Parsha Chabura Ki Tisa: Kiddush Yadayim V'Raglayim

This week's shiur was about understanding the mitzvah that the kohanim have to wash their hands and feet before doing the avoda.

The whole shiur was more or less taken from a piece in Chiddushei R' Aryeh Leib (chelek 2) by Rav Aryeh Leib Mallen. If you are interested in the finer details I would suggest reading that piece.

Rav Aryeh Leib Mallen has the following chakirah. How do we understand the requirement for a kohein to wash his hands and feet. Maybe we can say that the pesul of a kohain who did not wash his hands and feet is a pesul haguf and the chiyuv is a chovas hagavra. In other words, just like a yisroel is possul from doing the avodah because he is not a kohein, so too one who has not washed his hands and feet is considered a non-kohein and he can't do the avodah. Or maybe the chiyuv on the kohein to wash his hands and feet is a din in the avodah. This means that the avodah requires it that it be done by someone who had his hands and feet washed, but if someone does the avodah without washing his hands and feet it is not viewed as if the avodah was done by a non-kohein.

The Chiddushei Rav Aryeh Leib, wants to conclude that both dinim apply. Although, he doesn't discuss how we know the first tzad (that it is a chovas hagavra), it seems it is based on the following gemara. (In his sefer Gevuras Yitzchak, Rav Yitzchak Sorotzkin points this out as well). The gemara in Zevachim (19B) says that if a kohein does the avodah without washing his hands then the avodah is no good. The gemara learns out this halacha by making a gezairah shava to the pesul of a kohein doing the avodah without wearing the bigdei kehuna (mechusar begadim). Just like a mechusar begadim is viewed as a "zar", someone unfit to do the avodah so too one who doesn't wash his hands and feet is also posul for the avodah. The pashtus of this drasha is that the pesul of a kohain who did not wash his hands and feet is a pesul haguf and the chiyuv is a chovas hagavra. Just like a yisroel is possul from doing the avodah because he is not a kohein, so too one who has not washed his hands and feet is considered a non-kohein and he can't do the avodah.

Rav Aryeh Leib has a couple of proofs to the second tzad as well. One rayah is that the Rambam counts livishas bigdei kehunah as a mitzvah. The Ramban disagrees and says since livishas bigadim is a chovas gavra it can't be counted as a mitzvah. However, when it comes to the mitzvah of kiddush yadayim v'raglayim the Ramban is not masig. You see from here that kiddush yadayim v'raglayim is not just a chovas gavra but also a din in the avodah.

Nafka Mina

1) The halacha is that a zar (non-kohein) can bring a korbon on a bamah. The gemara also learns from a separate possuk that a kohein does not need kiddush yadayim v'raglayim on a bamah. The Gevuros Yitzchak asks, if kiddush yadayim v'raglayim is a chovas gavra and one who has not washed his hands and feet is considered a non-kohein then why do you need a separate possuk? Once we know a zar is muttar to bring a korbon on a bamah, then we know that you don't need kiddush yadayim v'raglayim. He answers that kiddush yadayim v'raglayim is also a din in the avodah and that 's why you need a possuk.

2) Rav Aryeh Leib says that the chovas gavra aspect of kiddush yadayim v'raglayim is m'akkeiv but the "din in avoda" aspect is not m'akeiv. Therefore, if a kohein never washed his hands the avodah would be possul. If a kohein washed his hands in the morning and was not meisiach da'as from them then he has fullfilled his chovas gavra. If he leaves the Beis HaMikdash he would need to wash his hands again because it is viewed as if he is doing a new avodah. However, if he didn't wash his hands the avodah is not possul since this aspect of kiddush yadayim is not m'akeiv.