The table below presents an aligned extract of verses or verselets in Ex30-19, Ex30-21. Both verses/verselets discuss the required washing of hands and legs by the Priests prior to their Temple service. The alignment justifies the Rashi comment that: 1) It is preferred that the Priests wash their hand-legs together as a unit (They accomplished this by placing their hands on their legs and letting water come over them (Rambam, Laws of Coming to the Temple, 5:14) 2) However if the Priests properly washed their hands and their legs separately (even though this is not preferred) the Temple service that follows is not invalid. 3) The two methods of washing are inferred from the alignment: One verse bullets hands and legs while the other verse combines them as a unit. Finally a third verse speaks about the water-washing indicating that it is the act of washing and not the objects of washing that are important.

Verse	Text of Verse	Rashi comment
Ex30-19:21	The priests should wash a) their hands b) their legs [so separate washings for hands/legs] The priests should water-wash [So the emphasis is on the act, not on the objects of the act, the hands and legs] The priests should wash their hands and legs [so the emphasis is on washing the unit of hands and legs together]	1) It is preferred that the Priests wash their hand-legs together as a unit (They accomplished this by placing their hands on their legs and letting water come over them (Rambam, Laws of Coming to the Temple, 5:14) 2) However if the Priests properly washed their hands and their legs separately (even though this is not preferred) the Temple service that follows is not invalid. 3) The two methods of washing are inferred from the alignment: One verse bullets hands and legs while the other verse combines them as a unit. Finally a third verse speaks about the water-washing indicating that it is the act of washing and not the objects of washing that are important.
Ex30-19:21	The priests should wash a) their hands b) their legs [so separate washings for hands/legs] The priests should water-wash [So the emphasis is on the act, not on the objects of the act, the hands and legs] The priests should wash their hands and legs [so the emphasis is on washing the unit of hands and legs together]

Advanced Rashi: This Rashi is continued in rule #7, formatting, below. There we show that the repeated Hebrew word eth indicates a bullet effect. The bullet effect indicates a distinctness to each bulleted item - that is, the hands and legs must be washed separately. By contrast the alignment shows a lack of a bulleting eth in verse 21, thereby indicating that the hands-legs are washed as a unit. Rambam, Laws of Coming to the Temple, 5:14, explains the procedure: The priests places his hands on his legs and then lets water flow on them thereby fulfilling washing his hands and legs together. Verse 20 states that the priests water-wash emphasizing that the act of washing is what is important not the objects of washing (legs and hands). I have also explained the symbolism below. Finally, I have also explained that my assertion that washing hands and legs separately does not invalidate the consequent temple service is a novelty of mine not found (nor contradicted) in any of the classical Jewish sources.

Here is another way to view this Rashi. There are 3 verses, 19,20,21.
• Verse 19: Because of the bullet effect indicated by the repeating keyword eth we infer that the Priests may wash their hands separately and their legs separately.
• Verse 21: Because of the lack of a bullet effect we infer that the Priests must wash their hands and legs (not necessarily separately) Rambam illustrates how this can happen - by letting water flow on the hands resting on the legs.
• Verse 20: This verse simply says that the Priests must water-wash. The emphasis is on the act of washing rather than on the objects (hands/legs) of washing. Hence I conclude that verse 21 is preferred while verse 19 is allowed but not preferred.

The above may appear very picky and technical. I therefore, in rule #7, formatting, have presented the symbolic interpretation. Activities are typically done by the team, not the individual. Hence the legs (social circle of movement) and hands (activities) must be sanctified at the same time.