Blessings · Encounters and moments
What is the Hagomel blessing?
Hagomel is the blessing of thanksgiving said after emerging safely from real danger, praising the Holy One, blessed be He, who bestows good upon us. It is said in the presence of a minyan, a quorum of ten.
Emerging from danger
The tradition names four situations that call for this blessing: those who cross the sea, those who travel through the desert, those who recover from a serious illness, and those released from captivity. Each is a moment of having passed through real danger into safety, and the heart naturally wants to answer that deliverance with words.
The source in the Talmud
The blessing is set out in the Talmud, Berakhot 54b. Its name comes from its own wording, hagomel, "the One who bestows good," thanking the Holy One, blessed be He, for the kindness of having been carried through.
What to do
Hagomel is said in the presence of a minyan, a quorum of ten, classically at the time the Torah is read. If you have recently come through one of these dangers and wish to give thanks, speak with your rabbi about saying it at the next reading in your community.
Source: Talmud, Berakhot 54b.
When your own moment of deliverance comes, may Barkai (the blessings of the day; the sky and place tell you the moment) help you meet it with the right words of thanks.
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