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Thought for the Day: Oceans in Halacha -- Brachos On and About

My wife and I just returned from a trip we have wanted to make for a long time: Panama. The trip was everything we were anticipating and more. Part of that "more" was some interesting questions in halacha. There were two (active) questions:

  1. Do I bentch gomel after the flight to/from Panama and Chicago?
  2. What bracha do I make on the seeing the Atlantic Ocean?

There was also one pending question: on the next trip (yes... we really liked it there and hope to go again), I want to hike to the peak of Volcán Barú (Baru Volcano for your monolinguals). Besides the other coolness and beauty factors, the peak of Volcán Barú is unique: it is the one place in the entire world where you can stand and see both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans just but turning around. What is the halachic question? Do I make one bracha or two? Which ones?

Regarding (1), I actually didn't think it was a question; of course I should. However, upon return I discovered that not everyone thought it was a obvious as I did. I brought one proof from the fact there was a whole line up of people in Panama who bentched gomel. The problem with that "proof" was that I was davening in a Sefardi shul, and minhag Sefard is to bentch gomel on all flights, whereas minhag Ashkenaz is to only bentch gomel on flights that cross over oceans.  So no proof. On the other hand, I was at the vaskin minyan, which is more or less non-denominational. Still, hard to bring a solid proof.

Regarding (2), the candidates are:

  • עושה מעשה בראשית/who makes the acts of creation -- which is said on mountains and oceans that are features that have been there since the six days of creation
  • הים הגדול/the great sea -- the bracha said on, well, the great sea

The problem with the bracha of הים הגדול/the great sea; there is a machlokes about whether that refers to the Mediterranean Sea or Atlantic Ocean.

So, as usual, I went to the dayan, R' Shmuel Fuerst, shlita with my questions. This time I took a visual aid: a map showing the flight path from Chicago to Panama. Here are the answers:

  1. When I showed the dayan the map and asked about bentching gomel, the tone of the dayan's answer was like I had asked it is permitted to stir hot chocolate with a milchig spoon. He looked that the map and said, "looks like it crosses the ocean to me; that's not a bay" (the flight went over the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea). I followed up with asking about flying from Italy to Eretz Yisrael. Same tone, same answer: pashut (that one should bentch gomel).
  2. Regarding what bracha to make on the Atlantic Ocean: the minhag is never to make the bracha of הים הגדול/the great sea nowadays, simply because it is a machlokes.
  3. Regarding my trek, בעזרת השם, to the peak of Volcán Barú and seeing both oceans: again, it is a machlokes whether to say one bracha on each (two total) or just one bracha, so we say only one.

Ahh.... Besides all those g'shamka brachos I get to make... it is warm there!

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