Ritual Hand-Washing Upon Waking vs. Before Eating Bread

This short home video compares the different customs of washing one’s hands after waking up and before eating bread. Although the same blessing is recited in both cases, the order in which the hands are washed is different. Both hand-washing rituals are concerned with purity, as opposed to cleanliness. The creator of this video, who refers to himself as DJ Raymond, uses terminology and pronunciation that may be foreign to those without exposure to the Orthodox Ashkenazic American community.