Answering Amen to our own Brachos
Q. I’ve noticed that generally we don’t answer Amein to our own Brachos. I’ve even heard that it is not an appropriate thing to do. So why in Bentching do we conclude the blessing Boneh Yerushalayim by saying Amein - בונה ברחמיו ירושלים אמן ?
A. The Talmud[1] brings 2 seemingly contradictory statements. One says that it is improper to answer Amen to their own Bracha. The other says that it is praiseworthy to do so.
The Talmud reconciles these contradictory statements by explaining that they refer to different blessings. When is it praiseworthy? At the end of the Bracha Boneh Yerushalayim in Bentching. When is it improper? For all other Brachos.
There is a Machlokes amongst the Rishonim whether answering Amen is only permissible after Boneh Yerushalayim or could apply to other blessings which are similar in nature.
Rashi, the Rif and the Rosh do not limit this ruling specifically to the Bracha of Boneh Yerushalayim. Boneh Yerushalayim is brought by the Talmud as an example of a category of blessings. It marks the end of a series of linked Brachos. Similarly, one would answer Amen to their own Bracha for any Bracha which comes at the end of a series of Brachos. For example, Yishtabach which is the end Bracha of Pesukei Dezimra or Shomer Es Amo Yisroel Laad which is the end of the blessings of the Shema one would recite Amen even to their own Bracha.
The problematic Amen would be to answer Amein after each individual Bracha in a series of Brachos (or after a solitary Bracha such as a blessing before eating). This is because saying Amen would imply that one has finished the blessings and has nothing further to add.
This is the ruling of the Shulchan Aruch and the practise of Sefardim.
The alternate view (held by Tosfos, Rabbeinu Chananel and others) is that Boneh Yerushalayim is a unique case, and that we would not answer Amen to any other Bracha even if it marks the end of a series of Brachos.
The reason Boneh Yerushalayim is unique is that it marks the end of the 3 Biblically required blessings of Bentching. The fourth and final blessing is only Rabbinic in nature. We are required to distinguish between them[2]. This would be the only situation where this would apply since all other Brachos are only Rabbinic. The first 3 Brachos of Bentching being the only Biblical Brachos.
The Ram”o[3] rules that this is the custom for Ashkenazim and that one should not deviate from it. This ruling is brought by the Alter Rebbe[4] as the accepted minhag.
For any other Bracha we do not answer Amen to our own blessing. The Talmud’s meaning that it would be reprehensible is that it is a display of haughtiness or arrogance[5]. We are so particular concerning this that even if a person concludes his Bracha at the same time as the chazzan in Shule is concluding the same Bracha, he should not respond Amen to the chazzan since this would appear as though he were answering Amen to his own Bracha[6].
Since in Bentching, we say בונה ברחמיו ירושלים אמן for the reason described above, it does not appear as arrogant.
One should actually pause between the words ירושלים and אמן , since the Bracha actually ends with the word Yerushlayim, Amen being only an affirmation and not part of the Nusach of the Bracha[7]. However one should not pause too long otherwise this would be an Amen Yesoma (literally an orphaned Amen), since it is separated from its Bracha (like an orphaned child ר“ל from their parents.)
Additionally, the Shulchan Aruch rules that the אמן at the end of the Bracha Boneh Yerushalayim should be recited quietly. The reason is that since it high-lights the fact that the 4th blessing is only Rabbinic, people may come to treat it lightly by thinking that “it is only Rabbinic and the real Bentching is finished”. Of course this would be erroneous because we keep the Rabbinic Mitzvos equally to the To-rah obligations.
Nonetheless popular practise is to say the אמן out loud[8]. The Poskim offer the following justification:
According to strict Halacha, a labourer (פועל ) who is paid for a day’s work would not recite the 4th blessing[9]. Since it would be coming at the expense of his employer, the Rabbis waived the requirement to recite it. (This alone is a fascinating degree of the Torah’s concern for theft and business ethics since we are talking about a minute of lost labour time).
When this was the practise there was a concern that others (or even the labourers themselves) may take the 4th blessing lightly even when there would be no situation of loss to the employer. If Amen would be recited this would further suggest that one could be lenient. This concern would also apply to Sefardim and is their practise still today.
Nowadays however it is accepted and standard practice that employers are not concerned for such minimal loss of time and accept it upon them-selves. This is especially true today with labour laws etc. which allow for allotted paid breaks. Since there is now no case where the final blessing is not recited, there is no concern of treating it lightly and as such Amen may be recited aloud.
Nonetheless, some Poskim[10] advise that the Amen should still be recited silently. The Bach recommends that at least it should not be said louder than the rest of Bentching for emphasis.
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[1] Berachos 45b
[2] Shulchan Aruch Harav OC 188:1
[3] OC 215:1
[4] Shulchan Aruch Harav OC 51:3
[5] See Aruch Hashulchan 215:4
[6] שם . This is actually subject to Machlokes and the Alter Rebbe rules stringently. Interestingly, if this situation happened at the end of the Bracha which is at the end of a series of Brachos, one does answer Amein to the Chazzan, relying on the opinion of the Mechaber (that one even answers Amein to one’s own blessing in such a case) combined with those who allow answering the Chazzan’s blessing in any event.
