Answering Amen Saves from Gehinnom
"לראות חסידך תתן לא לשאול נפשי תעזב לא כי" (י טז) "שחת"
Tanna Devei Eliyahu (Zuta Ch. 20) says that l’asid lavo, the sinners in Am Yisrael who were thrown into Gehinnom will merit to be saved from it, and the gates of Gan Eden will even be opened to them, in reward for answering amen to the Kaddish that Dovid Hamelech will say. He writes: "...And Dovid says [Kaddish of] Aggadah in front of HaKadosh Baruch Hu, and the tzaddikim answer Yehei Shemo Hagadol Mevorach l’olam ul’olmei olamim in Gan Enden, and the sinners of Am Yisrael answer amen from Gehinnom. HaKadosh Baruch Hu says to the angels: ‘Who is answering amen from Gehinnom?’ They say to Him: ‘Ribbono shel Olam! They are the sinners in Yisrael who, although they are in Gehinnom, in dire straits, are still strong and say amen in front of You." HaKadosh Baruch Hu says to the ministering angels: "Open Gan Eden for them, and they will come and sing in front of Me,’ as it says (Yeshayah 26:2): ‘Pischu she’arim veyavo goy tzaddik shomer emunim,’ – do not read it emunim, rather she’omer amen."
Harav Yechezkel Meir Mualem of Baghdad says that the words of the Tanna Devei Eliyahu are alluded to in the passuk as "נפשי לשאול לא תתן" : the last letter of each word combine for a numerical value of amen. (Liktuei Imrei K-l, Parashas Noach)
Only a Fool Is Lax About Answering Amen
שחתי נעויתי ;אולתי מפני חבורתי נמקו הבאישו" (ז-ו לח) "מאד עד"
Sefer Derech Moshe (Day 11) brings the story of a chassid who was killed by the king, and he came to his friend in a dream and told him that the punishment he received was because he did not answer amen to the brachah of Hamotzi that his young son made. The Derech Moshe derives from this that one who is lax in amen is punishable by death, but because HaKadosh Baruch Hu does not strike lives first (Vayikra Rabbah 17 4), the person is decreed to suffer poverty and a poor person is like a dead person, as Chazal say (Nedarim 62b), ani chashuv kemeis. The Rav of Chevron, Rabbi Eliyahu Salman Manny, brought an allusion to this from the acronym of the words of the passuk מפני אולתי" : נעויתי– which form amen, as if the passuk is testifying about the harsh punishment that some who acts like a fool and ignores the obligation to answer amen brings upon himself. (Kranos Tzaddik, Ch. 3:27)
Be Strict to Answer Amen According to Halachah
ותשא חקי לספר לך מה אלקים אמר ולרשע" (טז נ) "פיך עלי בריתי"
Harav Avraham Naftali Hertz Scheir, the Av Beis Din of Mainz, explained: The Gemara (Brachos 47a) explains that the life of a person is dependent on answering amen according to halachah, for better or for worse, as they say: "One who answers an amen yesomah [without knowing what the brachah is] – his sons will be orphans, a chatufah [not correctly pronounced] – his days will be snatched from him, and ketufah [that he swallows one of the letters] – will have his days plucked away." In contrast, one who is strict to answer amen according to halachah is promised that he will live a long life – "anyone who prolongs his amen has his days and years prolonged."
In light of this it emerges that it is better for a person not to answer amen at all than to answer not according to halachah. This is what the passuk is alluding to: "Ulerasha amar Elokim mah lecha lesaper," what do you have to say the praise of Hashem in the shul, when you go daven you do not make sure to answer amen properly, and you transgress "chukai" – My laws? The word חקי is an acronym for – and if so, it is חטופה, קטופה, יתומה – and if so, it is better that you should not "tisa brisi alei picha," do not speak of My covenant on your lips. (Turei Zahav Shir Hashirim 4:8)
Rejoice with Answering Amen
לד) "וישמחו ענוים ישמעו נפשי תתהלל ‘בה" (ג
This passuk teaches us about the great virtue of answering amen after Kaddish, and that is why the final letter of the words תתהלל‘בה נפשי ישמעו ענוים is numerically equivalent to amen. The passuk is explained: "B’Hashem tis’hallel nafshi" – when I praise Hashem by saying Kaddish, then "Yishme’u anavim veyismachu" – עונים and ענוים the words[ עונים the have the same letters] rejoice with the mitzvah of answering amen that they have merited.
Protection and Salvation in the Merit of Amen
(ח לד) "ויחלצם ליראיו סביב ‘ה מלאך חנה"
מלאך is numerically equivalent to amen, and the acronym of א-דני סביב ליראיו is also numerically equivalent to amen, to allude to us that for answering amen, a person merits to special shemirah both in this world and in Olam Haba.
How Good Is Hashem
"בו יחסה הגבר אשרי ‘ה טוב כי וראו טעמו"
"Ta’amu ure’u" – when you will be strict and you will see the tremendous virtue of Kaddish and amen, you will conclude from that "ki tov Hashem," Who gave them to you to protect you and watch over you. Therefore "ashrei hagever," praised is the man who will be strict to have faith in Him, and to do His will. An allusion that this passuk is about the virtue of answering amen is that the words "יחסה בו" are numerically equivalent to amen.
