292. Washing Mayim Acharonim, Clearing the Table

44:2 When we wash mayim acharonim, we should not do so where people walk because the water is ritually unclean. Instead, we should wash into a vessel or under the table, then dry our hands and bentch. (Failure to dry one’s hands does not invalidate the washing but one should optimally dry them in order to satisfy all opinions – Mishnah Brurah 181:19.) There should be no interruption between mayim acharonim and bentching. 44:3 We should not remove the tablecloth or the bread from the table until after bentching. There should be bread on the table when bentching as a sign of the abundance that God gives us. We see this from the prophet Elisha who said in the book of II Kings that “they will eat and have food left over” (4:43). We see that blessing cannot exist in a vacuum since Elisha asked the widow what she had in the house (ibid. 4:2). Since blessing requires some substance to rest upon, we leave some bread on the table.