BRACHOS SIGHT-SEEING 4 GOMEL

So pretty much we discussed there's three different levels.

There's a situation which is an actual miracle that's unexplainable naturally, and there you'd make a she-asaniis-- she-asaniis, v’makir ma zeh, et cetera.

The next level is where something happened, but miraculously you were saved.

It should have been a lot worse.

You got hit, you fell off something, bar-- and Baruch Hashem, nothing happened.

You hit a deer, et cetera.

Any danger that actually occurred, and you got saved, that would require a birkat hagomel.

And the third level is where something missed you.

It was a near miss.

All three of the situations are wake-up calls that HaKadosh Baruch Hu is saying, "Hey, let's get together.

Why don't you come and thank Me? Because, hey, I'm looking out for you, and I'm showing you there's a certain situation where I'm getting your attention." There was a person who came in to Aish HaTorah, and Rav Nochum Weinberg was saying that a yeshiva is a place to get to know God.

And the guy pretty much walked out, and Rav Nochum Weinberg says, "Why are you walking out?" He says, "Oh, yeah, me and God, we're great friends.

We're buddies already." And he said, "Why?" He said, "I was riding my motorcycle up a hill, and came a, a tractor-trailer the other way, and I either was gonna hit the trailer, hit the mountainside, or fly off the cliff.

I flew off the cliff, landed a hundred feet below, and nothing happened to me.

You see, God loves me.

He cradled me in the palm of His hand." To which Rav Weinberg said, "Yes, but He pushed you off in the first place." So when you are in, in a situation, even a scare, something that ended up being false, uh, you know, uh, an X-ray, chas v'Shalom, that was scary, and then it turned out there was no concern, that also is a wake-up call from HaKadosh Baruch Hu to be thankful to Him that He's looking upon you and showering His kindness upon you.