268. Using the Restroom Before Washing

40:15 If someone uses the bathroom before eating, which requires that he wash his hands and recite the bracha of “asher yatzar,” and he must also wash his hands for bread, there is some doubt as the the proper course of action. It is best in this case not to wash hands in the way one does for a meal. For example, he might use a quantity of water that would be insufficient when washing for bread. After saying “asher yatzar,” one would then wash his hands properly for his meal. 40:16 If, during the course of a meal, a person touched a bodily part that is normally covered, of if he scratched his head or used the bathroom, he must re-wash his hands. He does not, however, recite the blessing over this second washing. (Mishnah Brurah 164:13 cites opinions that do require repeating the bracha in certain cases. See also Bi’ur Halacha 164:2 s.v. “lachzor v’litol yadav.”)