How and Why to Say Amen

Introduction

Explaining why he wrote Sefer v’Imru Amein, Rav Yehoshua Alter Wildman, author of Binyan Yehoshua, cites the Zohar that everything in creation was made with great wisdom and power. An example of this is hyssop, an herb that is a necessary component in purifying that which has been rendered impure. The natural spiritual gifts of this plant reach all the way up to Heaven. This being the case, we shouldn’t overlook our own spiritual potentials. Rather, we should gather our strength in the service of God. Rabbi Wildman says that he learned from his teacher, the Seer of Lublin (1745-1815), that when a person is dejected, it moves him farther away from God because he doesn’t believe that his mitzvos exert a spiritual influence. If a person were fully invested in this idea, he would worship God with an overflowing spirit.

Rabbi Wildman writes that he has observed the laxity with which many people recite amen and “Amen, yehei shmei rabbah….” Such people have forgotten the spiritual power they yield, with the potential to affect Heaven itself. He has therefore collected passages that illustrate the power of properly responding amen. These sources will be shared throughout the scope of this series. [Hakdamah]

When the Jews Answer “Amen, Yehei Shmei Rabbah…”

The Talmud in tractate Brachos (3a) relates that Rabbi Yosi once stopped to daven in a ruin. Eliyahu HaNavi (the prophet Elijah) came and waited for Rabbi Yosi. When he finished, Eliyahu asked him what he had heard. Rabbi Yosi replied that he heard a voice like a dove (ostensibly God’s) lamenting that He had found it necessary to destroy the Temple and exile His people. Eliyahu then informed him that this actually occurred three times a day. In fact, whenever the Jews enter their shuls and study halls and reply “Amen, yehei shmei rabbah mevorach…” (“Amen, may His great Name be blessed…”), Hashem nods in agreement and says, “Happy is the King Who is so praised in His house.” [Siman 1]

Responding Amen Louder Than the Bracha

Further in tractate Brachos (45a), Rav Chanan bar Abba asks how we know that one shouldn’t respond amen louder than the one who recited the bracha. He responds by citing Psalms 34:4, “Glorify Hashem with me and let us extol His Name together.” From this we see that we should praise God equally, with the one responding amen matching the one who recited the bracha, not exceeding him. The Pri Megadim (124:7) says based on this that one who recites kaddish or who is called to the Torah should do so loudly so that the congregation not be responding amen louder than his praises. The Mishnah Brurah (124:47) suggests that if one’s intention in responding amen is to motivate others to respond, then it is permitted. [Siman 2]

Unacceptable Ways to Say Amen

Also in tractate Brachos (47a), the Sages teach that one’s amen must not be rushed, cut off or “orphaned.” Ben Azzai says that if one recites an orphaned amen, his children to be orphaned; if a rushed amen, the end of his life will be rushed; if a cut-off amen, his days will be cut off. However, if one recites a long amen, his days and years will be lengthened.

The Shulchan Aruch (OC 124:8) explains a rushed amen to mean one in which one swallows or skips the “a” sound, or one that a person rushes to respond with before the bracha has been completed. The Pri Megadim adds that even if the one reciting the bracha draws it out with some tune, others may not reply with amen until he has finished.

A cut-off amen refers to one in which the “n” sound is omitted, making the word sound like “ameh.” The Be’er Heitiv adds that the “a” and “m” sounds may likewise not be omitted.

An “orphaned” amen, according to the Rema (OC 124:8), is one not recited immediately after the bracha. It is especially important for those who read the Torah to make note of this and to recite amen immediately after the oleh’s bracha rather than delaying it until the start of reading the aliyah. [Siman 3] The Pri Megadim (124:14) says that a pause long enough to utter three or four words is long enough to turn an amen into an “orphaned” amen. [Siman 7]

Another Type of “Orphaned” Amen

There’s a second type of “orphaned” amen, which is when a person doesn’t know what bracha he’s answering. The Mishnah Brurah writes (124:33) that one should optimally take care to hear all the brachos of Shemoneh Esrei when they are repeated by the shaliach tzibbur. This is so that one should always know which bracha is being recited. After the fact, however, if one didn’t hear the bracha but he knows what bracha was recited, he should still respond amen. He continues (124:34) that we have a principle in communal prayer that until most of the congregation has responded amen, it’s still considered immediately after the bracha and one is permitted to respond.

Eliya Rabbah (124:12) writes that God-fearing individuals should keep a siddur in front of them during the reader’s repetition of Shemoneh Esrei (chazaras hashatz) and pay attention to every word. This is especially important in case one lacked proper intention during his own silent recitation, as one can intend to fulfill his obligation through the reader’s repetition. [Siman 4]

Waiting for the Congregation

Shaarei Teshuvah (124:16) cites the Birkei Yoseif that if the shaliach tzibbur started the bracha of Atah gibor immediately after Magen Avraham, the congregation may no longer respond amen to Atah gibor as doing so would be an “orphaned” amen. For this reason, the Mishnah Brurah (124:37) writes that the shaliach tzibbur must wait when repeating Shemoneh Esrei and not begin the next bracha until most of the congregation has responded amen. [Siman 5] Eliya Rabbah adds that the same is true of kaddish and similar tefillos, i.e., the one reciting it must wait to give the congregation an opportunity to respond.

Birkei Yoseif opines that many people are lax in this area, starting the next bracha without any pause, preventing others from responding amen. This inability to recite amen keeps the prayer from being accepted, even after the fact. (See Mishnah Brurah 124:37.) If there aren’t nine Jews answering amen, the Birkei Yoseif adds, it is a bracha without any value at all. [Siman 6]

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