Reply To: washing netilas yadayim on shabbos

“But when you open or close the door in the rain, you are with your own hands causing the water collected on the door to fall off.”

On the doorknob? The doorknob is a makom pattur, so it’s OK.

“With getting your sleeves wet when washing, you’re also wetting your clothing against your will.”

According to some poskim, it is forbidden, on Shabbos and yom tov, to cause even a clean garment to become wet. Even a clean garment is improved with additional laundering – and wetting a garment is considering the first step in the laundering process. I already explained the numerous differences between this and walking in the rain.

As far as sleeves are concerned, some poskim say that going out in rolled-up sleeves is considered carrying (if he would prefer that the rolled-up material not be there; the rolled-up material is not actually covering his body or serving any other function – therefore, it is a burden and you are transgressing the prohibition of carrying in a public domain on the holy Sabbath. Rav Moshe zatzal held like this.