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    One of the greatest character traits that we as Jews need to learn, practice and internalize is the middah of hakarat hatov: acknowledging the good that we have received and expressing our appreciation and gratitude for it. Our rabbis understood this and gave us the perfect way to practice this trait daily - the saying of brachot.

    Aside from the brachot we say over food, there are three other brachot that help us express our hakarat hatov for the miracle of life itself. The first is the bracha of Modim in the Shemoneh Esrei prayer. In Modim we thank God for the hidden miracles that are sometimes overlooked because they are part and parcel of the natural order of the world. These encompass every aspect of life, from the simplicity of taking our next breath to the complexity of earning a living. The second is the bracha of Sh’asa Nissim which praises God for the open miracles that he has performed for our forefathers historically and also for us personally. This is the bracha we say on Chanukah and Purim and when applicable, at the place where we experienced a personal miracle. The third bracha in this category is the topic of our discussion today. In a way, it’s a combination of the other two in that it applies when someone has come through a dangerous situation but has done so without experiencing an overt miracle. This is the bracha we say when we “bentch gomel”.

    The Gemara tells us that there are four classes of people who are required to recite birchat hagomel: a person who has safely crossed the ocean, a person who has safely crossed the desert, a person who has recovered from a serious illness, and a person who has been released from jail. The common denominator here is that the individual’s outcome could be viewed as either, “natural” and “un-miraculous” or, depending on the circumstances, “supernatural” and “miraculous”.

    For example, take the person who crosses the ocean by ship. If the crossing takes its normal course and everything runs smoothly as planned then the person has no perception of the dangerous situation he has just “sailed” through. If, however, the ship encounters a storm where the high winds and waves make it difficult to keep the ship on course, afloat and out of danger then the person is acutely aware of the danger he’s in and often feels that he was saved by a miracle . . . perhaps not an open miracle, but rather a miracle that was disguised to look as if it occurred through natural means.

    As we’ve noted before, our rabbis have always had a profound understanding of human nature and how certain actions by human beings generate within them certain responses. They knew that one of the best ways to arouse feelings of hakarat hatov in an individual is to take a person who experienced this type of Divine intervention and have him go through the physical act of being called up to the Torah to publicly recite this special bracha of birchat hagomel.

    We also learn a great deal from the language of the bracha itself. The bracha states: “…Who bestows good things on the guilty, Who has bestowed every goodness upon me.” The commentators explain that the first part of the bracha means that we are thankful to God for doing good things for people who may not be worthy of good because they are lacking in their mitzvot. This first phrase of the bracha helps us to internalize the lesson of Ahavat Yisrael, of loving a fellow Jew. We are thanking God for protecting someone who we may not even know and who may not even be deserving of it. What a tremendous lesson for the person reciting the bracha! The second phrase of the bracha is a lesson in humility. It compliments the first part of the bracha in that it gets a person to think that although he, too, may be lacking in mitzvot and therefore, may be unworthy of God’s goodness, that God has nevertheless, bestowed goodness upon him as well.

    This bracha has a very unusual response associated with it. After saying “amen”, the congregation adds a prayer which expresses the idea that just as God bestowed goodness on the beneficiary when he needed it in his time of peril, so too, may He bestow every goodness upon him forever. Once again, the lesson of Ahavat Yisrael, loving a fellow Jew is reinforced.

    In summary, we see that we, as Jews, must always be aware and appreciative of all the good that God is continuously showering upon us.   Whether that good comes in the form of everyday miracles that are hidden within the fabric of our daily lives or whether it comes in the form of supernatural Divine interventions, our rabbis have given us the appropriate vehicles to fulfill our obligation to express our gratitude to our Creator. May the lessons of this bracha and of all our other brachot help us to develop and refine this middah of hakarat hatov within us and may it be the source of much blessing in our lives.