The Blessing “Who Makes the Works of Creation” During Prayer and Torah Study

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What is the law if one sees lightning or hears thunder in the middle of prayer: during Pesukei DeZimrah, the blessings of Kriat Shema, Kriat Shema itself, or the Amidah? In which parts of the prayer does one interrupt his prayer in order to recite the blessing, and in which parts does one not interrupt? What should a person do if he sees lightning or hears thunder in the middle of Birkat HaMazon? And how should one conduct himself if a thunderstorm begins after he has recited the blessing of HaMapil before going to sleep?

Does one recite blessings over lightning and thunder in the middle of prayer?

If a person is in the middle of prayer, should he interrupt his prayer in order to recite the blessing over lightning and thunder, or perhaps one may not interrupt in the middle of prayer for this purpose? Halachah rules that from Baruch She’amar at the beginning of Pesukei DeZimrah until the end of the Amidah, one may not interrupt with other matters. The question therefore arises whether one may interrupt in order to recite a blessing over lightning and thunder.

Answer: It depends on which part of the prayer the person is in. If he is in Pesukei DeZimrah, even if he is in the middle of a chapter, he should interrupt and recite the blessing immediately. However, if he is in Kriat Shema or its blessings, then he should interrupt only between sections, that is, between one blessing and another, or at the end of a paragraph in Kriat Shema. But in Shacharit, between Ga’al Yisrael and the Amidah, one may not interrupt. [Between the first blessing and the second, between the second and “Shema,” between “Shema” and “VeHayah Im Shamoa,” between “VeHayah” and “VaYomer,” and in the Ma’ariv prayer between Ga’al Yisrael and Hashkiveinu, or between Hashkiveinu and the Amidah.] During the Amidah, one may not interrupt at all.

The explanation is that there are places in the prayer where the Sages permitted one to greet first a person whom one is obligated to honor, and there are places where they permitted one to greet first because of fear, meaning to greet a person whom one fears. This includes both a person whom, according to halachah, one is obligated to fear and respect—such as one’s father, one’s teacher, someone greater than oneself in wisdom, or a king [even when speaking of upright and honest people who would not do anything to him if he did not ask about their welfare because he was occupied with prayer]—and a person whom one greets first because he is violent and one fears that if he does not inquire after his welfare, he will harm him. Halachah rules (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 51:5; 66:1) that in the middle of a psalm in Pesukei DeZimrah, or in the middle of one of the blessings of Kriat Shema, or in the middle of a paragraph of Kriat Shema, one may not interrupt, but one may greet first because of fear. [These laws were stated according to the fundamental law. In practice, however, nowadays we do not interrupt at all to inquire after another person’s welfare in the middle of prayer, since those whom we are obligated to honor and fear forgo this and are not particular about it (Mishnah Berurah 66:2).]

The Mishnah Berurah (66:19) writes that in a place where one is permitted to inquire after the welfare of a human being, certainly one is permitted to “greet” the Creator of the world first; therefore, if the blessing over lightning or thunder presents itself, one is obligated to interrupt and recite the blessing. However, the Mishnah Berurah cites that Tevuot Shor, Eliyah Rabbah, Chayei Adam, and other later authorities disagree with this reasoning and maintain that in the middle of a section of Kriat Shema and its blessings, since one is engaged in the praise of the Omnipresent, there is no place to move on to engage in another praise of the Omnipresent. There is no disrespect to the honor of the Omnipresent in not engaging in this particular praise, since one is engaged in another praise.

However, it appears that all this applies specifically in the middle of a blessing or a paragraph of Kriat Shema, where it is forbidden to interrupt for any matter of sanctity, such as answering Amen to another person’s blessing, except for “Amen, yehei shmei rabbah” in Kaddish, Kedushah, Modim, and Barechu, which are more weighty praises. In that context there is room to discuss whether, when a person has an obligation to engage in the praise of the work of Creation, he should interrupt and engage in it or not. But in the middle of a psalm in Pesukei DeZimrah, where one interrupts for every praise of the Creator and also answers Amen to another person’s blessing, it is obvious that one must recite the blessing over lightning or thunder, since he has become obligated to praise the Creator upon seeing and hearing this natural phenomenon. (Based on Azmerah LiShmecha, issue 79.)

Does one recite a blessing over lightning and thunder after the blessing of “HaMapil”?

A further question is: if a person prepared for sleep and recited the blessing of HaMapil, and then saw lightning or heard thunder, should he recite the blessing now, or, since one may not speak between the blessing of HaMapil and falling asleep, should he not recite the blessing?

