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1. What does “Amen” Mean?

Gemara Brachos - 53bר׳ יוסי אומר גדול העונה אמן יותר מן המברך

R’ Yossi said: The one who answers Amen is greater than the one who makes the bracha!

Tosfos - Shabbos 119b א״ר חנינא קל מלך נאמן

צריך להרהר בו בשעה שאומר אמןRav Chanina said: [Amen stands for]

Kel Melech Ne’eman (G-d the Faithful King) and one is obligated to think this when he answers Amen.

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3 Maharal - Shabbos 119bכי הוא נאמן לשלם שכר טוב למי שעובד לפניו

He [Hashem] is trustworthy to pay the reward to one who serves before him.

1 Gemara Shavuos - 36aאמר רבי יוסי ברבי חנינא אמן...

בו קבלת דברים, בו האמנת דבריםR’ Yossi the son of R’ Chanina said: Amen means …

a�rming the facts and praying that they will come true. “It’s just taking a moment to connect to G-d, and you see such crazy miracles.”

Say it LOUD!Say it PROUD!

Summary

The Gemara teaches us that Amen has 2 meanings. It is both an a�rmation of what was said, and a prayer that it comes true. We should try and have both of these thoughts in mind whenever we say Amen. Tosfos tells us that another thing you should have in mind when saying Amen, is “Kel Melech Ne’eman” Hashem is the faithful king. The Maharal explains that this is a praise of Hashem. He is faithful in paying the reward of those who serve him. The Gemara also tells us that the one who says Amen is greater than the person who made the bracha! This is because the Amen does 2 things, it a�rms that which was said, and it is a prayer. The bracha on the other hand was only the a�rmation, not the prayer!

Rav Shlomo Elyashiv (1841-1926) was the grandfather of Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, the world famous gadol hador who passed away in 2012. He was also well known in his own right and was considered one of the greatest Mekub-alim of his time. He is said to have merited to be taught by Eliyahu Hanavi.

Summary:

The Gemara teaches us that Amen has two

meanings. It is both an affirmation of what was

said, and a prayer that it should come true. We

should try and have both of these thoughts in

mind whenever we say Amen.

Tosfos tells us that another thing we should

have in mind when saying Amen is “Kel Melech

Ne’eman;” Hashem is the faithful King. The

Maharal explains that this is a praise of

Hashem. He is faithful in rewarding those who

serve Him.

The Gemara also tells us that the one who

says Amen is greater than the person who

made the bracha! This is because the Amen

does two things; it affirms that which was

said, and it is a prayer. The bracha, on the

other hand, was only the affirmation, not

the prayer!

Biography:

Rabbi Yehudah Loew, known as the Maharal of Prague, was born around the year 1520. He is famous as the leader of the Jewish community in Prague, which was the main center of central European Jewry at the time.

The Maharal became famous among non-Jews for his knowledge of mathematics and astronomy. Emperor Rudolph II paid him frequent visits to discuss both politics and science.

According to many sources he created a Golem (a figure) out of clay which he brought to life with the use of Hashem’s holy name. The Maharal used the Golem to avert many calamities and blood libels in Prague. When the Golem had completed his mission, the Maharal laid it away in the attic of the Prague Synagogue.

What does “Amen” Mean?

amen!

2. The Power of Amen

Rokeach אמן גימטריא מלאך לומר לך

שמלאך היה שומר ומגדל אותהAmen is the same Gematria as malach (91)This teaches you that a malach protected

and raised her [Esther.]

4 Zohar - Vayikra כל העונה אמן בכל כחו קורעין לו

גזר דינו של שבעים שנהAnyone who answers Amen with all his

“Koach,” has any decrees against him torn up for the next seventy years.

“You'll create a spiritual force that will advocate on your behalf and help generate all the blessings you’re waiting for.”

How many “Amens” do you think you say in

a day?

Gemara Sanhedrin - 110bקטן מאימתי בא לעולם הבא...

תנא משום רבי מאיר משעה שיאמר אמן

From when does a child get access to Olam Haba? … Rebbi Meir taught:

From when he answers Amen.

Zohar - Vayeilech וכשישראל למטה שומרים עצמם

לענות אמן ולכוין לבם כמו שצריך,כמה פתחי ברכות פתוחים למעלהAnd when the Jews below are careful to

answer Amen, and to have the right Kavanos, many doors of blessings open above!

Minchat Eliyahu – 32 מרדכי הצדיק מיד מקטנותה היה

מלמדה לאסתר בעניית אמןMordechai HaTzadik taught Esther to

say Amen at a young age.

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Summary

The Gemara teaches us that Amen has 2 meanings. It is both an a�rmation of what was said, and a prayer that it comes true. We should try and have both of these thoughts in mind whenever we say Amen. Tosfos tells us that another thing you should have in mind when saying Amen, is “Kel Melech Ne’eman” Hashem is the faithful king. The Maharal explains that this is a praise of Hashem. He is faithful in paying the reward of those who serve him. The Gemara also tells us that the one who says Amen is greater than the person who made the bracha! This is because the Amen does 2 things, it a�rms that which was said, and it is a prayer. The bracha on the other hand was only the a�rmation, not the prayer!

Rav Shlomo Elyashiv (1841-1926) was the grandfather of Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, the world famous gadol hador who passed away in 2012. He was also well known in his own right and was considered one of the greatest Mekub-alim of his time. He is said to have merited to be taught by Eliyahu Hanavi.

Summary:

The Gemara tells us that Amen is a powerful

thing. It is the first ticket you can get into

Olam Habah, since it is based on belief in

Hashem. That is why we try to teach Amen to

young children. The Minchat Eliyahu explains

that Mordechai of the Purim Story did just

that and taught Esther from a young age to

say Amen. This fits very well with the

Rokeach’s commentary. He explains that

Esther was protected from a young age by

angels, seemingly in the merit of saying

Amen, since Amen has the same numerical

value as malach – angel (91).

The Zohar teaches us that if you say

Amen with all your might, both mental and

physical, then any bad decree against you is

torn up. The Zohar also teaches us about a

few amazing brachos that saying Amen can

earn for us. Amen opens gates of blessing,

brings good to all of the worlds, and

helps our prayers be answered!

Biographies:

Rav Eliyahu Cohen (1659-1729) from Izmir, Turkey, is best known for his mussar work, the Shevet Mussar. He wrote over thirty books, including the Me’il Tzedakah, where he, as one of the wealthier members of the community, strongly encourages others to give charity. The sefer Minchat Eliyahu is a compilation of his drashos.

Rav Elazar of Worms (1170-1236) was known as the Rokeach, alluding to his most famous work, Sefer Rokeach. He was a prolific writer, authoring some fifty-five volumes on both Halacha and Kabbalah, in his short sixty-six years. He also composed tens of poems. He lived in Germany all his life.

The Power of Amen

Once a day, for the next week, try to answer

amen to a bracha, and really think hard about

the 2 concepts in an Amen, the affirmation

and the prayer.

Teach someone else about the power of Amen. When you are

about to make a Bracha, ask someone to

answer Amen, and explain to them why it

is so special.

carry a tally clicker around for a day and

count how many amens you can say!

Challenge Yourself!

1) List three things to have in mind when you say Amen.

2) Who is greater, the person who makes the bracha or the one who answers Amen?

3) Why is Amen a ticket into Olam Haba?

4) What is the gematria of Amen?

5) If you say Amen, how many years of bad decrees get torn up? How do you need to say Amen for this to work?