No Water or Cup for Washing for Bread

The Aish Rabbi Replies

Washing our hands before eating bread is actually a very strong Rabbinical decree. (See Talmud Shabbat 62b, Eiruvin 21b and Sotah 4b. In the second source, Rabbi Akiva was held in jail with minimal sustenance but still insisted on using the little bit of water he had to wash his hands.) We must therefore make every effort to find water for washing.

The basic rule is that you must spend up to 18 minutes going to a place where you can find water. If, however, you are already traveling in a certain direction (so the delay is less of an inconvenience), you must spend up to 72 minutes continuing in your direction in order to attain water (Shulchan Aruch O.C. 163:1, Mishna Berurah 3). Thus, if you’re driving on the highway, assuming you will reach a rest area within 72 minutes, you should drive there, and then stop to wash and eat. (Theoretically, once you stop to wash, you can then eat while driving, but you should stop driving in order to say Birkat HaMazon (Grace after Meals; Shulchan Aruch 183:11 with MB 36 and Sha'ar Tziyun 40.)

In extenuating circumstances, there are a few alternate options. In general, a non-disposable cup should be used for washing. But if all you have is a disposable one, you can use that (see here for further details). If you have no cup at all, it might be sufficient to put your hands under a tap, and then turn on and off the water for each pour (Tzitz Eliezer 8:7, Halacha Berurah 159:24). (The reason is because the city’s waterworks possibly contain a storage tank – a type of “vessel” – and the first burst of water which emerges when you turn on the spout is the equivalent of pouring out the water yourself.) Since, however, this is questionable, you should not recite a blessing on such a washing, and you should additionally cover your hands when you eat, as discussed below. Another option (which actually works even in non-extenuating circumstances) is to dip your hands (a single time) in a stream or body of water, so long as it contains at least 40 se’ah of water (about 80 gallons, sufficient for a mikvah; Shulchan Aruch 159:19-20, Mishna Berurah 97).

Also, preferably you should wash with water. But if all you have available is fruit juice (other than wine) or a drink such as beer which mainly consists of water, that can be used as well (Shulchan Aruch 160:12).

Lastly, if you are in a place without any of the above options, you can eat by wrapping your hands fully and holding the bread like that (Shulchan Aruch 163:1). (The rationale is that there is no need to wash when your hands are in a state that they are not capable of touching the bread.) Note that you must cover up your hands – not the bread.

A safe journey!