Daily Halacha: Honoring Parents and the Laws of Netilat Yadayim

Every day presents new opportunities to grow in Torah knowledge and mitzvah observance. Here are two practical halachot from the book Halacha Lemaaseh by Rabbi Yaron Ashkenazi, based on the rulings of Maran Rabbi Ovadia Yosef zt"l.

Can You Wash for Bread With Sea Water or Spring Water?

Is it permitted to wash one's hands for a bread meal using water from the Mediterranean Sea, a spring, or a stream? And may one immerse one's hands directly in the water instead?

Someone who is at the seashore may immerse his hands directly in the seawater for netilat yadayim. However, one should not wash his hands from seawater using a vessel. If no other water is available and he cannot immerse his hands in the sea, he should wash with the seawater without reciting a blessing.

Someone near a spring or stream containing fresh water that is fit for animals to drink may draw water with a vessel and wash his hands in the usual manner.

If no vessel is available, he may immerse his hands directly into the spring or stream. Ideally, one should immerse in a place containing a gathered volume of forty se'ah. However, if such a place cannot be found, it is still permitted to immerse the hands in a smaller amount of water, provided that both hands are completely covered at the same time.

When immersing one's hands in the sea, a spring, or a stream, the blessing recited is the same blessing used for ordinary netilat yadayim. According to Ashkenazi custom, the blessing is "al tevilat yadayim."

Can You Wash for Bread With Seltzer?

It is permitted to wash one's hands for a bread meal using seltzer water, since the carbonation does not alter the appearance of the water and it remains valid for netilat yadayim.

The Daily Mitzvah: Honoring Parents

The mitzvah of honoring parents is among the most important obligations in the Torah. Here are several key halachot that help define this mitzvah.

1. Honor in Thought

A person should honor his father and mother in his heart and regard them as important and distinguished, even if they are otherwise ordinary people.

The Chayei Adam writes that the essence of the mitzvah begins with a person's attitude and inner respect for his parents.

2. Honor in Action

A person is obligated to honor his parents both physically and financially by helping provide food, drink, clothing, and whatever else they need.

Everything given to parents should be given with warmth and a pleasant expression.

3. Reverence for Parents

The Kitzur Shulchan Aruch explains that reverence for parents includes not standing in their designated place, whether for conversation or prayer, and not sitting in a place specifically reserved for them in the home.

A child should not contradict a parent's words or publicly decide in favor of a parent's opinion by saying, "My father's view appears correct."

The Kitzur Shulchan Aruch further teaches:

"How far does reverence extend? If a son were dressed in fine clothing and sitting at the head of the congregation, and his father or mother came, tore his clothing, struck him on the head, and spit in his face, he should not shame them, cause them pain, or become angry. Rather, he should remain silent and fear the King of kings, Hashem, Who commanded this mitzvah. However, he may seek compensation for the financial loss through the courts."

4. Honor in Speech

Parents should always be addressed respectfully and courteously.

A child should not call his parents by their first names.

5. Honoring Parents After Their Passing

The obligation to honor parents continues even after they leave this world.

When mentioning a parent's name during the first twelve months after their passing, one should say, "Hareini kaparat mishkavo."

Reciting Kaddish for the elevation of a parent's soul is also considered part of the mitzvah of honoring parents.

6. Standing in Their Honor

A person should stand to his full height before his father and mother.

According to one view in halacha, one is obligated to stand only twice daily, once in the morning and once in the evening. Another opinion holds that a child should stand every time a parent enters the room, even if this occurs many times a day.

Many parents waive this honor. If parents explicitly state that standing is unnecessary, the child is exempt. Nevertheless, it is proper and praiseworthy to rise in their honor whenever possible.

7. Teaching Children to Honor Parents

Even young children who have not yet reached the age of mitzvah observance should be trained to honor and respect their parents properly.

Instilling this value from an early age helps build a lifelong appreciation for one of the Torah's most fundamental mitzvot.