Above: The Old New Synagogue, also called the Altneuschul, in Prague. Inside the sanctuary of this 13th century Synagogue are Hebrew acronyms referencing Jewish traditions and values. One of them comes from the bolded letters below.
Talmud Context: Below is related to a discussion about the requirement for a Jew to say amen to another Jew's blessing, even if they didn’t hear the whole blessing.
לְמֵימְרָא דִּמְבָרֵךְ עֲדִיף מִמַּאן דְּעָנֵי ״אָמֵן״? וְהָתַנְיָא רַבִּי יוֹסֵי אוֹמֵר: גָּדוֹל הָעוֹנֶה ״אָמֵן״ יוֹתֵר מִן הַמְבָרֵךְ.
The Gemara asks: Is that to say that one who recites a blessing is preferable to one who answers amen? Wasn’t it taught in a baraita that Rabbi Yosei says: The reward of the one who answers amen is greater than the reward of the one who recites the blessing?
אֲמַר לֵיהּ רַבִּי נְהוֹרַאי: הַשָּׁמַיִם, כֵּן הוּא. תִּדַּע — שֶׁהֲרֵי גּוּלְיָירִין יוֹרְדִין וּמִתְגָּרִין בַּמִּלְחָמָה, וְגִבּוֹרִים יוֹרְדִין וּמְנַצְּחִין!
Rabbi Nehorai said to him: By Heavens, an oath in the name of God, it is so. Know that this is true, as the military assistants [gulyarin] descend to the battlefield and initiate the war and the mighty descend and prevail. The amen that follows a blessing is compared to the mighty who join the war after the assistants, illustrating that answering amen is more significant than reciting the initial blessing.
Discussion Questions
- What do you think about the meaning of Amen here?
- What are the opportunities of empowering others to say Amen?
-Followers have agency!
-Great ideas need support - What are the limits?
-Amen is passive, minimal effort for maximum reward
-Enforces a power dynamic to pacify the masses
-"Lone nuts" can have a good connotation...or a very bad one - How does this play out on campus?
-What does it look like when students want to participate, but don't want to lead? - How can we better serve the mivarech/blesser, how can we better serve those saying Amen?
Takeaways
- Amen is an expression of solidarity, identification and affirmation with another.
- You can say amen to another's ideas or actions, but also to someone's memory and legacy. Amen is not always immediate.
- In some cases we are responsible for giving blessings, giving voice to shape our world, and naming what deserves praise in life. In other cases, we are called to amplify. It’s on us to find out those roles for ourselves and our students, and to remember we need both!