Q. I heard that if someone is in a car that spins out on the Highway and
miraculously does not get hit by another car, one does not recite Birchas
Hagomel. But if one is struck by a car and survives, he would be required to
recite Birchas Hagomel. By contrast, if someone flies in a plain over seas, he
recites Birchas Hagomel, even if the plain did not encounter any problems.
Please explain. Also, would hitting the guardrail be the same as being hit by
another car.
A. In Shulchan Aruch O.CH. 219,9 and Mishnah B’rurah ibid. 32, the Halacha dictates that we should
recite Hagomel when encountering and experiencing a factual and real danger,
and being saved from it even if the deliverance was not seen as a miracle, such
as a wall falling on someone or an incident with dangerous armed robbers. See
also Piskey Teshuvot ibid. and 318, 10.
Harav Shlomo Miller Shlit”a is of the opinion that if someone is indeed
in a car that spins out on the highway and miraculously does not get hit by
another car, he does not recite this Brocho, however if he did hit the
guardrail and there was damage done to the vehicle he should bless Hagomel.
As for why if someone flies in a plane over seas, he recites Birchas
Hagomel, even if the plain did not encounter any problems, see Igros Moishe O.
Ch. 2,59 who explains that flying in itself is being in a medium where we
cannot survive at all naturally without
the airplane. For other rationale see also Chelkas Yakov O.Ch. 55, Minchas
Itzchak 2,47. Tzitz Eliezer 11,14 and Yaviah Omer O.Ch. 2,14.
It is preferable to recite this Brocho within the first three days of the
occurrence, however after the fact, it
could be said even after thirty days, as long as he still remembers and feels
happiness and relief. (Aruch Hashulchan ibid. Piskey Teshuvot ibid.
Rabbi A. Bartfeld - Revised by Horav Shlomo Miller Shlit”a.
This is interesting because Rav Yitzchok Zilberstein of Eretz Yisroel recently ruled that someone who was falsely searched by police in an intensive manner that lasted long enough for him to miss his flight; a flight that subsequently crashed with no survivors, is obligated to recite HaGomel. At the same time, it is said in the name of the Satmar Rav, that one does not need to recite HaGomel for such an incident, for if one did, he would need to recite it every week to thank HaShem that he was not in his trousers when his wife ironed them.
Important Numbers
