A Yid Who Increases the Value of Answering Amen

This Shabbos, we read about the commandment to build a mikdash so that the Shechinah can dwell there, as it says (Shemos 25:8): "V’asu Li mikdash veshachanti besocham." In our time, while we are in galus, the Shechinah dwells in the batei knesses and batei medrash, as Chazal say (Yerushalmi Brachos 5 1) on the passuk (Yeshayahu 55:6): "Dirshu Hashem behimatzo" – "Where is He found? In the batei knessios and batei medrashos."

But Chazal explain that the dwelling of the Shechinah in the shuls obligates the mispallelim to be strict to come on time to davening, as it says (Brachos 6b) that when HaKadosh Baruch Hu comes to dwell His Shechinah in the shul at the time of the tefillah and He does not find ten mispallelim there "immediately He gets angry." We learn this from the passuk (Yeshayahu 50:2): "Madua basi, why did I come and there is no man there, I called and there is no one to answer."

However, the passuk says "madua basi v’ein ish," which implies a single person. How then, does the Gemara infer that HaKadosh Baruch Hu gets angry if there aren’t ten people in the shul? The question is known and there are several answers.

I would like to offer the following explanation: איש is an acronym for יהודי שמייקר אמן. Such a Jew influences those around him about the importance of amen and reminds everyone that a complete brachah is only one that is answered by amen. By doing so, he causes other mispallelim to come earlier, before the start of the tefillah, in order to recite Birchos Hashachar for someone who will answer after them. Therefore, the passuk laments –"madua basi v’ein "אי"ש– a Yid that raises the value of amen, because if there was such a person, then surely the members of the minyan would come early to davening. We can add that the rest of the passuk "karasi v’ein oneh" – indicates that I [Hashem] came and called, and there is no "oneh" amen after the brachos, from who the mispallelim can learn to come early and recite Birchos Hashachar bechavrusa.

Regarding this we can add: In order to preclude a situation where there are not ten people in shul, Chazal instituted that in every city there should be "asarah batlanim," meaning ten people who are idle from all other work and are found in the beis knesses (see Megillah 5a). One can say that included in the role of those "asarah batlanim" is the job of imbuing the importance of amen in the mispallelim. And a sign for this is that בטלן is numerically equivalent to אמן. The commandment "V’asu Li mikdash veshachanti besocham" includes also the obligation to build batei knessios, where the Shechinah also dwells (Zohar Naso 126a). If so, one who tries to increase the virtue of amen, and as a result of that causes others to come early to davening, fulfills the mitzvah of "v’asu Li mikdash" and brings to the dwelling of the Shechinah in Am Yisrael. A wonderful remez for this is found at the beginning of this parashah אל" : – the value "בני ישראל ויקחו לי תרומה of the last letter of each word is equal to אמן!

And that is why we issue a call to each and every person: "השתדל להיות אי"ש" try to be a Yid that increases the value of amen, to come to shul early to answer amen after the mispallelim and be counted among those who are instrumental in bringing the Shechinah to dwell in Klal Yisrael.

Good Shabbos
Yaakov Dov Marmurstein
ת.ד 102 בני ברק | פקס : 03-5055919
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