Maghen Abraham - Thoughts From Mayer Sasson

"And Avraham had become old and advanced in days…." (24,1)

The one who answers Amen

The holy student of Kaballa Rabbi Shimshon of Astropoli zt'l hy'd wrote in his book Dan Yadin that there is a shell of impurity called the Shell of the Fly and that is the shell of Amalek (Shell = a power of impurity).  However, in the merit of Avraham Avinu G-d will nullify the Shell of the Fly and this is alluded to in the wordsואברהם זקן בא בימים   And Avraham had become old and advanced in days because the initials of these words are זבוב. Every day the Shell of the Zvuv comes to a person by the three times of prayers in order to take him away from his prayers (-that is alluded to in בא  which adds up to 3, בימים – three times every day.)

 The Kisei Rachamim adds that one answers Amen while concentrating, he can nullify the Shell of the Fly and that is alluded to in the wordsואברהם זקן בא  for the last letters of these words are אמן to teach us that by answering Amen intentionally we can nullify the Shell of the Fly.

 Regarding answering Amen, we can add that it is ruled in the Shulchan Aruch that every single Jew should answer Amen ninety times a day for blessings. Therefore, many have the custom of saying the Morning Blessings in the synagogue in groups so that one blesses out loud and his friends answer Amen for his blessings and then the second blesses out loud and they all answer Amen, etc. (And it is known that every morning Rav Chaim Kanievsky shlit'a used to do so with his wife the Rabbanit ob'm.)

 In order to understand the great power of answering Amen let us look at the words of the holy student of the Kaballah Rabbi Natan Shapia zt'l, author of the Migaleh Amukot who reveals to us (from the Zohar and writings of the holy ARIZ'L) that all the blessings that come down from Heaven come from our combining the two names of G-d - י—ה—ו—ה and א—ד—נ—י.

This refers to Jews answering Amen for all the blessings because Amen אמן in numerology adds up to 91 and this is a combination of these two holy names (65 + 26 = 91) and by our saying Amen in concentration after hearing blessings, an abundance of blessings comes down from Heaven to Earth (and one should bear in mind when saying Amen that it is the combination of these two Names).

Therefore our Rabbis ob'm say (Brachot) "The one who answers Amen is greater than the one who makes the blessing" and the MAHARSH'A explains (Sotah) that a person who says a blessing (Blessed are You Hashem.) says only one Name but a person who answers Amen says the two Names of G-d, for as we said, Amenאמן  adds up to these two holy Names.

In addition – regarding what our Rabbis ob' m said that the one who answers Amen is greater than the one who makes the blessing – in order for a blessing to be fulfilled, two witnesses are necessary and therefore the first person who makes the blessing testified that G-d is the Source of all blessings ("Blessed are You Hashem") and when the second person comes and answers Amen he thereby upholds the testimony, agreeing with the one who made the blessing and therefore all the blessings come day in the merit of his answering Amen.

Rabbeinu Bichaya ob'm wrote that the person who makes sure to answer Amen after hearing a blessing honors G-d and concerning him G-d says "Those who honor Me I shall honor. This means that G-d says – You honored me by answering Amen and so I shall honor you as well. And a person who is not careful to answer Amen, is as if degrading G-d.

In summation we shall add that in the approbation to the book Notrei Amen it is brought down that the author of the Shevet Halevi retold that his Rabbi, the MAHARA'M Shapira zt'l, the Rosh Yeshiva of Chachmei Lublin told him that Rabbi Levy Broide said, "I can understand every Evil Inclination in the world but the Evil Inclination to speak during the Kadish and the cantor's repetition of the Shmone Esrei, where one thereby doesn't answer Amen – that I cannot understand."

SHABBAT SHALOM!!