The Source
of the Mitzvah
The spiritual mitzvah of netillat yadayim was given by Hashem to Moshe and was initially intended for the service of the kohanim in the mishkan and the Beit Hamikdash. It was Hashem’s will that when requesting pure waters, He chose solely copper and not silver or gold like the other utensils in the mishkan.
In Sefer Shemot, Chapter 30, Pasuk 18 it states,
״ועשית כיור נחשת וכנו נחשת לרחצה ונתת אותו בין אוהל מועד ובין המזבח ונתת שמה מים.״
(“Make yourself a copper sink with a base of copper for washing and place it between the Tent of Meeting and the Alter and place water there.”)
Foundations
As we know, there are 613 mitzvot in the torah. Later on, Chazal (our sages) established the mitzvah of washing one’s hands as an essential part of serving Hashem in purity daily. It’s one of 7 mitzvot that our sages added.
A Gift for Life
The mitzvah was established as a means to spiritually and physically cleanse a person from the impurity that occurs during the night time when one sleeps. According to our sages, sleep is one sixtieth of death and most of the impurity is found on our hands and nails. Performing this mitzvah infuses a person with a more profound understanding of Hashem’s greatness, a deeper perception of Torah and the ability to perform mitzvot throughout the day in purity and holiness.
Netillah is not a product, but a spiritual tool bound to fill your life with abundance.
Spiritual Awareness
Those who perform the mitzvah of netillah on a regular basis find that it brings abundance and spiritual awareness into their lives in a short period of time.
Mystical Qualities
Torah and Kabbalah state that copper has mystical qualities associated with good health, fertility, livelihood, and purity.
How to properly perform the mitzvah of Netillah
Step 1
Hold the handle of the washing cup with your right hand and fill it with water.
Step 2
Transfer the cup over to your left hand and pour the water onto your right hand.
Step 3
Place the cup down and pick it up with your right hand. Refill it and pour it on your left hand.
Step 4
Repeat two more times. Rub your hands to remove excess water, but do not dry.
Step 5
Go to an open area or stand next to a place that has a mezuzah. Raise your hands up to eye level and make the beracha outloud:
״בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה׳ אֱלֹקינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְווֹתָיו, וְצִוָּנוּ עַל נְטִילַת יָדָיִם״
“Baruch ata Hashem elokeynu melech ha’olam asher kiddeshanu bemitzvotav ve’tzivanu al netillat yadayim.”
Step 6
Dry your hands and watch as your day is filled with abundance and blessing.
Things to keep in mind when performing the spiritual mitzvah of Netillah
Last Decades
Over the last decades netillah cups have been made with very inexpensive materials including plastic and fiberglass. As a result, the mystical and kabalistic secrets of the pure copper cup has been forgotten amongst the people of Israel.
Now is our chance to bring it back!
Purity Begins Here
Copper in and of itself is healing and purifying. So too is the mitzvah of netillah. Let us return to the original source of purity and begin to once again use a pure copper cup for netillah so that we can fulfill the mitzvah with an ultimate level of happiness and purity.
Netillah
