[Avodah] Birchos ha-re'iyah

[Simon Wanderer]

I am a few days behind the latest digests, so I hope what I have to write is still relevant. 

On 29-Apr RYS wrote:

<<I was once at an aquarium, and saw a walrus. Though I'd seen pictures 
and figurines of walruses, it really made an impression in person as the 
strangest creature I'd ever seen. I figured this was an ideal time to 
say the berachah of "meshaneh ha-beriyos," but I think I recall from 
RNS's zoo tour that the "official" animals of this berachah are the 
elephant and monkey. So, I called up a (rather righty) rav I was close 
to for his opinion.

He said that some poskim prefer not to say the berachah at all nowadays, 
given our familiarity with these animals. So I didn't.

Recently I was at the Bronx Zoo, and seeing a giraffe...>>

===============

I decided to read a few pages at random of v'aleyhu lo yibol this past shabbos. Behashgacha, one of the simanim dealt with (and may have solved) a very timely problem I have with birchas ha'ilanos. The other relates to the very issue RYS writes about. 

IIRC, RSZA is quoted as saying that kof and pil are merely illustrative and the b'racha can be made on any animal that elicits a similar sense of wonder. 

For a trip to the zoo RSZ recommends making the b'racha on one animal with intention to cover all the rest. 

Asked if the b'racha can be made on fish, RSZ responded In the negative on the basis that kof and pil are land animals (not sure how one categorises a walrus for this purpose).

KT,

-- SW
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