Tefilá / netilát jádájim

Make a laver of copper and a stand of copper for it, for washing; and place it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar. Put water in it,

and let Aaron and his sons wash their hands and feet [in water drawn] from it.

With regard to seeking water, the Gemara comments: This applies only to the recitation of Shema, as the time for its recitation is limited, and if one goes seeking water he may run out of time. However, for prayer, which may be recited all day, one must go out of his way to seek water. And how far must one go out of his way to seek water? As far as a parasang [parsa]. And this, one parsa, applies only before him but behind him, he need not return even one mil. From this one may infer that he need not return one mil, but one must return less than one mil.

Five things prevent one from praying, even though the time [for prayer] has arrived:
1) the purification of one's hands;
2) the covering of nakedness;
3) the purity of the place of prayer;
4) things that might bother and distract one; and
5) the proper intention of one's heart.

The purification of one's hands - What does this imply? One must wash his hands in water until the joint. [Only] afterwards may he pray.
[The following rules apply when] a person is travelling on the road when the time for prayer arrives: If he has no water, but is within four millin - i.e., 8000 cubits - of a source of water, he should proceed to it, wash his hands, and then pray. If the distance to the water is greater than this, he should clean his hands with pebbles, earth, or a beam, and pray.

One needs to wash one's hands with water if he has [it]. If one does not have [water], he needs to travel up until [the distance of] one parasang [to find it]. And this is specifically when one is traveling on the road and water is found ahead of him. But if he needs to travel backwards to the location of the water, he [only] needs to travel up to a mil; [but] more than a mil, he does not [need to] go back. And if one is worried about missing the time of prayer, he should clean his hands on a rock or in dirt or in any cleaning substance [and see below, Orach Chayyim 233]

One must wash his hands prior to praying, if he has water [available], even if they had not become dirty. He does not make a blessing [for washing]. Gloss: Even one who was [in the midst of Torah] study when he got up [to pray], should wash his hands for prayer.If one does not have water prepared, he need not wash.