Amen

After a blessing, Kaddish, and during the repetition of the Shmoneh Esrei, the listener must answer: "Amen". The meaning of this word is confirmation and agreement.

Meaning of the Word 'Amen'

According to the Alter Rebbe, there are two meanings for the word 'Amen':

1. After words of praise, we answer 'Amen' which means 'truth', meaning, the blessing that was said is true and I believe in it.
2. After a blessing, Kaddish, and so forth, we answer 'Amen', which is from the word "ne'eman" (faithful) or "te'amen" (confirm), meaning, confirm the requests that we have asked.

In blessings that have both meanings, such as: "Sim Shalom", "Retzeh", and so forth, one needs to have in mind both meanings.

The word 'Amen' is an acronym for "E-l Melech Ne'eman" (G-d, Faithful King), which means acknowledging gratitude to Hashem and accepting His blessed kingship. Therefore, at the moment of answering 'Amen' one should contemplate that He is "E-l Melech Ne'eman."

Importance of Answering 'Amen'

In Tractate Berachos it states: "Greater is the one who answers Amen than the one who recites the blessing."

In Tractate Shabbos it states: "Reish Lakish said, whoever answers Amen with all his might, the gates of Gan Eden are opened for him, as it says (in Isaiah) 'Open the gates, and let the righteous nation enter, the one who keeps faith,' do not read 'who keeps faith,' but rather 'who says Amen.'"

In Tractate Sanhedrin it states: "A child, from what time is he destined for the World to Come? Rabbi Meir said, from the time he answers Amen."

A well-known saying: "They say about Rabbi Nachum of Chernobyl that he was corpulent from answering 'Amen Yehei Shmei Rabba.'"

The Saba of Kelm said, "It was worth it for Hashem to create this world for six thousand years, so that a Jew would stand in creation and say 'Blessed is He and blessed is His Name.' And a thousand times saying 'Blessed is He and blessed is His Name' are equal in value to answering 'Amen' once... and for all this it was worth it for Hashem to create the entire creation."

Every answer of 'Amen' strengthens the blessing, hastens the fulfillment of requests, adds many merits, and nullifies harsh decrees from upon the Jewish people.

Answering 'Amen' in Halacha

• A person must answer 'Amen' to every blessing he hears from another person.
• One should not answer an 'Amen' that is rushed, cut short, or orphaned... and whoever extends his 'Amen', his days and years are extended.
• Special attention must be paid when answering 'Amen' after which the congregation says something additional, such as: Birkat HaGomel, the blessing of resurrection of the dead, and more.

External Links

• Yochai Daniel, Regarding the Intention of Amen Shaarei Yeshiva 15 page 233