תהלים קד-כח: אסירי תודה

'O give thanks unto the LORD, for He is good, For His mercy endureth for ever.' So let the redeemed of the LORD say, Whom He hath redeemed from the hand of the adversary; And gathered them out of the lands, From the east and from the west, From the north and from the sea. They wandered in the wilderness in a desert way; They found no city of habitation. Hungry and thirsty, Their soul fainted in them. Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, And He delivered them out of their distresses. And He led them by a straight way, That they might go to a city of habitation. Let them give thanks unto the LORD for His mercy, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He hath satisfied the longing soul, And the hungry soul He hath filled with good. Such as sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, Being bound in affliction and iron— Because they rebelled against the words of God, And contemned the counsel of the Most High. Therefore He humbled their heart with travail, They stumbled, and there was none to help— They cried unto the LORD in their trouble, And He saved them out of their distresses. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, And broke their bands in sunder. . Let them give thanks unto the LORD for His mercy, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He hath broken the gates of brass, And cut the bars of iron in sunder. Crazed because of the way of their transgression, And afflicted because of their iniquities— Their soul abhorred all manner of food, And they drew near unto the gates of death— They cried unto the LORD in their trouble, And He saved them out of their distresses; He sent His word, and healed them, And delivered them from their graves. Let them give thanks unto the LORD for His mercy, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! And let them offer the sacrifices of thanksgiving, And declare His works with singing. They that go down to the sea in ships, That do business in great waters— These saw the works of the LORD, And His wonders in the deep; For He commanded, and raised the stormy wind, Which lifted up the waves thereof; They mounted up to the heaven, they went down to the deeps; Their soul melted away because of trouble; They reeled to and fro, and staggered like a drunken man, And all their wisdom was swallowed up— They cried unto the LORD in their trouble, And He brought them out of their distresses. He made the storm a calm, So that the waves thereof were still. Then were they glad because they were quiet, And He led them unto their desired haven. Let them give thanks unto the LORD for His mercy, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people, And praise Him in the seat of the elders. He turneth rivers into a wilderness, And watersprings into a thirsty ground; A fruitful land into a salt waste, For the wickedness of them that dwell therein. He turneth a wilderness into a pool of water, And a dry land into watersprings. And there He maketh the hungry to dwell, And they establish a city of habitation; And sow fields, and plant vineyards, Which yield fruits of increase. He blesseth them also, so that they are multiplied greatly, And suffereth not their cattle to decrease. Again, they are minished and dwindle away Through oppression of evil and sorrow. He poureth contempt upon princes, And causeth them to wander in the waste, where there is no way. Yet setteth He the needy on high from affliction, And maketh his families like a flock. The upright see it, and are glad; And all iniquity stoppeth her mouth. Whoso is wise, let him observe these things, And let them consider the mercies of the LORD.

Rav Yehuda said that Rav said: Four must offer thanks to God with a thanks-offering and a special blessing. They are: Seafarers, those who walk in the desert, and one who was ill and recovered, and one who was incarcerated in prison and went out. All of these appear in the verses of a psalm (Psalms 107). The Gemara elaborates: From where do we derive that seafarers are required to thank God?
“They who go down to the sea in ships, who do business in great waters; they see the works of the Lord” (Psalms 107:23–24).
And it says: “For He commands and raises the stormy wind which lifts up the waves thereof.
They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble” (Psalms 107:25–26).
And it says: “They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end.”
And it says immediately thereafter: “Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and He brings them out of their distress” (Psalms 107:28).
And it says: “He makes the storm calm, so the waves thereof are still” (Psalms 107:29),
and it says: “Then are they glad because they be quiet; so He brings them unto their desired haven” (Psalms 107:30),
and it says: “They are grateful to God for His loving-kindness and His wonders for mankind” (Psalms 107:31). The Gemara asks: From where do we derive that those who walk in the desert are required to thank God? The Gemara answers:
As it is written in the same psalm:
“They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city in which to dwell” (Psalms 107:4),
“And then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them out of their distresses.
And He led them forth by the right way” (Psalms 107:6–7).
After God guides them on the right way, it is said: “They are grateful to God for His goodness” (Psalms 107:8). That one who was ill and recovered must offer thanks is derived, as it is written:
“Fools, because of their transgression and because of their iniquities, are afflicted.
Their soul abhors all manner of meat and they draw near unto the gates of death” (Psalms 107:17–18),
and: “Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and He saves them from their distress” (Psalms 107:19),
and then: “He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions” (Psalms 107:20).
After they are healed: “They are grateful to God for His goodness” (Psalms 107:21). From where do we derive that one who was incarcerated in prison must offer thanks?
As it is written: “Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, bound in affliction and iron.
Because they rebelled against the words of God and scorned the counsel of the most High” (Psalms 107:10–11).
And it says: “Therefore He brought down their heart with labor; they fell down, and there was none to help” (Psalms 107:12),
and it says: “Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them from their distresses” (Psalms 107:13),
and it says: “He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
and broke their shackles” (Psalms 107:14).
And after God takes them out from that darkness and shadow of death, it says: “They are grateful to God for His goodness.”