One who is saved from a dangerous situation must thank God by reciting the HaGomel blessing in the presence of ten men.

It is customary for a man who is obligated to recite the HaGomel blessing to be called up to the Torah. After the reading is completed and he recites the concluding blessing, he recites the HaGomel blessing.

Ashkenazim:

Oleh: “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who bestows good upon the culpable, who has bestowed all goodness upon me.”

Congregation: “Amen. May He who bestowed all goodness upon you, always bestow all goodness upon you, Selah.”

Sephardim:

Oleh: “I will thank the Lord with all my heart in the assembly and council of the upright” (Psalms 111:1).

Oleh: “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who bestows good upon the culpable, who has bestowed all goodness upon me.”

Congregation: “Amen. May the God who bestowed all goodness upon you, always bestow all goodness upon you, Selah.”

If one is obligated to recite the HaGomel blessing but was not called up to the Torah, he should wait until the reading is over, and then approach the Torah scroll and recite the blessing.

The Talmud (Berakhot 14b) lists four situations in which one is obligated to recite the HaGomel blessing: if he sailed in the sea and arrived safely at the shore; if he passed through the desert and arrived safely at an inhabited area; if he recovered from illness; and if he was released from prison.

Nowadays, the case of crossing a desert is exceedingly rare, whereas air travel over the sea is commonplace. The most prevalent custom is to recite HaGomel after an overseas flight. It is not customary to recite HaGomel after road trips, although in some Sephardic communities the custom is to recite HaGomel after a journey between urban areas that takes ​​more than 72 minutes.

With regard to one who has recovered from illness, the common practice among Sephardic Jews is for every person who was bedridden due to illness to recite the HaGomel blessing upon his recovery. The Ashkenazic custom is to recite HaGomel only after recovering from a life-threatening illness. According to another custom, one also recites HaGomel after he recovers from an illness that was not life-threatening but which caused him to be confined to his bed for at least three days.

With regard to one who survived a danger that is not one of the four situations listed above, such as a car accident, there is a difference of practice between different communities. Ashkenazim recite HaGomel, whereas Sephardim recite the blessing without mentioning God’s name: “Blessed is He who bestows good upon the culpable, who has bestowed all goodness upon me.”

A woman who is obligated to recite the HaGomel blessing should do so in the presence of ten men. Many have the custom that a woman after childbirth recites HaGomel in the same manner as an ill person does upon recovery. If she gave birth to a son, she can recite HaGomel at the circumcision, in the presence of ten men. If she gave birth to a girl, she can recite the blessing in the synagogue, from her place in the women’s section. She should arrange this in advance with the rabbi and gabbai of the synagogue.