Answer: One should not recite the blessing; however, one who does recite it has authorities upon whom to rely. In practice, the Rema (Orach Chaim 239:1) writes that it is forbidden to speak after Kriat Shema, and he brings an allusion to this from the verse (Tehillim 4:5): “אמרו בלבבכם על משכבכם ודומו סלה” — “Speak in your hearts upon your beds, and be silent, Selah.” From the verse we learn that after the recitation upon the bed, one should remain silent. The question arises whether this is only an ideal practice ab initio, or perhaps it is a complete prohibition, because he recited the blessing of HaMapil over sleep, and if he speaks, it turns out that he has interrupted between the blessing of HaMapil and sleep; then the blessing would be in vain, just as if a person interrupted between a blessing and eating, he has not fulfilled his obligation and the blessing is in vain.

The Biur Halachah (239:1, s.v. “samuch”) cites the opinion of the Chayei Adam that there is no concern of a blessing in vain with the blessing of HaMapil, because the blessing is not over the personal sleep of the one reciting it, who is about to sleep, but rather a general blessing over sleep, which refreshes and renews a person. The time for the blessing is at night before sleep, but even if he does not fall asleep, it is not a blessing in vain, because he thanked the Creator for the reality of sleep in the world, which gives a person strength to be refreshed and renewed. However, the Biur Halachah disagrees, because the wording of the blessing is “Who casts the bonds of sleep upon my eyes,” which implies that it is a blessing over the personal sleep that is about to fall upon the one reciting it. Therefore, if he interrupts between them, it will be a blessing in vain.

Therefore, when a passing mitzvah presents itself to a person after the blessing of HaMapil—one which, if he does not fulfill it immediately, he will not be able to fulfill later—such as the blessing of Asher Yatzar or a blessing over lightning or thunder, according to the Chayei Adam, since refraining from speech is only an ideal practice ab initio, in this case, where he will lose the mitzvah, he should recite the blessing or fulfill the mitzvah, even though he interrupts between the blessing of HaMapil and sleep.  However, according to the Biur Halachah, since if he recites the blessing he will cause the blessing of HaMapil to become a blessing in vain, he should not recite the blessing and thereby cause another blessing to be in vain. This is like a person who saw lightning between the blessing of HaMotzi and eating the bread: he does not recite the blessing, even if afterward he will not be able to recite the blessing over that lightning again.

Therefore, in practical halachah, one should not recite the blessing; however, one who does recite it has authorities upon whom to rely. (Azmerah LiShmecha, issue 79.)

Does one interrupt in the middle of Birkat HaMazon to recite the blessing over lightning and thunder?

If a person saw lightning or heard thunder in the middle of Birkat HaMazon, should he interrupt and recite the blessing? And is there a difference between one blessing and another within Birkat HaMazon?

Answer: One may not interrupt at all in Birkat HaMazon at any point in the blessing until “al yechasrenu.” However, after “al yechasrenu,” during the recitation of HaRachaman, which consists of requests after the blessing and is not part of Birkat HaMazon, one should interrupt and recite the blessing.

The reason is that the Shulchan Aruch rules (Orach Chaim 183:8) that one may neither ask nor respond in the middle of Birkat HaMazon, whether because of fear or because of honor, because its law is like that of the Amidah. It is clear from this that regarding the laws of interruption, its law is like that of the Amidah in every respect; therefore, with regard to the blessing over lightning and thunder as well, it is forbidden to interrupt. The Kaf HaChaim (183:45) likewise writes that it is clear from the words of the Shulchan Aruch that regarding matters of sanctity, its law is like that of the Amidah, in which one may not interrupt for anything. However, the Chazon Ish (Orach Chaim 28:3) was uncertain whether, regarding answering matters of sanctity, its law is like that of the Amidah. Nevertheless, in practical halachah one may not interrupt. (Azmerah LiShmecha, issue 80.)

Must one interrupt in the middle of Torah study for the blessing over lightning and thunder?

The question arises whether one must interrupt in the middle of learning for the blessing over lightning and thunder.

Answer: Since there is an obligation to recite these blessings, as the Mishnah Berurah writes (223:7), and on the other hand one must recite the blessing immediately, within 2–3 seconds of seeing the first lightning or hearing the first thunder, because if he waits he will lose the blessing over this lightning or thunder (Noda BiYehudah, first edition, Orach Chaim 41; Mishnah Berurah 227:12), he must therefore interrupt his learning. This is as explained in the Gemara (Moed Katan 9b), that one is obligated to interrupt his learning for any passing mitzvah [which, if he performs it now, he will not be able to perform after his learning]. (Azmerah LiShmecha, issue 79.)

Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 227; 66); Azmerah LiShmecha (issues 79–80).