Strengthening amen is fairly common in many homes. Often, this effort is dedicated to the healing of a family member. One of the practical manifestations of strengthening the observance of amen is conducting a “seudas amenim.” The family gathers around a table laid with foods of all kinds that require various brachos. Each one of the people present makes brachos aloud and everyone answers amen.
Over the years, I have heard many stories of yeshuos that resulted from stronger attention to amen, each with their own story. Some of the stories have been published here and have been a source of inspiration for all who heard them.
But it’s important to clarify! In order to increase merits and to accrue valuable amens, it’s not necessary to have a seudas amenim with all the effort that such a thing involves. Each morning, every Yid makes a series of brachos of gratitude to Hashem, the Birchos Hashachar. Reciting these brachos together allows one to accrue a treasure trove of amens, more than every other opportunity, and this ancient practice is intended specifically for this purpose (see Mishnah Berurah 6 23).
Apparently, answering amen to these brachos in which we thank HaKadosh Baruch Hu for all the goodness and chessed that He showers us with, and primarily for the health and function of our body, is a tried and true segulah for a refuah sheleimah.
I would like to share with you a wonderful story that I took part in and heard firsthand.
A number of years ago, I was in Yerushalayim for one of the Bney Emunim assemblies. In the morning, I woke up and headed to the Kosel to daven vasikin. I arrived about an hour before neitz, as I usually did, and hoping to have someone to answer amen to my brachos, I approached a distinguished looking Yid sitting nearby and asked him if I could say Birchos Hashachar in front of him. Of course, he gladly agreed.
When I finished my brachos, I saw that I was not the only one. Many of those who davened neitz went over to this Yid and made their brachos in front of him. Obviously, I was very pleased at this opportunity, because in the shul where I daven, I have the custom of dedicating a lot of time to answering amen after mispallelim. Imagine how thrilled I was to be able to do this in this holiest of places, at the Kosel. So I stood next to that Yid for a long time and joined him in answering amen after many people making brachos.
Later, I was told that this Yid’s name is Reb Avraham Mendelson, shlita, one of the regular members of the neitz minyan at the Kosel for many years, and that there is a wonderful miracle behind this practice.
After davening, I went over to him to find out what was behind his practice, and I was amazed to hear a very moving story. He emphasized that he is happy to relate and publicize the miracle he witnessed, as it says (Tehillim 105:2) “Sichu bechol nifle’osav, speak about all His miracles.”
Rav Avraham related: “My son-in-law, a father of eight children, was critically ill. He was literally on his deathbed, and the doctors gave him no chance. I turned the world over, I mentioned him to gedolei Yisrael in Yerushalayim and asked them to daven for his recovery. One of the mekubalim of Yerushalayim, who lives in my neighborhood, saw my distress and suggested: Take upon yourself to hear Birchos Hashachar from 17 people and answer amen to them. If you do this, b’ezras Hashem you will merit to see the “tov,” the goodness.
I was very excited to hear this. The practice is very close to my heart. My father, Rav Pinchas, ztz”l, used to hear brachos each morning from many people, and I also have tried to always be strict to do this...But I never thought about doing it for 17 people.
The next morning, I came to daven at the Kosel, as I usually did, and asked my friends, who were very distraught along with me, to help me save my son-in-law’s life by saying Birchos Hashachar for me. Of course, they were happy to help out, and that very first day, I merited to have twenty people say Birchos Hashachar in front of me. After davening, I hurried to the hospital. Until that morning, every visit to my son-in-law was very tense, but this time, I walked with more of a spring in my step. I was sure the yeshuah was at hand. I went over to his bed, where he lay silent, unconscious, and in a loud voice I said to him, “Reuven, I did something very big for your recovery today! I had the zchus to hear Birchos Hashachar from more than to”v people. I am sure that in this zchus, already today things will be better. Open your eyes, please.”
I repeated this a few times, and my voice grew more choked up. And then the unbelievable happened – after a whole month of being in a coma, my son-in-law opened his eyes.
“From that day on,” Reb Avraham concluded, “I have adhered to this practice, and baruch Hashem, to this day, I have the zchus to see so many yeshuos and chassadim.”
I heard this story firsthand and it touched me deeply. I was zocheh to get regards in the holiest place to the Jewish people about the power of answering amen after Birchos Hashachar.
When I returned from the Kosel, I thought a lot about the answering amen’s power to open the gates of refuah. I thought of an amazing remez for this: In Maseches Shabbos (119b) the Gemara says that the word amen is an acronym for the famous words of praise א-ל מלך נאמן and the brachah of Refa’einu ends with these words, but with the addition of another word: “כי נאמן רופא ...א-ל מלך” By integrating the description of “Rofei” about HaKadosh Baruch Hu in the ן“אמ, the Anshei Knesses Hagedolah hinted to us that the power of amen to heal is very great.
Let us take upon ourselves to complete the Birchos Hashachar of our friends by answering amen, and in this merit, we should merit that the healthy should not get sick and the sick of Am Yisrael should receive a full refuah from Above.
Good Shabbos
Yaakov Dov Marmurstein
