At this point in the seder, we would rise and ritually wash our hands without a blessing, even though it is no longer required to wash hands before eating vegetables (karpas, which comes next, has us dip greens in salt water).

There are lots of points in Jewish tradition when we wash our hands: before eating a meal (typically with bread or matzah), upon waking up, before praying, or after leaving a cemetery. In fact, many think that Jews did not contract the bubonic plague in the Middle Ages because they had the ritual practice of washing their hands before eating, whereas their neighbors did not have that same practice. 

This moment of ritual handwashing without a blessing is a reminder of how much handwashing has become a critical part of our lives, and is a blessing for us in staying healthy.


haggadah Section: Urchatz