כיון דידים עסקניות הן ונוגעים בכל דבר ובזמן שהיה נוהג טומאה וטהרה והכהנים אכלו תרומה היו צריכין ליטול ידיהם קודם אכילת תרומה לפי שמוזהרים מלטמא אותה ולכן גזרו נטילת ידים אפילו בסתם ידים לתרומה: וכדי שיהיו רגילין הכהנים בזה גזרו ג"כ על כל האוכל פת שאסור לאכול עד שיטול ידיו ברביעית מים וכל המזלזל בנט"י נעקר מן העולם ומצוה זו מסייע שמי שזהיר בו ואין שאר מעשיו מעכבים היא מסוגלת שיהיה עשיר ושלמה המלך ע"ה וב"ד תקנו נט"י לסעודה:

**Laws of Handwashing for a Meal and Which Items Require Handwashing (118): **Since hands are busy and touch everything, and in the time when ritual purity and impurity were observed and priests ate terumah, they were required to wash their hands before eating terumah because they were warned not to defile it. Therefore they decreed handwashing even for ordinary hands for terumah. And so that the priests would be accustomed to this, they also decreed for anyone eating bread that it is forbidden to eat until one washes his hands with a quarter-log of water. Anyone who treats handwashing lightly is uprooted from the world, and this commandment aids one who is careful with it, if his other deeds do not prevent it, such that he will become wealthy. And King Solomon of blessed memory and the court established handwashing for a meal.

Five general principles were stated regarding the law of handwashing: (1) which item requires washing; (2) that the vessel be fit for washing; (3) that the water come by human action; (4) that the water be fit for washing; (5) how the washing is performed. We will explain their details. Which item requires washing? They required washing only for bread over which one recites HaMotzi, which is life-sustaining and impossible to live without. But for bread over which one does not recite HaMotzi, such as those over which one recites Borei Minei Mezonot, if one does not establish a meal upon it, handwashing is not required. But when one establishes a meal upon it, and thus it resembles bread and requires the blessing HaMotzi, it also requires handwashing.

For this reason, one who eats bread less than a ke-beitzah (egg-volume), since some say it does not receive ritual impurity, should wash his hands without a blessing due to doubt. For less than a ke-zayit (olive-volume), some say handwashing is not required (Taz and Vilna Gaon), and some say its law is like less than a ke-beitzah (38, Magen Avraham, Eliyah Rabbah). If the bread is secondary to another item, this is explained in Klal 56, section 3.

Something dipped in liquid while still moist, even if one does not touch the place of the liquid, when ritual purity and impurity were observed, handwashing was required by law. But now people have become lenient in this. However, every God-fearing person should be careful in this and wash his hands, but due to doubt should not recite a blessing. Only these seven are called liquids, their mnemonic being YaD SHaCHaT DaM, meaning: wine, blood of animals and birds but not of fish (and this refers to eating for medical reasons in a life-threatening illness), oil, milk, dew, honey, water. Even if one dips only one end, handwashing is required.

Regarding confections fried in honey, it seems to me there is a distinction: if one purchased the honey while still mixed with wax and melted it on that basis in order to fry with it, then it never had the status of liquid and handwashing is not required. But if one purchases honey already separated from the producers, and it is known they separate it to make liquid, handwashing is required even though one fries food in it. So it seems to me. (The Magen Avraham wrote that handwashing is not required, and the Taz wrote that it is required, and in Beit HaLevi, Menachot 31, wrote that since it is congealed it is not a liquid, see there; and see the responsa of Maharit, section 15.)

Fried items that are fried in butter, not only when the butter is congealed, for then the butter has no status as liquid since congealed milk is food and not liquid, but even when the butter is still warm and clear, which is called liquid, even so handwashing is not required. Since butter is food, only when it melts again does it return to being liquid. And since now it comes to prepare food, we maintain that liquid that comes to prepare food is considered food. This applies specifically when the butter did not melt until after the food was placed in it, so that immediately it comes to prepare the food before it became liquid. But if it melted beforehand, it seems to me handwashing is required. See Nishmat Adam.

Regarding brandy mixed with water, according to what I wrote below in the Laws of Passover, section 10, that even if fruits are pickled in it, like cherries and the like, nevertheless it is doubtful whether it is fruit juice (see there), and even if it contains much water (see Magen Avraham Siman 462), therefore fruits pickled in it are doubtful whether handwashing is required. And regarding cooked fruits, since one recites Borei Pri HaEtz on the broth, it does not have the status of liquid (Eliyah Rabbah).

Items that are not customarily touched except to eat with a spoon, such as cooked dishes, do not require handwashing. But what is customarily touched, even if one eats with utensils, this does not help. And even if another person places the food into one's mouth, this does not help, and the eater must wash his hands. But the feeder does not require handwashing (163). It is forbidden to hand a slice to someone one knows has not washed his hands, even if the slice belongs to the eater. And likewise it is forbidden to hand food to someone one knows will not recite the blessing of enjoyment. And certainly regarding heretics it is forbidden to hand them forbidden items or to assist them in anything forbidden to do (Magen Avraham Siman 163 and 247).

Roasted meat—if it was roasted without water, only its own moisture, handwashing is not required. But if there is actual gravy, handwashing is required, for it is like something dipped in liquid. (And what Tosafot, Chullin, entry "ve-ne'ekhalin," wrote: "not required for pot, and were rinsed in fruit juice"—this requires examination, for it clearly implies that gravy is not called liquid. And if not for my hesitancy, it seems to me it should read in Tosafot: alternatively, that were rinsed in fruit juice, meaning one could say regarding roasted food that even roasted requires rinsing; see the Ran and Rashba's commentary. Or one could say that what Tosafot wrote "not required for pot" means like pot-roasted and was cooked without water, only its own gravy; see Magen Avraham Siman 158:10.)

They decreed only regarding the eater, but the drinker, even if he touches liquids, the custom is not to wash his hands.