Chapter 61 : Laws Concerning the Berachah Hagomeil and Other Berachos on Various Occasions

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§1

On four [occasions] a person must thank God [for His goodness]:

1. after crossing the ocean and reaching his destination;
2. after crossing the desert or any other dangerous road and reaching his destination; included in this rule is also one who was saved from any other peril, as when a wall caved in on him or an ox lunged at him, ready to gore him, or robbers attacked him on the road, or thieves at night and he was saved from them, or from similar perils;
3. one who suffered from serious illness or a serious injury or he was confined to bed for [at least] three days due to an illness and he recovered, his health restored;
4. one who was in prison even if [he was in prison] only because of monetary matters and he was released.

[The following phrase may serve as] a mnemonic device: "All those who are alive thank you, selah." [The word chayim — forms the acronym of] choleh — a sick person, yisurim — a person suffering [in prison], yum — (crossing the) ocean, midhar — (crossing the) desert. What berachah should they say? Baruch ata Adonoy Elokeinu melech ha'olam hagomeil lechayavim tovos shegemalani kol tov, [Blessed are You, Hashem, our God, King of the universe, Who bestows good things upon the guilty, Who has bestowed every goodness upon me]. The listeners should respond: mi shegemalecha tov hu yigmalecha kol tov selah, [May He Who has bestowed goodness upon you continue to bestow every goodness upon you forever].

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§2

The berachah [Hagomeil] should be said in the presence of ten [male adults] besides the one who is saying the berachah. Two of them should be scholars who are engaged in the study of Torah, as it is said: "Let them exalt Him in the assembly of the people and praise Him in the seat of the elders." But if no scholars are present this should not deter him [from saying the berachah]. It is customary to say the berachah [Hagomeil] when called to the reading of the Torah after the concluding berachah. You should not intentionally delay [saying Hagomeil] longer than three days. Consequently, if you were saved [from danger] on Monday [after the Torah was read], you should say Hagomeil immediately without the Torah scroll, and not wait until [the next Torah reading on] Thursday. Likewise, if a person is a mourner, who may not be called to the Torah, he should not wait, but say [Hagomeil] immediately [after being saved from danger], but he should say it while standing before ten [male adults], as mentioned above. If it so happened, that you did delay [saying Hagomeil] longer than three days, you may still say it afterwards.

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§3

A person to whom a miracle happened should designate a sum of money for charity, according to his wealth, and distribute it among men who are engaged in the study of Torah, and he should say: "I hereby give this money to charity. May it be God's will that it will be counted as if I had brought a thanksgiving offering." It is also proper that he should establish some project to benefit the local community; and every year on the anniversary [of the event], he should privately thank God, blessed be His Name, and happily tell the story of the miracle.

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§4

Before undergoing surgery, or before eating or drinking something [as a remedy], or taking a treatment for a cure, you should first recite the following brief prayer: "May it be Your will Hashem, our God, and the God of our forefathers that this measure may serve me as a cure, for You are a gratuitous Healer." And if the substance which you eat or drink for medicinal purposes requires that you say a berachah over it (see Ch. 50:8 above), you should first offer this prayer and then say the berachah. This seems to me to be the proper order so as not to cause an interruption between the saying of the berachah and the eating). After bloodletting, say the following berachah Baruch ata Adonoy Elokeinu melech ha'olam rofei cholim, [Blessed are You, Hashem, our God, King of the universe, Who heals the sick]

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§5

If someone sneezes, you say to him "To your health," and he answers, "May you be blessed." Afterwards he says: "I hope for Your deliverance, О God," for whoever prays for his fellow man has his prayer answered first.

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§6

Praying for something that has already happened is a vain, useless prayer. The following are examples: if a person hears wailing in the town and says: "May it be Your will that this cry should not be in my house;" or if his wife has become pregnant and forty days after her conception, he would say the following prayer: "May it be Your will that my wife should give birth to a boy." Such prayers are useless for what has already happened belongs to the past. However, within the forty days, this prayer is worthwhile and may be offered. After forty days he may pray that the child should be a healthy baby, good in the sight of Heaven and of benefit to mankind.

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§7

A person who enters his threshing floor to measure his crops, or some similar activity should recite the following prayer: "May it be Your will, Hashem, my God, that you send a blessing on this pile [of grain]. After he began to measure, he should say, "Blessed is He Who sends a blessing on this pile [of grain]" (omitting the Divine Name and Kingship). If he had already measured it and then offers a prayer, it is a vain prayer, because God's blessing is bestowed only on something that is hidden from view [i.e. of unknown quantity].

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§8

The first time a Bar Mitzvah is called to the Torah, after he has concluded the second berachah over [the reading of] the Torah, the father says the following berachah: Baruch ata Adonoy Elokeinu melech ha'olam asher petarani mei'onsho shel zeh [Blessed are You, Hashem, our God, King of the universe Who has freed me from the punishment due this boy]. It is a mitzvah for a father to prepare a festive meal on the day that his son becomes Bar Mitzvah, that is, on the first day of his fourteenth year. If the boy delivers a Torah discourse, it is considered a meal for the sake of a mitzvah even if [the banquet] is not given on the [Bar Mitzvah] day.

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§9

Berachos are said when a drought occurs, even in our areas where it rains with [seasonal] regularity and where droughts are rare. If this drought was so severe, that it caused general distress and then it [finally] rains, and the rain comes down so heavily that bubbles are formed on the [flowing] rain water that [seem] to converge, special berachos should be said.

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§10

What berachah should be said? Someone who does not own a field says: "We thank you Hashem, our God, for every drop [of rain] that you made fall on us, and even if our mouths were full of song as the sea, etc.," (and continue the text of Nishmas) [in the Sabbath morning service] until "sanctify and declare the sovereignty of Your Name, our King. Blessed are You, Hashem, God of many thanksgivings and praises." If he owns a field, in partnership with another Jew, he says the berachah Hatov vehameitiv, but if he has no Jewish partner, even if he has a wife and children, he says the berachah Shehecheyanu. The berachos Hatov vehameitiv and Shehecheyanu may be said even if you do not see the rain but hear it coming down. But the berachah Modim anachnu [We thank You] should only be said if you actually see the rain.