The natural-phenomenon tag has no wiki summary.
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What's the bracha for a circumzenithal arc?
Upon seeing a rainbow, we say,
זוכר הברית, ונאמן בבריתו, וקים במאמרו
...who remembers the covenant, is faithful in his covenant, and fulfills his word.
I recently witnessed a natural event ...
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Famine in Egypt
Question: How can there be a famine in egypt?
Parshas Miketz and Vayigash discuss a famine in Egypt and the world. Rashi's comments to Eikev 11:10 that the Nile's annual flooding was critical for ...
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What is the torah view on the dinosaurs?
What is the Torah view on the dinosaurs? There's no mention of them in the Torah, only that the world was created in 6 days. If they existed, Adam and his descendants should have seen them. Yet ...
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Rational approaches to superstitious ideas
Can one assume that there is a perfectly rational approach to superstitious ideas? May one go out of one's way to come up with rational approaches if these ideas bother him? My thinking is, ...
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Good and Bad Omen - on something that can be calculated in advance
Inspired by Why make a bracha on an earthquake but not on an eclipse?
When something can be predicted in advance to an exact moment - for example an eclipse which Chazal say it is a bad Omen (Sukkah ...
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Why make a bracha on an earthquake but not on an eclipse?
According to this page, Chaza"l intentionally omitted solar and lunar eclipses from the list of natural phenomena upon which we make a bracha. The following explanation is given:
"The Hebrew term ...
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7 Seas or The Great Ocean?
Seeing the ocean warrants the recital of a blessing. (Assume for this question like the opinions that the proper bracha is שעשה את הים הגדול as opposed to עושה מעשה בראשית.) It is only recited if one ...
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Rainbow, telling a friend
We know The rainbow is a bad Omen. Is one allowed to tell a friend when he sees one, in order to allow him to make a Bracha or should he hold back as it is a bad sign?
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Rainbow: Making a Bracha on a bad Omen
As discussed in some earlier questions Rainbows are a bad Omen yet we are Halachicly commanded to make a Bracha on it. The Gemara in Chagigah (16A) says you may not gaze at one so how do you make the ...
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Rainbow as a bad omen
There is a popular idea that seeing a rainbow is a bad sign, as if the world is deserving of a deluge (c"v) and the only reason Hashem does not do so is because of His promise. Is there any source for ...
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"Oseh ma'aseh braishis” on a rainbow. Is this a brocho levatoloh?
Someone made the brocho of “oseh ma'aseh braishis” on a rainbow. Is this a brocho levatoloh? What sources deal with this issue please? (I have posed the shaaloh to my Rav.)
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Bracha after an earthquake
Per the Artscroll Siddur after an earthquake we make a Bracha "Oseh Maaseh Breishis". Up to how long after the earthquake can you make this Bracha? (sources please)
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Eclipse of the moon, bad sign for the Jews
Tonight, December 20, 2010, there will be a full lunar eclipse visible from North America and many other areas. I recall there is a Gemara that says that a lunar eclipse is a bad omen for the Jews as ...
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Bracha on thunder and lightning - how often?
If you are in a rainstorm with thunder and lightning - you make the Brachos for them. What happens if the storm ends and then a few hours later (same day) it is raining again. Do you make another ...
