[Avodah] Amen

[Chana Luntz]

> RnCL responded to me: 
> > So why was the piece entitled "the silent Amen"? <
> As RYL noted (Avodah Digest V23#51) when he reposted the 
> piece to Avodah, it's actually entitled "A Quiet Amen." 

Sorry.  However, I think my criticism stands.  I understand the term
quiet to mean barely, if at all, audible - whereas the three halachas I
cited seem to make it clear that ennunciation of the Amen in a way that
is indeed audible is required (in contrast to the ideal form of tephila,
where Chana is described as her mouth moving, but her voice not being
heard, so that it looked to Eli like she was drunk - so a certain type
of quietness might be regarded as appropriate).  And further the idea of
"itti" that the gemora brings in order to support the idea that the Amen
should not be louder than the original brocha does not seem to me to
particularly lend itself to any idea of quietness - all it seems to me
to be saying is that the person saying the Amen should not drown out the
one saying the bracha  But surely the idea of itti is one of being in it
together, ie that the ideal would be not only should the Amen not be
louder, but it should not be softer either (ie "don't walk in front of
me I may not follow, don't walk behind me I may not lead" as the song
goes) - whereas to me the idea of quietness is just that, of being less
loud than what came before.

 
>
Gut Voch and all the best from 
Michael Poppers * Elizabeth, NJ, USA

Regards

Chana