Yisro's Brochoh
Upon hearing about the miraculous redemption of the Jewish
people from Mitzrayim and seeing the miracles of the mon
and the be'er, Yisro exclaimed, "Boruch Hashem
asher hitzil eschem miyad Mitzrayim umiyad Pharaoh"
(Blessed is Hashem who saved you from the hands of the
Egyptians and the hands of Pharaoh, Shemos 18,10
according to the Mahrosho, Brochos 54a). This verse
from last week's sedrah is the source for the
brochoh that one makes on seeing the place where a
miracle transpired, and also the blessings that one recites
on experiencing an earthquake or any of the other wonders of
nature (Brochos 54a).
All of the Egyptian people experienced the Ten Plagues, yet
none of them converted to Judaism. At the time of the
splitting of Yam Suf, all of the waters in the world parted,
yet no one was moved enough to become Jewish. What made Yisro
different than everyone else so that he used these
experiences to express Hashem's glory and also used them as
an impetus to become part of the Jewish faith?
Yisro was one of the world's leading experts in idolatry. His
vast knowledge in this field caused a double reaction: on one
hand he understood that it was not possible for any limited
physical power to punish in such an extremely exact way,
carrying out the vengeance measure-for-measure down to the
last detail. On the other hand, because of his long history
as a chieftain of idol worship, he felt inner anguish that
Mitzrayim, a world center of idolatry, had been demolished
(according to Rashi Shemos 18:10).
At that very moment of inner turmoil, Yisro was able to
reconcile his internal struggle and to come to the conclusion
that his true commitment was to Hashem and the Jewish people.
How did this decision express itself? The brochoh on
the redemption of the Jewish people from Mitzrayim showed
that Yisro's affiliation was with them, and not with the
idolatry of Mitzrayim.
Although Divine Power is in full-force every second of the
day, routine generally blinds us from seeing it. However
during times of overwhelming displays of Hashem's strength,
we are obligated to recognize it. During these moments we
must affirm to ourselves that it is not "Mother Nature" who
is running this world, but that G-d alone is exercising all
control.
Just as Yisro resolved his inner conflict with his
brochoh, when we recite brochos on these
occurrences, we express our firm belief that Hashem is the
only Governing Force in the world.
Especially during an earthquake, which is an extremely
powerful experience, we must make sure to tell ourselves that
this occurrence is the Hand of Hashem and not merely an act
of nature. In that way we infuse within our hearts that this
is not a natural occurrence, rather it is Hashem's way of
momentarily revealing his Presence to us, in order that we
can strengthen our belief in Him.
Oseh Ma'aseih Bereshis
"Upon seeing shooting stars, earthquakes, thunder and
lightening, hurricanes, one makes the brochoh of .
. . shekocho ugevuroso molei olom. On mountains, valleys,
hills, seas, rivers, and deserts, one recites the
brochoh of . . . oseh ma'aseih Bereishis."
Shouldn't one recite the brochoh of oseh ma'aseih
Bereishis in all of these situations? On shooting stars,
earthquakes, and the like one makes both brochos,
while on mountains, valleys, and the like one only
recites oseh ma'aseih Bereishis (Brochos 54a; 59a
according to Rashi).
While some Rishonim say that one makes both brochos on
earthquakes, hurricanes, and the like (Ra'avad 10,14 and
Rashi), the consensus of the Rishonim is that one recites
either oseh ma'aseih Bereishis or shekocho
ugevuroso molei olom (Rambam ibid., Rosh 9,12;
Riff 43a; Shulchan Oruch 227,1). The minhag
follows this ruling, with the exception of thunder and
lightening where the custom is to make shekocho ugevuroso
molei olom on the thunder, and oseh ma'aseih
Bereishis on the lightening (Mishnah Berurah
227,5).
Perhaps there is no greater display of Hashem's sheer power
than an earthquake or hurricane. If so wouldn't shekocho
ugevuroso molei olom be a more appropriate
brochoh?
HaRav Shlomo Zalman Aeurbach explained that the blessing of
oseh ma'aseih Bereishis expresses that what we are
experiencing before our eyes is a taste of the force that
Hashem showed at the time of creation when He formed the
world (Halichos Shlomo 23,39). In this light it is
even a more appropriate description of the circumstances
before us (Halichos Shlomo 23,39).
Halochoh Lema'aseh
The earthquake caught many people by surprise, and many
thought that we were in the midst of a terrorist attack.
Since the halochoh is that in the case of doubt one does not
recite a brochoh, unless one is sure that he is
experiencing an earthquake he should not recite the blessing
of oseh ma'aseih Bereishis. Many hold that he can also
say shekocho ugevuroso molei olom.
Even those who realized what was going on did not have
sufficient time to run to a bookshelf and check up the
halachos of this brochoh. In retrospect a number of
questions came up. It is worthwhile to mention a few of them,
for the next time an opportunity to recite this
brochoh arises, may it be in good circumstances.
Unaccustomed to earthquakes, many of us in Yerushalayim were
unsure what was taking place, and suspected that perhaps the
shaking of the ground was caused by a bomb. Until when could
we recite the brochoh of oseh ma'aseih
Bereishis? The poskim write that just as one may
only say the blessing on thunder and lightening within a
second or two after one experiences it, so too regarding
earthquakes the brochoh must be recited immediately
(Toras Habayis 30,1).
