Chapter 60:1-3
Blessing Recited over Unusual Sights
1. A person who sees fruit trees in flower should recite the blessing:
Boruch Attoh A-d-o-n-o-i E-l-o-h-e-i-n-u Melech ho'olom shelo chisar
b'olomo kloom u'voro bo brios tovos v'ilonos tovos l'hanos bohem bnei odom.
(Blessed are You, G-d, our Lord, King of the Universe, Who did not cause
anything to be lacking in His world, and created within it pleasant
creations and pleasant trees, to bring pleasure to man.)
This blessing should be recited only once a year. A person who did not
recite the blessing before fruits have grown should not recite it
afterwards. There are opinions which maintain that if one does not recite
the blessing the first time one sees the blossoms, one should not recite it
afterwards.*
* {Rav Shneur Zalman of Liadi (Piskei Siddur) is of the opinion. In
contrast, the Mishnoh B'rurah 226:5 maintains that the blessing may be
recited afterwards, as well.}
2. A person who sees either a shooting star, a comet, fierce winds, or
lighting, or who witnesses an earthquake, should recite the blessing:
Boruch Attoh A-d-o-n-o-i E-l-o-h-e-i-n-u Melech ho'olom oseh ma'aseh
vereshis. (Blessed are You, G-d, our Lord, King of the Universe, Who
reenacts the work of creation.)
(A person should recite this blessing for a shooting star only once in a
particular night, even though he sees another shooting star later that
night. Once a person recites this blessing for a comet, he should not
recite it again unless he does not see one for thirty days.)
When a person hears thunder after a lightning flash has occurred, he should
recite the blessing: Boruch Attoh A-d-o-n-o-i E-l-o-h-e-i-n-u Melech
ho'olom shekoco u'gevuroso moley olom. (Blessed are You, G-d, our Lord,
King of the Universe, Whose strength and power fill the world.)
A person who saw the lightning and heard the thunder at once should recite
only one blessing, oseh ma'seh vereshis.* Similarly, a person who recited
the blessing oseh ma'seh vereshis for lightning, and immediately afterwards
heard thunder, need not recite another blessing, because the thunder was
included in the blessing for the lightning. The blessing for lightning and
thunder should be recited immediately; if one waits longer than the time to
say: Sholom alecho, Rebbe, one should refrain from reciting it.
* {Rav Shneur Zalman of Liadi (Piskei Siddur) maintains that both blessings
should be recited; oseh ma'aseh vereshis for lightning and shekocho
u'gevuroso moley olom for the thunder.}
3. As long as the clouds have not scattered, one should recite only a
single blessing for lightning and for thunder. However, if the clouds
separated and the sky became bright, one must recite a further blessing(s)
for both.
Heat lightning which is not accompanied by thunder is not considered to be
true lightning in this context, and a blessing is not recited for it.