[7] Mishna Berura 188:2
[8] Ram”o 188:2
[9] Shulchan Aruch OC 191:1
[10] Aruch Hashulchan 188:3
A. The Talmud[1] brings 2 seemingly contradictory statements. One says that it is improper to answer Amen to their own Bracha. The other says that it is praiseworthy to do so.
The Talmud reconciles these contradictory statements by explaining that they refer to different blessings. When is it praiseworthy? At the end of the Bracha Boneh Yerushalayim in Bentching. When is it improper? For all other Brachos.
There is a Machlokes amongst the Rishonim whether answering Amen is only permissible after Boneh Yerushalayim or could apply to other blessings which are similar in nature.
Rashi, the Rif and the Rosh do not limit this ruling specifically to the Bracha of Boneh Yerushalayim. Boneh Yerushalayim is brought by the Talmud as an example of a category of blessings. It marks the end of a series of linked Brachos. Similarly, one would answer Amen to their own Bracha for any Bracha which comes at the end of a series of Brachos. For example, Yishtabach which is the end Bracha of Pesukei Dezimra or Shomer Es Amo Yisroel Laad which is the end of the blessings of the Shema one would recite Amen even to their own Bracha.
The problematic Amen would be to answer Amein after each individual Bracha in a series of Brachos (or after a solitary Bracha such as a blessing before eating). This is because saying Amen would imply that one has finished the blessings and has nothing further to add.
This is the ruling of the Shulchan Aruch and the practise of Sefardim.
The alternate view (held by Tosfos, Rabbeinu Chananel and others) is that Boneh Yerushalayim is a unique case, and that we would not answer Amen to any other Bracha even if it marks the end of a series of Brachos.
The reason Boneh Yerushalayim is unique is that it marks the end of the 3 Biblically required blessings of Bentching. The fourth and final blessing is only Rabbinic in nature. We are required to distinguish between them[2]. This would be the only situation where this would apply since all other Brachos are only Rabbinic. The first 3 Brachos of Bentching being the only Biblical Brachos.
The Ram”o[3] rules that this is the custom for Ashkenazim and that one should not deviate from it. This ruling is brought by the Alter Rebbe[4] as the accepted minhag.
For any other Bracha we do not answer Amen to our own blessing. The Talmud’s meaning that it would be reprehensible is that it is a display of haughtiness or arrogance[5]. We are so particular concerning this that even if a person concludes his Bracha at the same time as the chazzan in Shule is concluding the same Bracha, he should not respond Amen to the chazzan since this would appear as though he were answering Amen to his own Bracha[6].
Since in Bentching, we say בונה ברחמיו ירושלים אמן for the reason described above, it does not appear as arrogant.
One should actually pause between the words ירושלים and אמן , since the Bracha actually ends with the word Yerushlayim, Amen being only an affirmation and not part of the Nusach of the Bracha[7]. However one should not pause too long otherwise this would be an Amen Yesoma (literally an orphaned Amen), since it is separated from its Bracha (like an orphaned child ר“ל from their parents.)
Additionally, the Shulchan Aruch rules that the אמן at the end of the Bracha Boneh Yerushalayim should be recited quietly. The reason is that since it high-lights the fact that the 4th blessing is only Rabbinic, people may come to treat it lightly by thinking that “it is only Rabbinic and the real Bentching is finished”. Of course this would be erroneous because we keep the Rabbinic Mitzvos equally to the To-rah obligations.
Nonetheless popular practise is to say the אמן out loud[8]. The Poskim offer the following justification:
According to strict Halacha, a labourer (פועל ) who is paid for a day’s work would not recite the 4th blessing[9]. Since it would be coming at the expense of his employer, the Rabbis waived the requirement to recite it. (This alone is a fascinating degree of the Torah’s concern for theft and business ethics since we are talking about a minute of lost labour time).
When this was the practise there was a concern that others (or even the labourers themselves) may take the 4th blessing lightly even when there would be no situation of loss to the employer. If Amen would be recited this would further suggest that one could be lenient. This concern would also apply to Sefardim and is their practise still today.
Nowadays however it is accepted and standard practice that employers are not concerned for such minimal loss of time and accept it upon them-selves. This is especially true today with labour laws etc. which allow for allotted paid breaks. Since there is now no case where the final blessing is not recited, there is no concern of treating it lightly and as such Amen may be recited aloud.
Nonetheless, some Poskim[10] advise that the Amen should still be recited silently. The Bach recommends that at least it should not be said louder than the rest of Bentching for emphasis.
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[1] Berachos 45b
[2] Shulchan Aruch Harav OC 188:1
[3] OC 215:1
[4] Shulchan Aruch Harav OC 51:3
[5] See Aruch Hashulchan 215:4
[6] שם . This is actually subject to Machlokes and the Alter Rebbe rules stringently. Interestingly, if this situation happened at the end of the Bracha which is at the end of a series of Brachos, one does answer Amein to the Chazzan, relying on the opinion of the Mechaber (that one even answers Amein to one’s own blessing in such a case) combined with those who allow answering the Chazzan’s blessing in any event.
[7] Mishna Berura 188:2
[8] Ram”o 188:2
[9] Shulchan Aruch OC 191:1
[10] Aruch Hashulchan 188:3