Living With an Attitude of Gratitude

Living With an Attitude of Gratitude
In the last two months' bulletins I wrote about the blessings on food, both before and after eating. This month I will describe a number of other benedictions which give us an opportunity to put into words our most sincere gratitude to God. I am once again quoting extensively from, A Guide to Jewish Religious Practice, by Rabbi Isaac Klein, which can also be found at www.learn.jtsa.edu.
Many benedictions relate to the senses, including sight, hearing and smell.

On seeing a rainbow, one is to say the standard opening of a berakhah:
barukh atah adonai eloheinu melekh ha'olam
followed by:
zokher habrit v'ne'eman bivrito v'kayam b'ma'amaro
"who remembers the covenant, is faithful to His covenant, and keeps His promise"
On seeing the wonders of nature, such as lightning or high mountains
oseh maaseh v'reishit
"who has made the creation"
On seeing the ocean (for one who does not see it frequently)
she'asah et hayam hagadol
"who has made the great sea"
On seeing beautiful trees or animals
shekakhah lo b'olamo
"who has such as these in His world"
For the sense of hearing we have the following benedictions
On hearing thunder
shekocho ug'vurato maleh olam
"whose strength and might fill the world"
On hearing bad news
dayan ha'emet
"the true judge"
On hearing good news
hatov v'hametiv
"who is good and dispenses good"
Blessings for smell include:
boreh mineh v'samim
"who creates diverse kinds of spices"
For smelling fruits
hanoten reyach tov baperot
"who gives a goodly scent to fruit"
Whenever we experience something new, such as eating fruit for the first time in its season, the arrival of an annual holiday, or a joyous occasion in the family, we recite
shehecheyanu v'kiyimanu v'higiyanu lazman hazeh.
Another benediction which is a prayer of thanksgiving is the birkat hagomel, which expresses gratitude to God after having come through danger unharmed. According to the Talmud there are four who should recite this benediction: one who has made a sea journey, one who has traveled through a desert, one who was seriously ill and recovered, and one who was imprisoned and released (B. Ber. 54b; O.H. 219:1).
The common denominator of the four is that the life of a person was endangered. We therefore generalize and say that anyone who has passed through a harrowing experience that has endangered his life should recite this benediction (O.H. 219:9). We extend this today, for example, to one who has survived an automobile accident, or has traveled across the ocean by air. It has become the custom to recite this benediction after the second Torah blessing when one is called up for an 'aliyah (O.H. 219:3). The person reciting the benediction says:
hagomel l'chayavim tovot shegmalani kol tov
"who grants favor to the undeserving, that He has shown me kindness"
and the congregation responds:
mi shegmalkha kol tov hu yigmolkha kol tov selah

"He who has shown you kindness, may He deal kindly with you forever" (O.H. 219:2).