Ah-may-ayn

Hi,

We are taught that one may not respond Amen louder than the blessing to which one is responding. However, there is an established custom of the baal keriah - the person who is doing the public reading of the Torah - singing "Amen" in a loud voice. This is acceptable for several reasons, including the goal of alerting the community that the Torah reading is beginning.

(Rivivot Ephraim 1:106)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Interrupting during Birkat Kohanim

Hi,

It appears that one who is in a minyan where Birkat Kohanim is taking place should not respond 'Amen' to a berachah overheard from an individual's private prayer, or from another minyan. This is most relevant at the Kotel, of course.

(Rivivot Ephraim 1:95)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Minyanim side by side

Hi,

One who is praying in a particular minyan, and who hears blessings or kedushah recited in an adjacent minyan (as happens at the Kotel) should not respond to that other minyan. There is no obligation to respond, and responding would cause confusion regarding one's own minyan.

(Rivivot Ephraim 1:89:2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Answering Kedushah from outside the room

Hi,

One who is outside of a room in which a minyan is davening should answer Amen and recite the responses to Kedushah. However, one who has already davened, and is in a space from which he can hear many minyanim, is not obligated to remain there in order to respond to all of them.

(Rivivot Ephraim 1:89:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Dragging it out

Hi,

If a chazan sings v'imru Amen in Kaddish for an extended period of time, one should say Amen and not wait for the end. The essential text is already concluded (v'imru Amen simply means, "And let us say Amen"), and the extended tune constitutes an inappropriate interruption between the text and the Amen. [Note: The author does not define "extended period of time".]

If a chazan sings the end of a blessing (such as in the repetition of the amidah) for an extended period of time, one should not say Amen until the blessing is complete.

(Rivivot Ephraim 1:88:2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The fast chazan

Hi,

One may not answer with Amen to a blessing in chazarat hashatz (the repetition of the amidah) once the chazan has begun the next blessing. Therefore, the chazan is required to wait for the minyan to respond Amen before beginning the next blessing.

(Rivivot Ephraim 1:88:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Amen to a blessing in the silent amidah

Hi,

One who overhears someone's blessing recited during the silent amidah should respond 'Amen'. However, note that the rule for Amen, in general, is that one should not say 'Amen' louder than the blessing itself was said. [Also, note that one should avoid distracting the person reciting the amidah.]

(Rivivot Ephraim 1:81)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Amen after "gaal yisrael"

Hi,

There is debate regarding whether one should respond "Amen" after the blessing of "gaal yisrael" in the morning prayers, right before the amidah; some suggest that this would constitute an interruption between one's own blessing and the amidah.

Two popular solutions for the problem are to have the chazan conclude the blessing silently, or for the congregation to recite the end of the blessing with the chazan, and not say "Amen". However, an Ashkenazi who hears the chazan's conclusion of his blessing should follow the view of Rama and say "Amen".

(Rivivot Ephraim 1:71)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Amen after Baruch She'amar

Hi,

Baruch she'Amar is the berachah that opens the psukei d'zimra portion of our morning davening, and it is considered to be a berachah "on" the songs we are about to sing in psukei d'zimra. Therefore, we should not interrupt, or even pause, between Baruch she'Amar and the start of psukei d'zimra.

Nonetheless, one may respond Amen to another person's Baruch she'Amar even before he has had a chance to start the songs of psukei d'zimra. We view the "Amen" as part of the praise that is in psukei d'zimra.

(Rivivot Ephraim 1:50:8)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The amen of "v'yatzmach purkaneih"

Hi,

For those who daven in a minyan where the words v'yatzmach purkaneih veekareiv meshicheih are added to kaddish, followed by an "Amen": That "Amen" is not mentioned by the Rambam in his edition of kaddish.

Therefore, one should not say this "Amen" in situations between Barchu and the amidah where other "Amen"s of kaddish may be said.

(Rivivot Ephraim 1:46)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Reciting berachot out loud

Hi,

It is good to recite one's berachah out loud, to enable others to respond Amen. However, this is not an obligation.

(Rivivot Ephraim 1:39:2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Answering berachot before Birchot haTorah

Hi,

We are supposed to recite Birchot haTorah (blessings upon Torah study) each morning, before learning any Torah. However, one who hears a berachah may answer Amen before reciting these berachot. One also may answer Kedushah before reciting these berachot, even though the responses are themselves biblical verses.

(Rivivot Ephraim 1:39:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

When does the act of donning tefillin end?

Hi,

When we put on tefillin, we put on the arm tefillin, then we put on the head tefillin, and then we wrap the straps of the arm tefillin around our fingers. However, the mitzvah act is complete once the arm and head tefillin are on, before the wrapping around the fingers.

Therefore: The act of putting on tefillin is complete once one puts on the head tefillin, and after that one may respond "Amen" to a berachah one hears. However, one should not respond "Amen" until after saying the "Baruch Shem Kvod" line, since that is meant to be joined with the berachah on the head tefillin.

(Rivivot Ephraim 1:30:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Responding 'Amen' after Barchu

Hi,

Some halachic authorities contend that the community should respond 'Amen' after the chazan says 'Baruch HaShem hamevorach l'olam va'ed', while others say it is not necessary.

(Mishneh Berurah 57:4)

חג אורים שמח,
Mordechai

Responding to the chazan: How loud?

Hi,

One should not answer "Barchu", or any berachah [blessing], in a voice that is louder than that of the person who recited the berachah. However, one may do so if it is an attempt to energize others to respond.

(Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 124:12; Mishneh Berurah 124:47)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Learning during chazarat hashatz (the repetition of the amidah)

Hi,

One should not learn Torah during the repetition of the amidah. There are a few concerns:

1. At least 10 men must pay attention to every word of the amidah;

2. All of those who are present are obligated to pay attention to the end of each berachah and answer Amen;

3. Even if there are ten who pay attention to every word, and even if the one who is learning is careful to pay attention sufficiently to answer Amen, others may misunderstand and assume that all learning is permitted.

(Rav Moshe Feinstein, Igrot Moshe Orach Chaim 4:19)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The Amen for "v'Yatzmach"

Hi,

One who is davening with a Sephardic minyan, so that they include ויצמח פורקניה ויקרב משיחיה, should not respond Amen to those words when he is in pesukei d'zimra. The Rambam did not include an Amen for this line in his edition of kaddish, so it is not considered integral.

(Rav Moshe Feinstein, Igrot Moshe Orach Chaim 4:14)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

"Amen" during Baruch she'Amar or Yishtabach

Hi,

One does not respond "Amen" to another's blessing during Baruch she'Amar or Yishtabach, even though these blessings do not appear in the Talmud.

(Rav Moshe Feinstein, Igrot Moshe Orach Chaim 4:13)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Responding "Amen" to the end of Kaddish

Hi,

The "Amen" response to the Half-Kaddish, and to the corresponding parts of the Whole Kaddish, is obligatory [such that one would do it even during psukei d'zimra]. The same is likely true for the Amen response to Titkabel in the Whole Kaddish.

The Amen response to the last two lines of the Whole Kaddish, though, is not obligatory, but only optional.

(Rav Moshe Feinstein, Igrot Moshe Orach Chaim 3:101; he does not discuss the response to Al Yisrael)

Have a great day,
Mordechai