Question:
I am disabled and occasionally we go out to eat. Because of my disability it is difficult to get up to wash for bread. Is there a heter to not wash or is there any other solution? Please send sources with an answer. Thank you.
Answer:
Hello,
To be honest it is hard to hear that you can get all the way to the restaurant, but not to the sink to wash your hands. There are heterim when a person doesn’t have water, or because of a chatzitza the person cannot wash his hands, but these heterim don’t seem to apply to your situation. It is also possible for one of the people accompanying you to bring you water. It is good to remember that when doing a mitzva, and it comes hard, we get more than 100 times the reward as a person who does the mitzva when it is without any difficulty. Additionally, when a person is careful about netilas yodayim, it causes them to be blessed with an abundance of goodness from heaven.
May this bracha apply to you.
Additional reading:
- Entering a Bathroom
- Netilat Yadayim 4
- Washing for wet fruits and vegetables; Giving bread to an irreligious person who will not wash
- Answering amen between the bracha and drying (netila for a bread meal)
- Can I wash my hands with soap after washing on bread from a public washing cup
- Raising hands after washing for bread
- Netilat Yadayim for french fries with ketchup?
Perhaps it would be less bother to wash at home and have a piece of bread with intention to continue the meal in the restaurant. One would need to be careful with one's hands so as to not be required to wash again
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