hands are a שני and because of סרך תרומה we wash for חולין as well. But if one is sure and was careful not to touch טומאה but only touched a מקום מטונף in middle of his סעודה, he should not have to make a ברכה. The ביאור הלכה finds it difficult that the שו"ע would not pasken like the רבותינו, רמב"ם, ר"ח and therefore argues on the understanding of the פרי מגדים. ע"ש
The [או"ח קנ"ח,י'] שו"ע says even though the שיעור for נטל"י is a רביעית, one should wash with a lot of water. Because ר' חסדא said "אנא משאי מלא חפני מיא ויהבו לי מלא חפני טיבותא" - I washed with a lot of water and was given a lot of טובא. The משנ"ב says even so, לכתחילה it is better not to wash like this for this reason, because it would be ע"מ לקבל פרס. Rather one should do everything לכבוד השי"ת and the שכר will come ממילא. If one is זהיר in this practice yet doesn’t receive עשירות, it is because "מעשיו מעכבין".