Razei Emunim
The Virtue of Amen One Who Answers Amen Is Called Kadosh
The sefer tzava’ah that Rav Naftali Katz, author of Semichas Chachaimim, wrote was printed in dozens of editions. In the part where he turns to his sons and instructs them on life practices, Rav Naftali lists in the name of the Arizal twenty-one things that sanctify a person, and when a person is careful about them he fulfills the mitzvah of “Vehiskadashtem veheyisem kedoshim.” Among those things, Rav Naftali lists answering amen with kavanah. He writes (21 ibid):
“The kavanah of amen means that he should answer amen with all his strength, literally, because the voice arouses the kavanah, as we see in the tefillos of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, that one is allowed to daven in a loud voice to arouse kavanah... And he should have in mind when answering: ‘K-l Melech ne’eman’ (see Shabbos 119b)...‘K-l’ is chessed, as it says (Tehillim 52:3): ‘Chessed K-l kol hayom.’ ‘Melech’ is din, as it says (Mishlei 16:10): ‘Melech bemishpat ya’amid eretz’... ‘Ne’eman’ is rachamim...as it says ‘Ani Hashem ne’eman leshalem sachar tov,’ and ‘Ani Hashem ne’eman lifroa’ (see Rashi Shemos 6:2). He should also have in mind the Names of Hava-yah and Adnus, which, when combined are numerically equivalent to amen.
“And when he does all this, he will be called a kadosh, as it says ‘Vehiskadashtem veheyisem kedoshim ki Ani Hashem Elokeichem,’ and they explain (Brachos 53b): “Vehiskadashtem... Ani Hashem Elokeichem is a brachah [Birchas Hamazon], and if the mevarech is called Kadosh then how much more so the oneh amen is called kadosh because ‘gadol ha’oneh amen yoser mei’hamevarech.’ (Brachos ibid)
The Shelah Hakadosh (Maseches Yoma Derech Chaim Tochachos Mussar 198) brings in the name of the talmidim of the Arizal that answering amen with kavanah sanctifies the person.
The Pele Yoetz brings an allusion to this that “one who is accustomed to answering amen acquires for himself kedushah” from the fact that the Torah placed the passuk (Bamidbar 5:10): “V’ish es kodashav lo yihiyu” next to the parashah of Sotah, where it says (ibid 22): “V’amrah ha’ishah amen amen.” (Semuchim La’ad Parashas Naso)
Sefer Manchil Emunim (24, and see there 10) explains based on this the reason why Yeshayah Hanavi was punished (see Yevamos 49b) for saying (6:5) “Ubesoch am temei sefasayim anochi yoshev,” as follows: Chazal explain (Aggadas Bereishis Ch. 79) that when Yeshayah Hanavi saw that even the amei ha’aretz who do not know the mitzvos of the Torah receive great reward when they are strict to answer amen with kavanah, he offered praise: “Hashem Elokai Atah aromimcha odeh Shimcha ki asisa pele eitzos mei’rachok emunah omen.” In other words, I thank You for the wonder that You did advising that the reward of the people distant from Torah should receive by giving them the mitzvah of answering amen, whose reward is very great. From the words of the Midrash it is evident that in the generation of Yeshayah, Am Yisrael were strict to say amen with kavanah. For this reason, he was punished for calling them an “am temei sefasayim,” because even if impure words left their mouths, still, they should not be called this at a time when they are strict to answer amen which, as noted, sanctifies the person.
Indeed, the Chishukei Chemed testified that in Yerushalayim, a certain Yid was called “kadosh” only because even when he was old and weak, he made the effort to go to shul to answer amen to brachos. (Notrei Amen, Vol. I, p. 157)
Answering Amen After Every Brachah
Rav Yaakov Chaim, the only son and successor of the Ben Ish Chai, wrote: The word “לכם” with the kollel is numerically equivalent to amen. So we can explain the passuk as follows: “Vetzivisi es birchasi – lachem” – HaKadosh Baruch Hu is commanding you that whenever you hear a brachah you should answer amen after it, as the Rambam rules (Brachos 1 13): “Anyone who hears someone in Am Yisrael making any one of the many brachos, even though he did not hear the entire brachah from beginning to end, and even though he is not obligated in that brachah, must answer amen.” (Tzitzim Uprachim)
