עברית
Halachot and Customs
I woke up, washed my hands, and returned to sleep. Do I need to wash again?
Question
If I wake up early and wash my hands to remove ritual impurity, then a few minutes later I go back to sleep, do I need to wash my hands again upon waking? I ask according to Ashkenazi custom. Thank you.
Answer
Greetings, Only if you sleep for half an hour or more is it necessary to wash your hands again.
Sources: Refer to the Mishnah Berurah (Siman 4, Se'if Katan 34) which explains that during sleep of less than sixty breaths, a harmful spirit does not rest, even at night. In the Biur Halacha there (Se'if 16, Derech David) it is brought that there are differing opinions regarding the length of sixty breaths: some say it equals three hours, some say more than half an hour, and others say slightly more than three minutes. Therefore, a person with a sensitive soul will be stringent according to their capacity. The halacha follows that sixty breaths are approximately half an hour, as clarified in the Ketzur Shulchan Aruch (Siman 2, Se'if 8), and such is the custom (as per the teshuvot of Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, in Da'at Nota Part 1, page 160).
Blessings, Hillel Meirs
