One who sees a place where miracles were performed for Jewish people should say “Blessed are You, God, our Lord, King of the universe, Who performed miracles for our ancestors at this place” – just as Jethro did, who said “Blessed be God, Who rescued you from the power of Egypt...”This means that one should say a blessing on a miracle for the masses, but what about a private miracle? There was a certain man traveling through the desert on the south of Euphrates, and a lion attacked him. A miracle was performed for him, and he was rescued from the lion, and Rava told him to say “Who performed a miracle for me in this place.”
So too, Mar the son of Ravina was going through the valley of Aravot, thirsting for water, and a miracle was performed for him: a well was created, and he drank from it. At another time he was in the marketplace of Mechoza, and a wild camel attacjed him. However, a wall of a nearby house fell down, and he entered the house, thus escaping the camel. In both places he would say a blessing!? – True, one is obligated to say the blessing for this, but the others are not; however, for the miracle done for the masses all are obligated to say a blessing. Other cases include a seeing rock that Og wanted to throw on the Jewish people, or the stone on which Moses sat during a battle with Amalek.
In general, four events deserve a blessing: crossing a sea, a desert, being sick and recovering, and being in prison and then released. All of these cases are described in psalm 107. The blessing should be said in the presence of ten people, two of them being Torah scholars, because the psalm says, “Praise Him in the assembly of wise elders.”
Art: Pieter Cornelisz. van SLINGELANDT - A Kitchen Scene with a Maid Drawing Water from a Well
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