Question: I am going
to visit Israel. Do I say a beracha upon seeing the Mediterranean Sea and Dead Sea?
Answer: The Shulchan Aruch (OC 228:1) writes that upon seeing
the ocean one recites the beracha,
..oseh maaseh bereishis. When one sees the Mediterranean, one should recite ..oseh hayam hagadol instead.
The Mishna Berura (228:2) however, writes that many acharonim
disagree and write that one only says oseh hayam hagadol upon seeing the
Atlantic Ocean.
To fulfil both views, one
could say ..oseh maaseh bereishis and then add the words sheasah es hayam hagadol (Minchas Yitzchak 1:110; Halichos
Shlomo 23:29).
While R’ Benzion Abba Shaul (Ohr Letzion 2:14:40n) writes that one
should say ..oseh maaseh bereishis
upon seeing the Dead Sea, R’
Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (Halichos Shlomo, Tefilla 23:n43) and R’ Shmuel Wosner (Shevet
Halevi 9:47) held that one doesn’t recite a beracha as it was not
created during the Six Days of Creation (Rashi, Bereishis 14:3).
R’ Moshe Sternbuch (Teshuvos Vehanhagos 3:76:1) writes that if
one is driving past the sea, one should ideally stop and get out of the car so
that one can stand up properly to recite the beracha.
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