As Jews around the world rejoiced at the news that two Israeli hostages were rescued by Israeli security forces, some religious people involved in the rescue, including soldiers and medical personnel, wanted to know if there was a bracha they could recite on seeing the hostages.

The shaila was sent to HaGaon HaRav Yitzchak Zilberstein of whether a bracha exists for such a scenario, of saying a bracha on meeting Jews who are essentially strangers – and not relatives or close friends.

Rav Zilberstein paskened that there is no bracha that can be recited, other than thanking and praising Hashem in one’s own words.

The Rav elaborated that the bracha of “שהחיינו” that some pasken should be recited when seeing a close friend after 30 days doesn’t apply since those involved in the rescue did not know the hostages beforehand. Additionally, the bracha is recited only when one has great joy from seeing his friend, and here the joy stems from the knowledge that the hostage was released from captivity.

The bracha of “מחיה המתים” which is recited when someone sees a close friend after a year of  not seeing him also doesn’t apply here – and in any event, 12 months haven’t passed since the hostages were abducted.

HaRav Zilberstein then touched on the bracha of “מתיר אסורים” – stating that this bracha only applies to a person whose body was “imprisoned” while sleeping and when he wakes up, his bones are “released” and he can move – and it has no connection to a person who was held in prison or captivity.

“It turns out that there is no bracha that other people can recite when they see hostages released from captivity,” Rav Zilberstein wrote. “And they can and should just thank and praise Hashem Yisbarach for His many chasadim, thank Him for the past and request for the future.”שיקרא לשבויים דרור ולאסורים יפקח קוח (ישעיהו סא, א), ויוציאם מחושך וצלמוות ומוסרותיהם ינתק. (תהלים קז, יד)”

HaRav Zilberstein added that it’s possible that if someone knows he’ll be meeting the hostages later in the day and he wants to express his simcha by reciting a bracha, perhaps it’s permissible for him to skip the bracha of “מתיר אסורים” in the morning and recite it when seeing the hostages and have in mind both waking up from sleeping and the released hostages – since there’s room to say that the bracha of “מתיר אסורים” refers to a prisoner – since just like a person can’t move while sleeping, hostages can’t move due to the evil terrorists. But it only applies if the person sees the hostages before chatzos per the Mishna Berurah that the morning brachos must be recited by chatzos.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)