Netilat Yadayim on Waking Up for a Baby Rabbanit Surale Rosen

First of all – Mazal Tov on your new born baby!

There are three main reasons given in the Poskim for Netilat Yadayim upon waking up in the morning. The question is whether these reasons apply for someone that wakes up during the night.

The Rosh (Brachot 9:23) comments on Gemara Brachot (60b), where it says that one should recite אשר קדשנו במצוותיו וצוונו על נטילת ידיים following washing our hands in the morning. The Rosh clarifies that the reason חכמים ruled that we should wash our hands in the morning is in preparation for קריאת שמע and the Amidah. Our hands, naturally busy, keep touching unclean parts of the body whilst sleeping and therefore need to be cleaned or, purified, before davening.

The Rashba (Teshuvat HaRashba 1:191) argues against the Rosh; he says that washing hands is in preparation for our service of Hashem throughout the day, not only for Shema and the Amidah. The reason we are doing it at the beginning of the day is because it’s as if we’re newly created.  Similarly, the Kohanim, before they begin the Avodah in the Temple, wash their hands and feet.

The Beit Yosef discusses another reason mentioned in the Tur (4:1) – one should wash hands three times to remove the רוח רעה that is on our hands. The Beit Yosef quotes the source for this Halakha, from the Zohar on Parashat Vayeshev (184b) where it explains that since we experience a kind of ‘death’ at night while sleeping, the רעה רוח rests on our body. Upon waking we should make sure to remove it by washing our hands 3 times alternately since the רעה רוח that is on our hands is dangerous for different parts of our body (eyes, ears, mouth and others that have openings) and food (Gemarah Shabbat 108b). The Mishna Brura (4:13:28) brings a different understanding for the cause of רוח רעה that is not connected to whether a person sleeps or not, rather, that at nighttime there is רוח רעה  anyway.