Shaarei Gan Eden
The Oneh Amen Is Saved from the Yetzer Hara
The Divrei Shmuel said: One who answers amen is zocheh to be spared from the yetzer hara. An allusion to this can be brought from the tefillah of Yaakov, in his request to be saved from Eisav – who symbolizes the yetzer hara (Bereishis 32:12): “Hatzileini na miyad achi miyad Eisav” – the words נא מיד אחי are an acronym for amen. (Divrei Shmuel Vayishlach)
When Answering Amen We Join the Tefillah of the Tzibbur
The Divrei Shmuel explains that the great power of answering amen is rooted in the fact that through it, a person connects to the tefillas rabbim. When he answers amen after the shaliach tzibbur together with the rest of the tzibbur, the oneh becomes part of the tzibbur, and therefore, the power of his answering is so great that Chazal say (see Tikkunei Zohar 40a) that it tears up the decrees on that person.
To illustrate the difference between a tefillas rabbim and a tefillas yachid, the Divrei Shmuel compares them to weapons that are used in war: “Just like one should not compare a small arrow that is fired from a bow to a cannonball fired from a heavy cannon, likewise there is no comparing the tefillah of a yachid to the tefillah of the tzibbur.” The tefillas rabbim generates a new and powerful force, and a person connects to that force through answering amen during the tefillah of the tzibbur. (Divrei Shmuel ibid)
