If a person did not recite the Beracha of "Al Netilat Yadayim" when he washed his hands in the morning, may he recite it later, when he arrives in the synagogue and recites the other morning Berachot?
The Rambam (Rabbi Moshe Maimonides, Spain-Egypt, 1135-1204), in one of his responsa (Pe'er Ha'dor, 104; listen to audio for precise citation), denounces the practice observed in several communities in the Middle East where the Hazan would begin the service each morning by reciting the Beracha of "Al Netilat Yadayim." According to the Rambam, this recitation constitutes a Beracha Le'vatala ("wasted" Beracha), as a Beracha recited over a Mitzva must be recited before the performance of the Mitzva, and not after. Indeed, the Rambam explicitly rules in Hilchot Tefila (6:2) that the Beracha of "Al Netilat Yadayim" must be recited before one washes his hands, and not afterwards.
According to this view, then, one who did not recite "Al Netilat Yadayim" when washing his hands in the morning may not recite the Beracha afterwards.
Others, however, disagreed with the Rambam's position. The Maharam Halawa (Spain, 14th century) maintained that the Beracha of "Al Netilat Yadayim" should be perceived not as a Beracha over a Mitzva, but rather as a "Birkat Ha'shevah," a blessing giving praise to God for granting us the ability to wash our hands each morning. It thus resembles the other Berachot that we recite in the morning to praise God for various phenomena (the crowing of the rooster, allowing us to open our eyes, and so on). Therefore, just as we customarily recite all the morning Berachot only upon entering the synagogue, so may we delay the recitation of "Al Netilat Yadayim" until arriving in the synagogue for the Shaharit service. Similarly, the Hida (Rabbi Haim Yosef David Azulai, 1724-1806), in his work Mahazik Beracha, records the widespread practice to recite the Beracha of "Al Netilat Yadayim" together with the other morning Berachot, after one has washed his hands. This is indeed the prevalent practice among many Ashkenazim.
Generally speaking, we do not follow this view, and instead require reciting "Al Netilat Yadayim" immediately before drying one's hands. This is the position taken by the Arizal (Rabbi Yishak Luria, Israel, 1534-1572) and the Ben Ish Hai (Rabbi Yosef Haim of Baghdad, 1833-1909). For this reason, on Shavuot or other occasions when one remained awake throughout the night, he does not recite the Beracha of "Al Netilat Yadayim." Since Halacha follows the view that this Beracha refers to the Mitzva of hand washing, and differs from the Berachot of praise recited each morning, and it is not recited when one has remained awake all night.
Nevertheless, some authorities maintain that if one did not, for whatever reason, recite "Al Netilat Yadayim" when washing his hands at home, he may rely on the view of the Maharam Halawa and recite it later with the other morning blessings. Even though we generally do not follow this view, one may rely on this position if he forgot to recite the Beracha earlier. This is the ruling of Hacham Ovadia Yosef, as discussed by his sons Hacham Yishak (Yalkut Yosef, vol. 1, p. 342) and Hacham David (Oserot Yosef section of Halacha Berura, vol. 1, 7). Needless to say, one may recite the Beracha later only if his hands have remained clean; if they had become soiled in the interim, he must wash his hands again and recite the Beracha before drying them.
Summary: One should recite the Beracha of "Al Netilat Yadayim" immediately before drying his hands in the morning. If one did not, for whatever reason, recite the Beracha at that point, he may recite the Beracha later together with the other morning blessings.
