Question: I read your Q&A column, “Kaddish Elevates,” with great interest. However, I feel that there is something you left out: the appropriate phrases or pauses where we are to respond “Amen.” I have not seen why we don’t answer “Amen” after the phrase in Kaddish – Be’alma di’vera chir’utei – In the world He created according to His will.” Is this not one of the greatest praises – that Hashem gave us a world with such benefit that we at times don’t understand that benefit. Are we not to acknowledge Hashem’s greatness at all times irrespective of outcome?
Menachem
Via e-mail
Answer: Indeed, that should have been included in the earlier discussion. Here are the phrases that require an Amen response [at their conclusion] as follows:
Yitgadeil v’yitkadeish shmeih rabba, Amen
B’alma di vra chir’u’tei.
V’yamlich malchutei, b’chayeichon u’v’yomeichon u’v’chayei d’chol Beit Yisrael ba’agala u’bizman koriv. v’imru Amen
Amen, yehei shmeih rabba mevorach l’alam u’l’almei almaya [yitborach]
Yitborach v’yishtabach v’yitpaer v’yitromam v’yitnasei v’yithadar v’yitaleh v’yiothalal shmeih d’kud’sha brich hu. brich hu – [Ahkenazim, Amen – Sefaradim]
L’eila min kol birchata v’shirata tushb’chata v’nechemata d’amiran b’alma v’imru Amen
[for the Chazzan only Titkabeil tze’lothonu’va’uthon d’chol beit yisrael kodom avuhon di’b’shmaya v’imru Amen
[Rabbanan Kaddish only Al yisrael v’al rabanan v’al talmideihon v’al kol talmidei talmideihon v’al kol man d’askin b’orayta di b’atra ha’dein v’di b’chol atar v’atar ye’hei l’hon u’l’chon shlama rabba china v’chisda v’rachamin v’chayyin arichin u’mezonei r’vichei u’furka min kadam avuhon di bi’shmaya v’arah. v’imru Amen ]
Yehei shloma rabba min shemaya v’chayyim tovim Aleinu v’al kol yisrael. v’imru Amen
Osheh shalom b’mevorach hu ya’aseh shalom aleinu v’al kol yisrael. v’imru Amen
We thus see that the conclusion of every phrase requires a congregational response. You are very keen in your observation that one phrase stands out in its omission of a congregational “Amen” response. This is a perplexing question; in general, one always responds with “Amen” to the recitation of the various phrases in the Kaddish, when recited by the chazzan or the mourner. As you note and we show above, the second phrase of Kaddish remains the only one that does not engender a response of “Amen.” Why?
It would seem from the following responsum of HaGaon Rav Yosef Eliyahu Henkin, zt”l, that we cite, that for this phrase it would not be proper procedure, as he explains.
The question was posed to Rav Henkin (Teshuvot Ivra, Siman 5): Why is Amen not said after the phrase “Be’alma di’vera chir’utei,” meaning, “In the world that He created as He willed” – which is actually the conclusion of the first phrase of the Kaddish that starts with “Yitgadeil… – May His great Name grow exalted and sanctified in the world that He created as He willed.” Since the phrase concludes a complete phrase of praise of Hashem, it should generate the response of “Amen” and indeed, answering there would not be considered a hefsek – a separation. Yet no one says “Amen” at the conclusion of this phrase.,
Rav Henkin noted that the phrase, “…in the world that He created as He willed,” refers to the fact that it is a world where evil exists as well as good, where there are bad occurrences as well as good. There are good people as well as bad people.
It is interesting that though the Talmud (Megillah 25a) requires us to bless Hashem for both the good and the bad, this should not be taken to mean, contends Rav Henkin, that one should respond to an acknowledgment of a bad occurrence by saying “Amen.”
I would like to clarify the matter further in even more understandable terms. What is the difference between answering “Amen” and a blessing? Blessing Hashem for both the good and the bad that might occur is basically for the good or bad that one experiences individually or as part of the larger public, but specifically for what has already occurred. No one would expect me to bless over the bad that occurred to another individual; that would be ludicrous and simply cruel.
A key aspect of the term “Amen” is a personal request “so shall it be in the future.” But no one desires any negative, evil or mournful experience to take place in the future. It is just that Hashem created both good and evil in order to give people the possibility of earning their reward by refraining from doing what is evil. Accordingly, though one acknowledges the existence of this necessary ingredient – bad; however, he would not respond “Amen, which is of itself a bakasha – a request that “so should it be.”
Though we acknowledge that this world has its bad, we surely do not seek its occurrence. To the contrary, we seek that man overcome the evil in this world in our quest for a better world where good prevails. May it be His will, Amen.
