The Beginner's Guide: How Do You Start Your Morning?

The alarm clock sounded, and we are ready to start the day. What now? Brush your teeth? Not so fast. A Jewish morning begins with two important things before the regular routine kicks in.

The sages tell us that a person's sleep at night is "one sixtieth of death" (Tractate Berachot, 57b), and the person's soul departs to higher realms and returns upon waking. Therefore, during the night, a spirit of impurity rests upon a person akin to death. To purify oneself from this spirit, one should wash hands in the morning using a natla (2-handed washing cup). Hold the natla in the right hand, fill it with water, then transfer it to the left hand to pour water on the right hand. Next, hold the natla in the right hand and pour water on the left hand. Again, pour water on the right hand, then the left, and a third time as well. In total, one pours water three times on each hand alternating, with a total of six pours, starting with the right hand, which is the more important hand.

Some people keep a natla full of water next to the bed, so that they do not walk four cubits (an ancient measurement approximately 1.92 meters) before morning hand washing. It's customary to keep a large empty bowl and a towel by the bed as well.

Another reason for morning hand washing is that in the morning, we become a new creation ready to serve the Creator, as it is written (Lamentations 3:23), "They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Just as the High Priest in the holy Temple washed his hands and sanctified them from the laver upon entering the Temple to perform the sacred service, so too does one wash hands in the morning as a symbol of beginning the service of the Creator.

For the same reason that the soul is taken at night, the Jewish morning begins with a declaration of gratitude to Hashem for returning the soul and granting another day of life, out of faith that we will choose good. Hence, the first words a Jew utters in the morning are, "Modeh (Modah) Ani Lefanecha Melech Chai V'kayam, Shehechazarta Bi Nishmati Bechemlah, Rabah Emunatecha" (I give thanks before You, living and eternal King, for You have mercifully restored my soul within me; great is Your faithfulness). Each morning, Hashem entrusts us with the spirit of life, giving us credit for another day, in the hope that we utilize this precious gift for good deeds, spiritual growth, and observing the Torah and commandments.

The Weekly Challenge

This week, visit a Judaica store and purchase a natla, or alternatively, buy a simple one at various bazaars for a few shekels. Place the natla by the sink or by your bed with a large bowl and towel. Now all that remains is to start the morning by saying the gratitude sentence "Modeh Ani..." If memorizing is difficult at first, for convenience, write it on a note and place it under the pillow to read in the morning. After "Modeh Ani..." wash your hands three times alternately, and you are ready to start your day!