264. The Water Used for Washing

40:7 If a person doesn't have a vessel appropriate for washing, he may stick his hands in a river or in a mikvah that can be used by women for immersion. He can even stick them in a spring, even if it contains less than 40 seah of water (the minimum volume of kosher mikvah – approximately 152 gallons) so long as he can completely immerse his hands all at once. In these cases, he still recites the bracha “al netilas yadayim” (as opposed to the bracha “al tevilas yadayim” – Mishnah Brurah 159:97). In a case of extreme need, one may stick his hands in snow so long as there is enough on the ground to fill a mikvah. If one has to wash his hands using a water pump, he should place one hand near the ground, pump with the other, then switch; he could also have a friend pump for him. However, in such a case, if his hands are raised too far above the ground, the washing is invalid. (This washing only works if his hands are near the ground because it’s like washing his hands in the well itself; too high and it’s ineffective – Mishnah Brurah 159:47.) 40:8 If the color of the water has been changed, either by the place containing it or from something that fell into it, it may not be used for ritual hand-washing. However, if the color changed by itself, the water may be used. (If dirt or mud colored the water, it may be used for hand-washing so long as it is still clear enough for a dog to drink – see OC 160:9.) Water that was used for such work as washing dishes, soaking vegetables, cooling off hot pots placed in them, or measuring volume may likewise not be used. Some authorities also prohibited water that has become distasteful, such as if a dog, pig, or similar creature drank from it. One should heed this opinion.