Birkat HaGomel - Thanksgiving Blessing (Part 1)
“A ship in harbor is safe, but that’s not what ships are built for.”
G.T. Shedd
Introduction
In this series we will discuss - not the halachic definitions of who is obligated to recite Birkat HaGomel and when it should be said - but rather the meaning of the blessing itself and the reasons for reciting it.
The Talmud teaches (Brachot 54b) that when a person goes through a dangerous situation, they should recite a blessing of thanksgiving; four kinds of people are listed there who need to thank Hashem for having protected them:
Rav Yehudah said in the name of Rav: Four [kinds of people] must give thanks: Seafarers, those who cross the desert, someone who was sick and recovered, and someone who was imprisoned and was released.
Rashi clarifies that these people should only give thanks once they are out of danger.
Why does the Talmud single out these four categories? After all, there is no lack of dangerous situations that Rav could have mentioned. The Talmud there explains that these four categories appear in chapter 107 of Tehillim as those who shall “praise Hashem for his kindness…exult Him in public…”1, and that is why they are the ones that are specifically mentioned in conjunction with Birkat HaGomel.
Rabbi David Ibn Yachya (1455-1528) was a leading Rabbi of the Portuguese community during the Inquisition. He had to flee for his life, narrowly avoiding being burned at the stake, and ended up in Naples and then Corfu. He offers a fascinating insight into chapter 107 of Tehillim. Chapter 107, he writes, is a song of thanksgiving that charts King David’s life. What prompted King David to compose it? He explains that King David was inspired to offer up thanks to Hashem when the Holy Ark was successfully returned, after it had been captured by the Philistines.
As with so much of Sefer Tehillim, King David is teaching us a foundational lesson to apply to our daily lives: We need to live with an awareness and recognition of Hashem’s goodness at all times – and to always remember to thank Him for everything that He gives us.
Interestingly, the order of these four ordeals in chapter 107 is not the same as the order in which the Talmud discusses them. In Tehillim, the order is: Crossing the desert, release from prison, recovering from sickness, sailing the sea. The Talmud’s order is: sailing the sea, crossing the desert, recovering from sickness, release from prison. Tosafot explains as follows: King David lists the ordeals in order of danger, whereas the Talmud lists them according to which are more commonplace.
The text of the blessing that appears in the Talmud is slightly different to the one that has been universally accepted for hundreds of years and is codified in the Shulchan Aruch. The version in the Talmud simply says: “Blessed are You [Hashem, our God, King of the universe] Who bestows beneficial kindness.” The blessing we actually recite contains several other details and additions: “Blessed are You Hashem, our God, King of the universe, Who bestows good things upon the guilty, Who has bestowed every goodness upon me.”
There is another customary addition above what is stated in the Talmud: According to the accepted custom (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 219:2) all those present respond to the blessing by saying: “Amen! May He Who has bestowed goodness upon you continue to bestow every goodness upon you forever”, a custom not mentioned in the Talmud.
As noted, there are four groups who are obligated to recite Birkat HaGomel. Whilst three of the categories are relatively simple to define, one of them is the cause of great debate. When the Talmud refers to “someone who was sick and recovered”, how sick do they have to be in order to be obligated to recite Birkat HaGomel? The opinions range from life-threatening sickness (Rema , Orach Chaim 219:8), ibid) all the way to any sickness that confines a person to their bed (Biur Halacha, ibid.).
Birkat HaGomel is so significant that there is a prevalent opinion among the Halachic authorities that it needs to be recited in front of a Minyan. Anyone who thinks that they may need to recite Birkat HaGomel should consult with a Halachic authority first to ascertain if they are, or are not, obligated to do so.
With Hashem’s help, in the upcoming articles we will explore the text of the blessing and why those listening to the blessing are obligated to answer in such a unique way.
To be continued…
1תהילים פרק קז (לא) יוֹדוּ לַיהוָה חַסְדּוֹ וְנִפְלְאוֹתָיו לִבְנֵי אָדָם: (לב) וִירֹמְמוּהוּ בִּקְהַל עָם וּבְמושַׁב זְקֵנִים יְהַלְלוּהוּ
