The middle brachah in Mussaf of Shabbos, Tikanta Shabbos, begins in the order of the aleph-beis, but in reverse תכנת שבת The ...רצית קרבנותיה meforshim on tefillah explained the reason for this, and delved into the significance concealed in this tefillah.
This order ends with the word אז and those who arranged the tefillah then added the words מסיני נצטוו. The acronym of these three words – az miSinai nitztavu – is amen. This is not coincidental, of course. This allusion comes to make us aware that we were already commanded about amen at Har Sinai.
So what is the chiddush about that? Didn’t Chazal say (Yerushalmi Peah 2 4): “The Mikra, the Mishnah, the Talmud and Aggadah – even what a talmid vasik is destined in the future to rule before his rebbi was already told to Moshe at Sinai.” If so, isn’t amen certainly included in this?
I thought to explain based on the words of Rabbeinu Bechayei in the previous parashah, Beshalach (Shemos 14:31), who writes that Chazal instituted for us the answering of amen so that we should fulfill k’halachah the first mitzvah of the Aseres Hadibros – the mitzvah of emunah in Hashem. From his words it emerges that answering amen with kavanah is not a mitzvah established by Chazal but rather a mitzvas aseh from the Torah – which is the mitzvah of emunah.
In light of this we can say that אז מסיני נצטוו comes to say allude to us that by answering amen we merit to fulfill all the mitzvos that we were commanded at Sinai, because the mitzvah of emunah that we fulfill, halachah lema’aseh, by answering amen is the basic fundamental for accepting all the mitzvos, as it says (Tehillim 119:86): “Kol mitzvascha emunah.”
I thought to add further that the previous words: “to’ameha chaim zachu vegam ha’ohavim devareha gedulah bacharu” can also be explained to apply to amen. Because those who answer amen “merit life” as Chazal say (Brachos 47a): “Anyone who prolongs their amen has his days and years prolonged,” and “gedulah bacharu,” they have chosen greatness as Chazal say (ibid 53b): “the one who answers amen is greater than the mevarech”!
On this Shabbos, when we read about our ancestors’ declaration at Har Sinai: “Kol asher diber Hashem na’aseh,” it is fitting that we should also declare that נעשהכל אשר דבר ה‘ – we will be strict to hear the brachos and answer amen properly, and the mitzvah of emunah that we will fulfill with this will be the basis for all the mitzvos in the Torah – “kol asher diber Hashem”!
Good Shabbos
Yaakov Dov Marmurstein
ת.ד 102 בני ברק | פקס : 03-5055919
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