The Halachah of Answering Amen to a Brachah Between the Chapters

If one hears a brachah while he is still reciting the Birchos Krias Shema, or reciting Krias Shema itself, if he is in between the segments of Shema and the brachos – he should stop and answer amen.

But some hold that regarding answering amen after the brachah, the din of one who is in between the segments is the same as one who is in the middle of a segment, and he does not answer amen, unless he is after one of the Birchos Krias Shema, and he heard another person who finished reciting that same brachah, and he answers amen after it.

Some hold that even for this brachah that he finished, one should not answer amen.

1. The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 66 5) details the places that are considered “bein haprakim,” between chapters or segments: “And these are the bein haprakim: between the first and second brachah, between the second brachah and Shema, between Shema and Vehayah Im Shamoa, between Vehayah Im Shamoa and Vayomer.
2. Pri Migadim (51 Eshel Avraham 3) Hagahos Rabbi Akiva Eiger (66 3) and the ruling of the Mishnah Berurah (59 18; 66 23). Shu”t Binyan Olam (5) says that one is permitted to answer amen also to the brachah of a kattan, a child, as long as he did not recite it in order to learn how to recite brachos.
3. Chayei Adam (20 4). And the Shulchan Aruch Harav (66 5) also ruled: “After the other brachos, one does not answer amen in Krias Shema and its brachos even between the prakim.” Indeed, regarding the brachah of Yotzer Hame’oros, he ruled (59 4) that if he finished it before the sha”tz, he should answer amen after it.
4. The Kaf Hachaim says (59 26) that according to the Bais Yosef (66 4) one who is after the brachos before Krias Shema should not answer amen if he heard someone finish that same brachah, as because these brachos are said about Krias Shema, one should not stop between them, like we do not stop between the Birchas Hamitzvah and the mitzvah being done. He further writes (66 32): “According to the Shulchan Aruch, one should not answer amen to any brachah when he is in the middle of Krias Shema and its brachos,” and from his words it is explained that even someone who is bein haprakim should not answer amen to any brachah, whether he heard the brachah that was just concluded, or if he heard the other brachos. Shu”t Yabia Omer (Vol. IV, 89:1) concurs.

Halachos of Pausing in Krias Shema and the Birchos Krias Shema