| In Vayikra (Leviticus) 7:11-12 we read "This is the law of the zevach shlamim, peace offering, that one will bring to God when he brings it as a thanksgiving offering." According to Rashi, of circa 1000 years ago, one brings the offering ''regarding a matter of thanksgiving for a miraculous act which occurred to him such as if he returned from a sea voyage, crossed the desert, was healed from an illness or emerged from prison.'' We don't have sacrifices today. The Talmud teaches that ''the service of the heart, i.e. prayer'' has replaced them and the need of the Temple in Jerusalem. The Talmud in Tractate Beracoth 54b states that these above four categories of people must recite a blessing. What blessing should they recite? Rav Yehudah said: "Baruch gomel chasadim tovim", "Blessed are you who bestows beneficial kindness". The Rif, Re'ah, Rambam and Rosh record a different text: "Ba-ruch ha-gomel le-cha-ya-vim to-vot sheg-mal-an-i kol tov", "Blessed are You who bestows good things upon the guilty, Who has bestowed every goodness upon me". We are showing our appreciation for God's bestowing kindness even upon the wicked and for bestowing kindness on us even if we are not deserving of it. The latter is the text that we use for Beracha Ha Gomel today. The Talmud in Tractate Berachot continues: Rabbi Abaye said: A person must give thanks in the presence of a minyon of at least ten. Beracha Ha Gomel is said after the reading of the Torah. In order to have a public Torah reading there must be a minyan. We are publicly acknowledging all of the good that G!d has done for us. The sages posit that if we make prayers of healing in our Berachot Mishaberach publicly after the Torah reading, then we must publicly thank G!d at the same point in the prayer service, when He has answered our prayers. The congregation is asked to respond: "A-mein, mi she-ga-mal-cha kol tuv, who yig-ma-la-cha kol tuv se-lah" – Amen. May He who has bestowed every goodness upon you , continue to bestow every goodness upon you forever." It is taught that in the Messianic age, when the Temple is restored and peace will be known the world over, the only sacrifices to be offered, of all of the many described in the Torah, will be the Gomel thanksgiving peace offerings, and these will only be grain offerings, and not of animal flesh. Of all the prayers surviving the Temple rites of the Hebrews this Gomel prayer of Thanksgiving, is one of the few that survived into Talmudic Judaism, and will survive into the Messianic age, according to the sages. Shalom, Rabbi Arthur Segal Jewish Spiritual Renewal Jewish Renewal Hilton Head Island, SC Bluffton,SC Savannah, GA |
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