30 Sep PARSHAS BEREISHIS: THE BERACHA OF MESHANEH HABRIYOS ON STRANGE ANIMALS AND A TORAH VIEW ON VISITING THE ZOO

And G-d made the
beasts of the earth
according to their kind
and the cattle
according to their
kind, and all the
creeping things of the
ground according to
their kind, and G-d saw that it was good.
Bereishis 1:25
The Torah describes the incredible variety of
Hashem’s creations, particularly the diverse
species of animals, from tiny insects to
mighty sea creatures. The Rambam (Yesodei
HaTorah 2:2) famously writes that reflecting
on the natural world and Hashem as its creator
is a key way to deepen our love and fear of
Him. Indeed, Chazal even established a
beracha to recite when seeing a strange, rare,
or wonderous animal. When is this beracha
warranted? Is there an objective standard or
does it depend on the individual’s reaction? If
there is a beracha for seeing special animals,
does this imply that there is a mitzvah to visit
zoos in order to recite it?
Which Animals?
The Gemara (Berachos 58b) quotes a beraisa
that one must recite the beracha of meshaneh
habriyos (“Hashem who creates a variety of
unique creatures”) upon seeing an elephant,
monkey, or owl. The Meiri (s.v. HaRoeh Pil)
writes that the beracha is limited to these
three animals due to their resemblance to
humans. This approach can be understood
based on the comment of the Meleches
Shlomo (Meseches Kilayim, chap. 8), who
explains that during the dor haflagah, Hashem
punished some people by turning them into
these species (a form of reverse evolution),
and, thus, when one sees one of these species,
he is essentially looking upon a deformed
human and thus recites the beracha.
The Tur and Shulchan Aruch (O.C. 225)
mention the beracha on an elephant and a
monkey but omit the owl. Nevertheless, Rav
Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (Halichos Shlomo,
Tefillah 23:35) rules that a beracha is required
for all unusual creatures, and the specific
animals listed in the Gemara and Shulchan
Aruch are simply examples. However, Rav
Shlomo Zalman maintains that no beracha
should be said on exotic fish, as they fall into
a different category that the Gemara doesn’t
include. He suggests reciting the beracha the
first time one sees any unusual animal at the
zoo, with the intention of covering all such
animals seen that day. Rav Yair Bacharach
(Mekor Chaim 225:8 s.v. Pil) similarly writes
that if one sees any animal that is deformed,
even if not one of the animals identified in the
Gemara, he should recite the beracha of
meshaneh habriyos. He argues that there is no
question that this beracha applies to any
deformed creature, and the debate concerns

only healthy animals that are not commonly
encountered.
The Tur cites the Ra’avad, who says the
beracha should be recited only if one feels
discomfort when seeing the animal. However,
the Beis Yosef (s.v. HaRoeh) finds this
perplexing, noting that elephants and
monkeys typically evoke feelings of wonder,
not discomfort. In order to explain the
Ra’avad, the Bach (3, s.v. VeKasav
HaRa’avad) offers two explanations: the
Ra’avad may have been referring to the
beracha of dayan ha’emes, which is recited
upon seeing someone with a physical
abnormality, or he may have meant that
meshaneh habriyos is said only when seeing a
deformed animal, not an exotic species like
an elephant or monkey.
A Dead Animal
Would one recite this beracha when seeing
such an animal after it has died? Rav Yitzchak
Zilberstein (Vavei HaAmudim, Shevat 5775)
writes that seeing something dead is not the
same as seeing it alive. He cites Rav Boruch
Epstein (Mekor Boruch), who points out that
although Hashem tells the Jewish people they
will never see the Egyptians again, they later
see them dead at the banks of the Yam Suf.
Clearly, they were to understand that while
they would never see them again alive, they
would possibly see them dead, which
indicates that seeing a person or animal dead
cannot be equated with seeing them alive.
Based on this, Rav Epstein ruled that if
someone made a neder to never see a
particular individual again, he would be
permitted to attend the person’s funeral.
On the other hand, returning to our topic, one
could suggest that meshaneh habriyos is
recited not just for seeing the living animal,
but for the reaction and impression left on the
viewer. Whether this experience is the same
when observing an exotic animal that is no
longer alive is debatable.
Rav Zilberstein also references Rav Chaim
Kanievsky’s ruling that if one sells a dead
dog, the exchanged item is not considered a
mechir kelev, an item exchanged for a dog
that is forbidden to be offered as a korban.
Rav Zilberstein concludes that there is a
distinction between live and dead animals,
and the beracha should only be recited when
seeing an animal that is alive.
How Often Should One Say the Beracha?
The Tur (ibid.) quotes the Ra’avad that one
only recites the beracha the first time he sees
the animal and never again for the rest of his
life, because only the very first sighting
creates such a powerful experience. However,
the Tur himself argues that the beracha should
be recited every time one sees an exotic
animal, as long as thirty days have passed
since the last sighting, similar to the guidelines

