Now that he is in his full vestment, the officiating priest proceeds with an act that is called 'the cleansing (or the washing) of the hands'. This gesture has a practical as well as a symbolic value: the cleansing of the hands is a symbol of the need for a cleansed soul, which is a sine qua non for an officiating priest:

I wash my hands in innocence, and go around your Altar, O Lord, singing aloud a song of thanksgiving, and telling all your wondrous deeds. O Lord, I love the house in which you dwell, and the place where your glory abides. Do not sweep me away with sinners, nor my life with the bloodthirsty, those in whose hands are evil devices, and whose right hands are full of bribes. But as for me, I walk in my integrity; redeem me, and be gracious to me. My foot stands on level ground; in the great congregation I will bless the Lord, always, now and forever and from all ages to all ages. Amen.