If one washed hands in the morning and was then distracted (heseich hadaat), must one re-wash before prayer?
Synopsis
The Mechaber rules that if one was distracted after morning washing, one must re-wash before prayer if water is available, but without a blessing. If water is not readily available, no backtracking is required. The Rema confirms this applies even when hands were visibly dirty before washing. The Aruch HaShulchan presents a dispute between the Rambam/Rosh view (heseich hadaat invalidates) and the Tur/Ran view (plain hands are valid for prayer).
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