From Animal Attacks to Biblical Miracles: Blessings at the Sites of Supernatural Rescues (Berakhot 54a)

Outline

1. Miraculous Rescue from a Lion Attack South of the Euphrates River¹

2. Mar, Son of Ravina: Miraculous Rescues in the Valley of Willows and the Marketplace of Meḥoza

3. List of Eight Sites of Biblical Miracles

The Passage

Berakhot.54a.11-14

Miraculous Rescue from a Lion Attack South of the Euphrates River

A man was walking along the right side² of the Euphrates River when he was attacked by a lion. A miracle occurred, and he wasn’t harmed. He later came before Rava, who instructed him to recite the Blessing on a Miracle each time he returned to the site where the miracle happened.

ההוא גברא דהוה קא אזיל בעבר ימינא. 

נפל עליה אריא, 

אתעביד ליה ניסא, ואיתצל מיניה. 

אתא לקמיה דרבא, 

ואמר ליה: כל אימת דמטית להתם — בריך ״ברוך שעשה לי נס במקום הזה״.

an incident where a certain man was walking along the right side of the Euphrates River 

when a lion attacked him, 

a miracle was performed for him, and he was rescued

He came before Rava, who said to him: Every time that you arrive there, to the site of the miracle, recite the blessing, “Blessed…Who performed a miracle for me in this place.”

Mar, Son of Ravina: Miraculous Rescues in the Valley of Willows and the Marketplace of Meḥoza

Mar, son of Ravina, experienced two miraculous events: 

The first occurred when he was walking in a valley of willows and became thirsty; a spring of water miraculously appeared, and he drank from it. 

The second happened in the marketplace of Meḥoza when a wild (פריצא) camel attacked him. The wall nearby opened (איתפרקא ליה אשיתא), allowing him to escape inside and be saved. 

Since then, Mar would recite blessings acknowledging these miracles whenever he passed by the locations where they occurred.

ומר בריה דרבינא הוה קאזיל בפקתא דערבות 

וצחא למיא. 

אתעביד ליה ניסא, איברי ליה עינא דמיא, ואישתי.

ותו, זמנא חדא הוה קאזיל ברסתקא דמחוזא 

ונפל עליה גמלא פריצא. 

איתפרקא ליה אשיתא, על לגוה. 

כי מטא לערבות בריך: ״ברוך … שעשה לי נס בערבות ובגמל״. 

כי מטא לרסתקא דמחוזא בריך: ״ברוך … שעשה לי נס בגמל ובערבות״! 

[...]

And once when Mar, son of Ravina, was walking in a valley of willows 

and was thirsty for water, a miracle was performed for him and a spring of water was created for him, and he drank.

Furthermore, once when Mar, son of Ravina, was walking in the marketplace [risteka] of Meḥoza 

and a wild camel [gamla peritza] attacked him. 

The wall cracked open, he went inside it, and he was rescued. 

Ever since, when he came to the willows he recited: Blessed…Who performed a miracle for me in the willows and with the camel. 

And, when he came to the marketplace of Meḥoza he recited: Blessed…Who performed a miracle for me with the camel and in the willows, 

[...]

List of Eight Sites of Biblical Miracles

The Talmud quotes a baraita that states that one must offer “thanks and praise” (הודאה ושבח) to God (המקום) when seeing the places where the following eight biblical miracles occurred:

1. The “crossings” of the Red Sea (מעברות הים, the splitting of the sea is typically referred to in the Talmud as קריעת ים סוף)

2. The “crossings” of the Jordan River (מעברות הירדן - in the time of Joshua)

3. The “crossings” of the streams of Arnon (מעברות נחלי ארנון)

4. The site of large stones at Beit Ḥoron³

5. The rock Og, King of Bashan, attempted to throw at Israel

6. The rock upon which Moses sat during Joshua's battle with Amalek

7. The location where Lot’s wife turned to salt

8. The wall of Jericho that collapsed

תנו רבנן: 

הרואה 

1. מעברות הים, 

2. ומעברות הירדן, 

3. מעברות נחלי ארנון, 

4. אבני אלגביש במורד בית חורון, 

5. ואבן שבקש לזרוק עוג מלך הבשן על ישראל, 

6. ואבן שישב עליה משה בשעה שעשה יהושע מלחמה בעמלק, 

7. ואשתו של לוט, 

8. וחומת יריחו שנבלעה במקומה — 

על כולן צריך שיתן הודאה ושבח לפני המקום.

The Sages taught in a baraita a list of places where one is required to recite a blessing due to miracles that were performed there: 

1. One who sees the crossings of the Red Sea, where Israel crossed; 

2. and the crossings of the Jordan; 

3. and the crossings of the streams of Arnon; 

4. the hailstones on the descent of Beit Ḥoron; 

5. the rock that Og, King of Bashan, sought to hurl upon Israel; 

6. and the rock upon which Moses sat when Joshua waged war against Amalek; 

7. and Lot’s wife; 

8. and the wall of Jericho that was swallowed up in its place. 

On all of these miracles one must give thanks and offer praise before God.

1. For more on this blessing, see ברכת הנסים – ויקיפדיה. And see my previous piece on the blessings of משנה הבריות, here; and on the geonic Blessing on Virginity here.

2. עבר ימינא - meaning, the southern side, which was less inhabited, and had more wild animals.

3. אבני אלגביש במורד בית חורון. 

See Joshua.10.11:

ויהי בנסם  מפני ישראל הם במורד בית־חורן

ויהוה השליך עליהם אבנים גדלות מן־השמים

עד־עזקה

וימתו רבים אשר־מתו באבני הברד מאשר הרגו בני ישראל בחרב    

While they were fleeing before Israel down the descent from Beth-horon,

GOD hurled huge stones (אבנים גדלות) on them from the sky,

all the way to Azekah,

and they perished; more perished from the hailstones than were killed by the Israelite weapons.

And see Book of Joshua - Wikipedia > “Entry into the land and conquest (chapters 2–12)”:

An alliance of Amorite kingdoms headed by the Canaanite king of Jerusalem attacks the Gibeonites but they are defeated with Yahweh's miraculous help of stopping the Sun and the Moon, and hurling down large hailstones (Joshua 10:10–14).