עברית
Holidays
How to Wash Hands on Yom Kippur?
Question
Hello, Honorable Rabbi
1. On Yom Kippur, do we perform the morning hand washing? And do we wash hands after leaving the restroom?
2. If it is difficult for me to go to synagogue to pray, should I go or stay at home?
3. If we are not building a sukkah, should we make kiddush at home and recite Shehechiyanu?
4. If I am a guest, should I say a blessing in the sukkah? Thank you, Honorable Rabbi, and may you have a good sealing, with Hashem's help.
Answer
Hello and blessings,
1. On Yom Kippur, we wash our hands in the morning and also after leaving the restroom, but we do not wash the entire hand as on other days, only up to the end of the finger joints. That is, only until the fingers connect to the palm of the hand.
Additionally, in the morning we do not wash our faces as we do on regular days, and only if there is dirt in the eyes from sleep can we clean that dirt with the water used for hand washing.
2. You may pray at home. If in order to be able to fast you need rest, and if by praying you might end up needing to eat, God forbid, then you should rest all day and not pray.
3. You should make kiddush at home with the Shehechiyanu blessing.
4. Which blessing are you referring to? If you mean the blessing for "sitting in the sukkah," the law is that women are exempt from the sukkah, and even if you are eating in the sukkah, you do not need to recite the blessing for "sitting in the sukkah."
Wishing you a good sealing and a joyous holiday,
Menashe Ben Porat
