Prayer of the Day: Washing Hands

After Kiddush and before the meal, each person in the household should wash hands by filling a cup with water and pouring it over the top and bottom of the right hand and then the left hand. Before wiping the hands dry on a towel, the following blessing should be recited.

Why is there no “Amen” at the end of this blessing? Traditionally, each person washes their own hands, and each person says their own blessing. You don’t say “Amen” to your own blessing, and everybody says their own n’tilat yadayim, so there is no “Amen”! With the other blessings on this page, a leader says the blessing on behalf of everyone, and the others say “Amen.”