❓ Question: Is It Permitted to Touch Skin and Non-Orifice Body Parts Before Morning Hand Washing?

Author: Rabbi Yaakov GoldsteinPublished: May 29, 2026

Yes. It is permitted for one to touch all areas that were not listed above in Shulchan Aruch. Thus one may scratch his arm, leg, stomach, and back prior to washing.

Yes. It is permitted for one to touch all areas that were not listed above in Shulchan Aruch. Thus one may scratch his arm, leg, stomach, and back prior to washing.


  1. Admur in Siddur writes that if one slept a temporary sleep of 60 breaths he is to wash with a blessing, although prior to doing so he is to touch the normally covered areas of the body. See Ketzos Hashulchan 2 footnote 21 and Chapter 4 Halacha 17. ↩
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