The earthquake does not need to be life-threatening in order
to recite oseh ma'aseih Bereishis. As long as one
feels shaken up by this occurrence, he may recite the
blessing (Responsa Shevet HaKehosi 5,46). If another
tremor occurs on the same day, as long as sufficent time has
passed that one has been mesiach daas (gotten over)
the first one, he may recite the brochoh again
(Shaarei Teshuvoh 227,1).
Does one need to stand when making the brochoh of
oseh ma'aseih Bereishis? Rav Moshe Feinstein zt"l
said that it is preferable to say it standing (as cited
in Responsa Rivevos Ephraim 6,109). The consensus of
most poskim is that, with the exception of Kiddush
Levonoh, all birchos hashevach may be said sitting
as well (see Pri Magadim introduction to Hilchos
Brochos 18).
Must one recite the brochoh himself, or can he hear it
from someone else? The general rule in hilchos brochos
is that if a blessing is an obligation then one may hear
it from someone else, and if it is not obligatory he must say
it himself (Pri Megodim as cited in Mishnah Berurah
8,14). Since the brochoh of oseh ma'aseih
Bereishis is an obligation, one may fulfill his
obligation by hearing it from his friend.
If one is in the middle of davening when the
opportunity to make this brochoh arises, should he
interrupt his prayers to recite it? Some say that as long as
one is not in the middle of Shemonwh Esrei he may
recite the blessing. However most poskim say that
since he is already involved with praising Hashem through
tefilloh, he should not stop and make the
brochoh unless he is bein haperokim, a middle
point in the davening (Mishnah Berurah 66,19).
Earthquake Protection
For someone who had never experienced an earthquake before,
the event was quite traumatic. For a few seconds one feels
that the ground is shaking beneath his feet, and that
everything around him is about to topple. At such an volatile
time, is there anything that we can do to protect ourselves
from danger?
In last week's Haftorah the Novi writes: "It was in
the year of the death of King Uziyohu, that I saw my Master
sitting on a throne, high and raised up, and only its lower
edges yet filled the Temple. Serophim stood attending
Him from above. Six wings, six wings had each. With two he
covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with
two he flew. And one cried to another and said, `Holy, holy,
holy is the G-d of Hosts, the fullness of the whole earth is
His glory.' Then the pillars of the thresholds quaked and the
voice that proclaimed, and the house was about to be filled
with smoke" (Yeshayohu 6:2-4).
The Mor Uketzia (227,1) writes, "I saw in the writings of the
Rashash, that if one is in the midst of an earthquake he
should recite the verse, `Holy, holy, holy is the G-d of
Hosts, the fullness of the whole earth is His glory.' If he
says this posuk three times, the trembling should
cease."
Earthquakes in Yerushalayim
One of the most amazing aspects of the earthquake was that no
one was injured. While this may have come as a shock to some,
our Sages in fact foretold this: "No one will ever be injured
in Yerushalayim by an earthquake" (Ovos DeRebbi Nosson
35,1 according to the commentary of the Kisei
Rachamim). In this vein even, though the Shulchan
Oruch (576,4) writes that earthquakes are among the
calamities that a person might fast for, this is not so in
Yerushalayim (Kaf HaChaim 576,2726).
On the eleventh of Tamuz in the year 5687 (1927) a major
earthquake struck Yerushalayim. Major destruction occurred in
all of the surrounding areas and many non-Jews died, but
incredibly no Jews were killed. So great were the miracles
during that earthquake that even the scientists admitted that
Hashem's hand must have been involved (Kaf HaChaim
ibid.).
Understanding Earthquakes
"Rav Katinah was traveling on the road when he passed by the
house of a certain sorcerer. At that moment there was an
earthquake, and Rav Katinah asked, `Does this wizard know the
reason that this earthquake took place?' The sorcerer
replied, `Katinah, Katinah, don't you know that when Hashem
remembers that His children are in distress under the
oppression of the nations of the world, he sheds two tears
into the Yam HaGodol, and the noise can be heard from one
corner of the world to the next. That is the explanation of
an earthquake.' Rav Katinah responded, `This wizard is a
liar, and his words are false!'" (Brochos 59a)
In fact the sorcerer's explanation was correct. Rav Katinah
did not want to give any validity to what he was saying, lest
people listen to him regarding other matters (according to
Rashi). From Rav Katinah's words we learn that an earthquake
should bring us to think about the pain that Hashem suffers
from His children being in golus. This should arouse
to repentance, in order that we should bring an end to His
suffering, and that of the Jewish people.
The prophet Zechariah foretells a cataclysmic earthquake in
Eretz Yisroel when Moshiach comes to Har HaZeisim outside
Jerusalem. The mountain shall be split down the middle from
east to west, forming an enormous valley to which people
shall flee.
In the merit of recognizing Hashem in every aspect of
creation, may we be protected from the travails that will
accompany the final redemption, and be privileged to witness
the final revelation of Hashem's Glory.
