Q. See question above; Do I have to say Hagomel and also give a Seudas Hodoah?
Can I avoid telling others what happened to me? I don't want my wife and kids to worry. (that is why I'm sending these Shailos to you. My family as opposed to me, don't read any Ask the Rabbi)
A. On question 10 regarding when to recite Hagomel we wrote: "In Shulchan Aruch O.CH. 219,9 and Mishna B'erura 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 Piskei Teshuvos 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.
In our case Horav Yaakov Hirschman, Horav Dovid Pam and Aharon Miller Shlit'a maintain that following the above no Hagomel brocho should be recited. However, one may say it without Hashem's name, or join someone reciting that brocho and ask him to have you in mind.
As far as telling others it can and should be avoided, so not to cause pain to the family.
Rabbi A. Bartfeld as revised by Horav Dovid Pam, Horav Aharon Miller and Horav Chanoch Ehrentreu Shlit'a
Important Numbers
