Albert Barnes Commentary Matthew 15:2

"Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread." — Matthew 15:2 (ASV)

Transgress the tradition of the elders, The word elders means, literally, old men. It here means the ancients, or their ancestors. Tradition means something handed down from one to another by memory: some precept or custom not commanded in the written law, but which they considered themselves bound to observe.

The Jews supposed that when Moses was on Mount Sinai, two sets of laws were delivered to him: one, they said, was recorded, and is that contained in the Old Testament; the other was handed down from father to son, and kept uncorrupted to their own time. They believed that Moses, before his death, delivered this law to Joshua; Joshua then delivered it to the judges, and they, in turn, to the prophets, so that it was kept pure until it was recorded in the Talmuds.

In these books these pretended laws are now contained. They are exceedingly numerous, and very insignificant. They are, however, regarded by the Jews as more important than either Moses or the prophets. One point in which the Pharisees differed from the Sadducees was in adhering to these traditions. It seems, however, that in the particular traditions mentioned here, all the Jews were united.

The Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not (Mark 7:3). Mark has also added that this custom of washing extended not merely to their hands before eating, but also when coming from the market, and to pots, cups, bronze vessels, and tables (Mark 7:3–4).

They did this professedly for the sake of cleanliness. To that extent, it was good. But they made it a matter of superstition. They regarded external purity as of much more importance than the purity of the heart.

They had many foolish rules about it: such as the quantity of water that was to be used, the way in which it should be applied, the number of times it should be changed, and the number of those that might wash at a time, etc. These foolish rules our Savior did not consider it proper to observe, and this was the reason why they found fault with him.

See Barnes on Matthew 15:1.