Q. (See question above). If not, should one pay good money to attend a game and watch the unusual players personally, so he can recite the bracha?
A. On question 550, on there being an “inyan” or worthwhile purpose in visiting a zoo and watching the animals, we wrote: Leket Yosher (Tamid p.66) writes that his Rebbi the Trumas Hadeshen went to watch a pair of lions that were brought to his city on Shabbos, since he had never seen a lion before. Likewise, the Chida relates his experiences with unusual animals when visiting the London Zoo (Midbar K’demos 2: 21). Similar stories are told about the Divrey Chaim who visited the Vienna Zoo in order to recite the brocho of “meshane habrios” (Tehilas Chaim 2: p.183), Nimukey Orach Chaim from the Munkatcher Rebbe Zt’l (225) and Orchos Rabbenu (1: 94) on a visit of the Staipler Gaon Zt”l to the zoo with his children. On question 1419 we quoted the Chofetz Chaim instructed the residents of Radin to view a solar eclipse
However, other authorities warn of excessively gazing at non-kosher animals as it brings on an impure spirit (Yeshuos Chochmo 33: 11, Pninim M’bei Medrosho p.102). One may argue a similar objection to attending the kind of games proposed
Rabbi A. Bartfeld as advised by Horav Shlomo Miller Shlit’a
Important Numbers
