עברית
Halachot and Customs
Is it permitted to pass an object directly from a woman’s hand to a man’s hand?
Question
I have seen many people insist on placing an object, money and the like, on a table rather than passing it directly from hand to hand, and I wondered whether there is a halachic source for this - a clear, established halacha, or whether it is a matter of being careful to distance oneself from transgression. What about passing a baby between a brother-in-law and his sister-in-law?
Thank you in advance.
Answer
Greetings,
According to halacha, it is permitted to pass an object directly from a woman’s hand to a man’s hand and vice versa, though between husband and wife when she is a niddah it is forbidden. Nevertheless, there is a pious practice to avoid this, especially with small objects, where there is greater concern that they may come to touch.
Sources: See Beit Yosef, Even HaEzer (end of siman 21) בשם a responsum of the Rashba, Rema (there, seif 5), Beit Shmuel (sk 9), Aruch HaShulchan (there, seif 7), Sefer Dinim veHanhagot, part 2 (chapter 8, seif 1), and Sefer Taharat HaBayit, part 1 (2019 edition, page 42, beginning with the words and nonetheless).
Blessings, Hillel Meirs
