Q. My 9 month old baby likes to stick his hands in my mouth. Should i be worried about ru'ach rah and need to wash his hands in the morning? If not at what age does one need to start to wash children's hands to remove ruach ra'ah?
A. Shulchan Aruch Horav mentions that customarily we are lenient on using food that was touched by children that did not wash netilas yodaim after they wake up. He explains that the reason hands become impure is due to the partial departure of the neshama during sleep, which releases in its wake a spirit of tumah. After the neshama returns the ruach hatuma is contained only on the hands. Since the main and finishing entry of the neshama on the human body is when one reaches the bar or bat mitzvah stage, we are lenient in permitting food touched by children that did not yet reach the previous chinuch phase (usually 6 – 7 years old, however Divrei Sholom {p. 12} cites the age of nine years).
Kaf Hachaim (O.H. 4: 22) expresses a similar opinion. However he quotes the Chida that mentions that even small children should have their hands washed and should not contaminate all things they touch. So is also the opinion of P'ri Megodim (in Mishbetzos Zohov 4: 7) adding that "chamiro sakanto meisuroh" (danger supersedes prohibitions) and he therefore does not understand why many are lenient on washing the hands of small children. (See also Vehaish Mordechai p. 10 who quotes in the name of the Ben Ish Chai and others the many inherent "segulos" and spiritual benefits involved in the early beginning of netilas yodaim, adding that one should wash their hands preferably from the day of the bris milah on. This is quoted in brackets on the Rav's Shulchan Aruch too)
Horav Shlomo Miller's Shlit"a opinion is similar to the Shulchan Aruch Horav quoted above.
Rabbi A. Bartfeld as revised by Horav Shlomo Miller Shlit"a
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