Natilath Yadayim

MORI Qafahh's REPLY: All the prayers require washing standard [as usual] with bracha (blessing) as explained in chapter wow (Hilkoth Brakhoth) in the laws of blessings. "Whenever a person washes his hands whether before eating or before the recitation of the shma or before prayer, he should recite the following blessing---al natilath yadim. This is a Rabbinic Miswah Deut 17:11." (Mishna Tora - Hilkoth Brakhoth: chp. wow - law II)

According to the Temani Minhog, the morning Netila is also for the tefila of the other prayer times and the Birkat Cohanim. This is a slight variation with the RMb"M, which may actually be legally explainable.

This is the bottom line (4 step process) on how to wash--based on the RMb"M:

1-we fill up the cup with water...
2-say the blessing

I often start to recite the blessing while the cup fills up with water.

3-washing hands (twice on each hand)

Although once on each hand is enough.  It is best to have someone else pour so that both hands
are washed at the same time (making sure they are not squeezed together,
though, so that the water runs between the touching hands).

The modern custom of each person washing his own hands is not the original
or best way of doing it, though it is kosher if you have no wife,
children, or friends to pour for you (you should also pour for them,
including wife and children).

Among the ways of true Israel is to maximize the doing for each other even
of that which one can do for himself, so that we feel more connected and
interdependendant (not "every man for himself", which is the European
style, in imitation of the Gentiles there, whose "virtues" are well known
to you).

4-raise hands with fingers pointing upward so water does not fall
 back over the hand.

The key point (according to the Talmud and MT)
is to have the slope of the hands from the beginning of the pouring till
you have dried them so that the wrist is never higher than the hand
proper, so that water will not leave the hand proper and then return to it
from outside the hand invalidating the neTilah.  This is for the washing
other than at the end of a meal; at the end of the meal, the hands should
be below the wrists.  See

http://www.mechon-mamre.org/i/2506.htm#17

You may have noted that the Author of Sh"`A thinks otherwise, if one pours
at least a revi`it in one continuous pouring; his source for this escapes
me.  RMBM does not mention it, of course.
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According to my translation of Mori Qafahh, the Temanim only wash ONCE on EACH HAND when they do the Netilath Yadim for Bread (not three times) ? Is this true...?

One Temani friend replies from The Moreh Qafahh group says: Yes. not only for bread but even at the morning and before each Tefila. The netila of shaharith (the morning) is also for the Tefila of Shaharith.

Talmid says: Your reading is correct. According to the RMb"M, and thus the old custom of Yemen was to wash only once on each hand. The Kesef Mishneh and ultimately the Shulhan Aruch added a minimum of two times. Anything beyond two times is entirely unnecessary and thus does not have basis in Halacha. Rabbi Y. Ratzabi in his Piskei Mahari" tz mentions that the old custom in Yemen was to wash once. Due to limiting time constraints, I was unable to reference the site. When questioned about it Rabbi Ratzabi said this is correct, but there is nothing wrong with adding one more time (implied: "to be in line with the other opinion as well"). For Hulin (upon waking?) one is required to wash but only once according to the RMb"M. For Teruma, twice. In fact washing the hands only once alleviates the problem of having to hold the hands upwards so as not to let the water leak back down on to the hands. One ought to remember that in Yemen, hand washing at festive meals was done buy one of the attendees (a child) for all of those present.

Not at all Kohanim indeed wash for Kiryat Shema`, Tefilla and Birchat Cohanim. If they make sure not to touch less than clean parts of their body, they can even have Pat Shahrit...

There were meals of meals of truma (kohanim eating trumot) and meals of hulin (or regular, non holy meals). From language of gemara it seems that while bet mikdash existed, people didn't wash for hulin bread (regular every day bread), I came to that conclusion as they made gzera to wash before bread of hulin after kohanim stoped eating truma (because of tuma), gzera was in rememberance of truma. Masehta hulin is named so after shita of hulin, as opposed to shita of korbanot. Hulin is aramaic for hol, or profane in english.