What is the exact meaning of “amen” and where does the word come from?
David H.
(Via E-Mail)
Summary of our response up to this point: Last week we explained that “amen” is a near universal word that connotes affirmation to a stated prayer, and is used in Torah, Nevi’im, and Ketuvim. In his Otzar Erchei Ha’Yahadus, Rabbi Yosef Grossman, zt”l, writes that “amen,” a derivative of “emunah,” is the proper response to every blessing one hears. Our sages (Berachot 53b, Nazir 66a-b) said that a person who responds to a blessing is even greater than the one who recites it. We cited a dissenting view (ad. loc. Berachot) that the person who recites a blessing is given reward before the person who responds to it. We also noted that the greatness of the one who responds is due to him increasing k’vod shamayim.
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Rabbi Grossman makes note of an interesting halacha: A person should never say amen in response to a berachah he himself recited. However, he cites a notable exception to this rule: the blessing of Boneh Yerushalayim in Birkat Hamazon.
The above is the ruling of the Mechaber (Orach Chayyim 215:1), who states: One should not say amen in response to his own berachot except when he says two berachot or more, and then he should say amen after the concluding berachah. For example, according to custom we say amen after Y’hallelucha (at the conclusion of Hallel) and after Yishtabach (at the conclusion of Pesukei d’Zimra).
The Rema notes that others do not say amen after their own berachot except Boneh Yerushalayim in Birkat Hamazon. As a basis for this custom, the Rema cites early authorities such as Tosafot (Berachot 45b sv “ha b’boneh Yerushalayim…”), Mordechai (Berachot ad loc.), and Maharik (shoresh 31).
In locales where it is the custom to say amen after Y’hallelucha and Yishtabach, one should also say amen after shomer amo Yisrael la’ad at Ma’ariv, which is considered the concluding berachah of the Ma’ariv brkot Keri’at Shema. (The tefillah “Baruch Hashem l’olam amen v’amen” that follows was added on later by the geonim and not said by Sefaradim and talmidim of the Vilna Gaon, who in large part founded the old yishuv, which is why this berachah is not part of the liturgy in Eretz Yisrael).
The source for this halacha is the Gemara (Berachot op. cit.) where we find two contradictory opinions, One baraisa states that a person who says amen after his own berachah is praiseworthy and another baraisa states that to do so is despicable. The Gemara relates that Abaye would say amen after Boneh Yerushalayim aloud so that day laborers would be able to return to their work since Hatov V’hameitiv (the fourth berachah in Birkat Hamazon) is not Biblical. R. Ashi, on the other hand, would say amen after Boneh Yerushalayim quietly in order that day laborers not come to disrespect Hatov V’hameitiv. Thus, it is clear that both were of the opinion that one should say amen to one’s own recitation of Boneh Yerushalayim because that is the concluding berachah (biblically) of Birkat Hamazon.
If we examine the above-cited Tosafot more closely, we find that Rabbenu Chananel amends the Gemara’s text so that “praiseworthy” refers to every berachah like Yishtabach – i.e., a berachah which serves as the conclusion of a series of berachot. Tosafot note that we should “go out and see what the people do.” But if we do so, we notice that the prevailing custom is to only say amen after Boneh Yrushalayim in Birkat Hamazon.
Let’s return to the Mechaber who states that only in the instance of two berachot or more should a person say amen after his own recitation. His examples are Y’hallelucha and Yishtabach. How are these viewed as concluding berachot when so much material separates them from the berachot they are ostensibly concluding? The Mishnah Berurah (op. cit. 215:3 s.v. “achar y-hallelucha”) explains that these berachot are considered semuchot to the ones they conclude since one may not speak between them (i.e., during Pesukei D’zimra or Hallel).
Interesting, the Rambam (Hilchot Berachot 1:17-18) explains that a person says amen to these berachot to signify that he has completed all of his berachot in this segment.
(To be continued)