Reciting Birkat HaGomel for Being Close to Danger
Question
A young man jumped from rocks into the water in a stream from a height of about 4 meters. He claims that he first checked that there were no rocks in the water, but according to a video that was filmed, it appears that the jump was very dangerous, and he passed close to rocks at a distance of about half a meter. Must he recite Birkat HaGomel? The question is practically relevant for this coming Shabbat.
Answer
Shalom and blessings
The jump is certainly dangerous. However, we do not recite HaGomel for “being close to danger,” meaning when he was close to something such that, had he fallen half a meter farther away, he would have been in danger; rather, it is recited for a dangerous incident that actually occurred, such as if he got stuck on a rock and was not injured.
Source
Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 218–219
Comments
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