of other berachos. The Shulchan
Aruch (225:9) rules like the Ra’avad
that one should recite the beracha
only the first time he sees the animal,
while the Rema follows the Tur and
rules that it should be said when
seeing the animal again after thirty
days have passed.
There is also a disagreement about
how to understand the thirty-day
rule that the Rema codifies. The
Aruch HaShulchan (225:13) understands the
Rema to mean that if a person sees another
animal of the same species within thirty days,
no new beracha is needed, but if he sees a
different rare species, even within those thirty
days, he should say another beracha. The
thirty-day count restarts with each sighting of
that species, and after thirty days, one may
recite the beracha again even upon seeing the
exact same animal. The Mishna Berura (31,
and Sha’ar HaTziyun 32) disagrees and
understands that the Rema’s ruling, that a
person can recite the beracha again after thirty
days, only applies to a different animal of the
same species, but if one already recited a
beracha on a specific animal, he does not
recite another beracha upon seeing that same
animal, even if thirty days has elapsed. This
halachic question will commonly apply when
a person visits a zoo frequently (e.g. he has
purchased a season pass) and after thirty days
sees the same exotic animal that he had
previously seen, such as the same elephant or
monkey. According to the Aruch HaShulchan,
the person would say the beracha again, but
according to the Mishna Berura’s
understanding, he would not.
Should One Visit the Zoo?
Based on the Rema’s ruling, one could
suggest that there is a mitzvah, or at the very
least a laudable practice, to visit the zoo every
thirty days in order to recite this beracha.
There are three approaches to this issue.
First, there are poskim who encourage visiting
a zoo but not specifically for the sake of
reciting a beracha. The Leket Yosher (O.C.
66:2) writes that his rebbi, the Terumas
HaDeshen, once heard that there was a lion in
the neighboring town, and he walked on
Shabbos to see this wonderous creature. He
does not mention anything about reciting the
beracha but rather, apparently, he appreciated
the value of witnessing and appreciating the
wonderous world and animals that Hashem
created. Similarly, in his records of his many
travels across different parts of the world, the
Chida describes many of the exotic animals
that he was fortunate to encounter. He does
not mention the privilege of reciting the
beracha but rather focuses on how such
experiences inspire greater appreciation of
Hashem as Creator.
A second group of poskim value visiting a

zoo specifically for the sake of reciting the
beracha. The Tehilas Chaim (2, p. 183) writes
that Rav Chaim Sanzer once went to the zoo
for the sake of reciting the beracha. Similarly,
the Steipler (Orchos Rabbeinu 1, p. 94) took
his children to a zoo in Ramat Gan so that
they could see the monkeys and recite the
beracha of meshaneh habriyos.
Finally, there is a third minority group of
poskim who discourage visiting a zoo entirely.
The Kav HaYashar (Perek 2) writes that
although one has permission to look at strange
animals in order to recite the beracha, he
should not look upon them excessively, as it
is not proper to stare at non-kosher animals.
Additionally, the Pri HaSadeh (3:173) writes
that the Gemara only permitted reciting the
beracha if one encounters these animals by
chance, but it is forbidden to purposely seek
out non-kosher animals to look at them and
say the beracha. The Arugas HaBosem (O.C.
9) goes so far as to say that staring at any
animals, kosher and non-kosher, is a partial
violation of the Torah prohibition of making
pictures and models of animals. He reasons
that if one may not even produce an image of
such animals due to concerns of avodah
zarah, certainly one should avoid gazing upon
them. Similarly, the Gemara criticizes those
who went to the Roman stadiums and
amphitheaters, which presumably had
displays of such animals.
Rav Ovadiah Yosef (Yabia Omer 4 O.C. 20),
however, totally rejects the Arugas
HaBosem’s line of reasoning. The prohibition
to visit the Roman stadiums was due to the
violence and immoral activities that were
exhibited there, not the sight of exotic
animals. Additionally, the prohibition of
creating images of animals is specifically
because they are constructed by people, but it
is certainly permitted to see the creatures that
Hashem Himself created. After all, everyone
agrees that it is forbidden to own statues and
idols of humans, but no one would suggest
that it is forbidden to encounter and look at
other people.
As a matter of halacha, if a person infrequently
visits a zoo, and is impressed and moved by
the animals, it would seem prudent to seek
out the elephants, owls, or monkeys first, and
recite the beracha on them, having in mind
that the beracha should apply to all unusual
animals that he will see on that visit.