עברית
Halachot and Customs
Must One Wash Hands After an Afternoon Nap?
Question
1. If I took a nap in the afternoon, am I required to wash my hands, or only if I slept for more than half an hour? I would appreciate it if the esteemed rabbi could elaborate further
2. Is there impurity on the hands if one sleeps in the afternoon, or only at night?
Thank you very much in advance
Answer
Greetings,
1. One who sleeps during the day must wash their hands without a blessing (see Shulchan Aruch and Rema, Siman 4, Se’if 15), and according to the law, this applies only after a sleep of half an hour or longer (see Piskei Teshuvot, Siman 204, Letter A).
According to the opinion of Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef zt”l, if one has slept on their bed even briefly (about 54 seconds), it is considered a significant sleep (Shut Yabia Omer, Part 8, Section Orach Chaim, end of Siman 5, in the note), and they must wash their hands without a blessing.
2. There is a doubt regarding this: whether the night causes impurity, in which case there would be no impurity on the hands after daytime sleep, or whether it is the sleep itself that causes impurity, and thus there would be impurity on the hands even after daytime sleep (Shulchan Aruch there, and Mishnah Berurah, Subsection 34); therefore, out of uncertainty, one washes hands without a blessing, and the same applies.
Best regards,
Hillel Meirs
