Each morning, before the daily service, the Kohanim serving in the Mishkan would wash their hands and feet. Emulating this practice, we too wash our hands every morning upon awakening, to sanctify ourselves for a new day in the service of G-d.
Strangely, however, the Rambam writes that before the morning prayers, one must wash not only his hands (and feet), but also his face—something which was not even required before the daily service in the Mishkan! This implies that our daily prayers, which replace the service in the Temple, require even more preparation than was necessary for the service in the Mishkan and Beis Hamikdash.
This additional preparation reflects the unique challenges that a Jew faces in exile, in marked contrast to those faced by the Jews of Temple times.
Hands and feet serve as the body’s primary means of physical activity. The face, in contrast, is home to our higher faculties and senses, such as sight, speech, etc. The face thus represents the things that we are involved in not only technically, but also mentally and emotionally.
In the times of the Mishkan and Beis Hamikdash, the Jewish people, particularly the Kohanim, were in an ideal spiritual state: they occupied their hearts and minds almost exclusively with holy pursuits. Their limited involvement with the mundane, material world (in order to sustain themselves physically) was only in deed, not in spirit. The Kohanim therefore needed only to rinse their hands and feet, metaphorically removing themselves from their mundane activities, and then they were ready to devote themselves to the sacred service in the Temple.
Under the stresses and confusion of exile, however, it is not uncommon that material concerns occupy a Jew’s innermost thoughts and feelings. The preparations for prayer today therefore require washing even the face, according to the Rambam, in order to metaphorically wash away our internal engrossment in the material world and ready ourselves for focused service of G-d.
—Likkutei Sichos, vol. 31, p. 189
