Rachtzah רָחֲצָה : Wash the hands with a blessing

We wash our hands and recite the following:

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה', אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בּמִצְוֹתָיו, וצִוָּנוּ עַל נְטִילַת יָדָיִם

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech Ha'Olam, asher kideshanu bemitzvotav vetzivanu al netilat yadayim

Blessed are you, Lord our G-d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us concerning the washing of the hands.

As we pour water over our hands in anticipation for the meal to come, we are mindful of the many roles that water can play in our lives. At this moment, we use it to cleanse and prepare. But, for many around the world, water is the difference between life and death, between freedom and continued oppression. For the millions of asylum seekers worldwide who undertake treacherous journeys out of persecution, the oceans and seas are precarious pathways to liberty, often taking their lives in their depths. For the millions of refugees living in camps across the globe, access to clean water determines whether they will survive to rebuild their lives. We pray that all those in search of refuge find the transformative waters they need, encountering life renewed and anew.

Source: HIAS Haggadah 2019


haggadah Section: Rachtzah