On Shabbat, April 1, beginning at 5:45 p.m., Dr. Miryam Z. Wahrman will speak at Cong. Rinat Yisrael, discussing her latest book, “The Hand Book: Surviving in a Germ-Filled World” (2016, University Press of New England/ForeEdge Press, available at www.upne.com or Amazon.com and in bookstores).

In Judaism, spiritual and physical purity go hand-in-hand. Jewish tradition and law include numerous hand-washing practices that, in addition to providing ritual purity, also lead to better health in the community. Based on her book “The Hand Book: Surviving in a Germ-Filled World,” Dr. Wahrman reveals the Jewish roots of hand washing, and how to avoid dangerous germs and reduce your risk of infection.

Wahrman, who is professor of biology at William Paterson University and an award-winning science journalist, is passionate about the dangers posed by germs and what we need to do to stay healthy. Her research on how microbes transfer from object to object and person to person helps us understand how to reduce risk of infectious disease.