This wondrous story was related by the Birchas Avraham of Slonim, ztz"l, in one of his drashos about the great virtue of answering amen:
Rav Shimon the Dayan was a holy person, and all the Jews of Vilna were in awe of him. He utilized every minute of his day, whether learning Torah diligently, or in his work as a dayan, to which he was extremely dedicated. But despite his many affairs, Rav Shimon the Dayan had a special practice, that he was very strict to adhere to each and every day: He would go to the various shuls and batei medrash in the city and urge people to answer amen aloud and with kavanah. Even on boiling hot days, or on freezing, icy days, one could see Rav Shimon dashing from one place to the next, from one shul to another, urging the mispallelim not to be lax about this lofty mitzvah.
A gadol hador once came to visit in Vilna. When he heard about the dayan’s practice, he sought to understand the reason for it. When he visited Rav Shimon’s home, he asked him about it. Out of kavod haTorah, Rav Shimon agreed to share with his distinguished guest the secret behind this special practice of arousing the tzibbur to answer amen. He recounted:
The story happened one day when the beis din was closed. For this reason, I was able to sit in my house and learn, as I always want to do. I was sitting at my table, with a Maseches Shabbos in front of me. For many hours, I delved into the Torah of the Tannaim and Amoraim. The hours passed without me noticing, because I was so engrossed in my learning and thoroughly enjoying it. I don’t know how it happened, but suddenly I fell into a deep sleep, and my head slumped down. In my dream, I saw a person with a venerable appearance, whose face emitted a glow that is preserved for the higher worlds. He came closer to me, until his hand touched my head, and he asked me: ‘Why are you not careful about my words?’
"I was very afraid. I could barely move my lips, when I asked him back: ‘Who are you and what are your words?’ The man did not answer my question and just said to me: ‘I am asking you that from today on, you should go to the shuls and batei medrash and warn people to be careful about answering amen, and aside from meriting tremendous reward in Olam Haba, as Reish Lakish says ‘Anyone who answers amen with all his strength has the gates of Gan Eden opened for him’ (Shabbos 119b), they will also be spared from all the terrible decrees that come in this world, and they will merit the blessing of Shamayim in all that they do.’
"When the man finished speaking, he disappeared, and I woke up from my sleep, with my body shaking; I was terrified by this dream that I had had. I was overcome by the revelation I had merited, but I was not sure if it was a dream with no meaning, or a real dream that was serious.
I davened to Hashem to give me a sign, to clarify for me if the dream was true. Over the time that I davened, my finger remained on the place in the Gemara. When I finished davening, I was stunned to see that my finger was pointing to the place of the words of Reish Lakish: ‘Anyone who answers amen with all his strength has the gates of Gan Eden opened for him.’ My soul was overcome with amazement and excitement. I saw this as a sign from Above.
Since that day, I am moser nefesh for this. I go to all the shuls in the city and try to fulfill the words of Reish Lakish, as he asked me, to arouse the mispallellim to be careful about answering amen, so that they should merit to have the gates of Gan Eden opened for them, and from there, they will be showered with abundance, brachah and Heavenly mercy.
Shiru Lamelech p. 131
Rav Menachem Mendel Lubin, shlita, the successor of his father-in-law Rav Nissim Karelitz, ztz"l, as Rav and Av Beis Din of Ramat Aharon and Rosh Kollel Chazon Ish in Bnei Brak, related a wondrous dream that happened in our times.
For many years. Rav Lubin learned bechavrusa in Kollel Chazon Ish with a pious and learned talmid chacham, Rav Moshe Horowitz, ztz"l. In 5758, two days before Shavuos, Rav Horowitz had a severe heart attack, and on Shavuos night, his neshamah departed this world.
That year, on Friday night Parashas Ki Seitzei, Rav Lubin had a dream. He saw his chavrusa, Rav Moshe Horowitz, standing in front of him wearing a shtreimel and his Shabbos clothes. The Rav was stunned at the sight of his beloved friend, and he asked: ‘Please tell me what are they strict about in the Beis Din Shel Ma’alah?"
Rav Horowitz replied: "They are strict about answering amen k’halachah."
Rav Lubin related that he had a feeling that it was a real dream, because it is cited in the mekoros that a person who is in the Olam Ha’emes reveals himself to people in this world wearing Shabbos clothes. Later, when the dream was recounted to Rav Chaim Kanievsky ztz"l he affirmed that indeed, it was a real dream.
We merited to hear about this dream from Rebbetzin Kanievsky many years ago, on 13 Elul 5772, about a month before her passing. She related that following the dream, her husband began to be strict to recite Birchos Hashachar in front of someone who would answer amen to the brachos. So each morning, as long as the Rebbetzin was alive, the Rav would recite Birchos Hashachar and the Rebbetzin would respond amen, and then the Rebbetzin would recite the brachos and the Rav would answer amen.
When Rav Aharon Leib Steinman, ztz"l, heard about this dream, he also decided that at the neitz minyan that took place in his house, the mispallelim would make sure to be there fifteen minutes before davening so that all of them – the Rosh Yeshivah included – could say the brachos bechavrusa for one another.
Because of that dream, two Torah giants began to recite Birchos Hashachar bechavrusa – how remarkable!
