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<font face="Verdana" size=3>I am posting this to Avodah in response to
</font>Michael Poppers' request that I do this. BTW, someone pointed out
to me, "<font size=3 color="#000080">The Mishna Brurah says that if
one’s intent is to encourage others to answer amen, one may say it more
loudly."<br><br>
</font><font face="Verdana" size=3>From
<a href="http://www.geocities.com/m_yericho/ravkook/thisweek.htm" eudora="autourl">
http://www.geocities.com/m_yericho/ravkook/thisweek.htm</a> . Please note
the section <b>A Quiet <i>Amen</i>. <br><br>
</b>I recall Rav A. Miller learning a Tosephos in a shiur that I attended
many years ago that said something similar. When I asked him,
"In light of this Tosephos, why do some people say Amen very
loudly?" he gave me one of his knowing smiles, but did not
comment. :-)<br><br>
Yitzchok Levine<br><br>
<div align="center">Psalm 34: <i>Amen</i> - the Response of the Soul
<br><br>
</font></div>
<font face="Verdana" size=2><i>Amen</i> is an ancient Hebrew word that
has been adopted by many languages and cultures. What does it mean, and
how should it be said? <br><br>
The Sages taught an insightful lesson about <i>Amen</i> from the
following verse, familiar from the call of the <i>chazzan</i> as the
Torah is returned to the ark: <br><br>
"Declare God's greatness with me, and we will exalt His Name
together." </font><font face="Verdana" size=1>[Psalm
34:4]</font><font face="Verdana" size=2> <br><br>
What is the difference between the two halves of the verse, between
"<i>declaring God's greatness</i>" and "<i>exalting His
Name together</i>"? <br><br>
<b>Outward Speech and Inner Thought</b> <br><br>
This verse describes a kind of spiritual dialog. There is the one who
declares God's greatness, and there are those who listen and join in.
<br><br>
We use our faculty of speech to express to others our inner awe of God.
This declaration starts, as the verse says, "<i>with me.</i>"
We openly express these sentiments in order to awaken others to join us
in sensing God's greatness. <br><br>
The second half of the verse, on the other hand, depicts a different
stage. "<i>We will exalt His Name together.</i>" Together we
acknowledge the sanctity of God's Name. Concurrently we acknowledge the
infinite kindness in God's elevated rule. <br><br>
This second level requires no outward expression - just the
contemplations of a pure heart, the inner feelings of the human soul.
Speech is a vehicle to inform those who do not know. This stage, however,
belongs to the future era when there will be no need to teach others, a
time when an inner awareness of the truth will fill the world. <br><br>
<b>A Quiet <i>Amen</i></b> <br><br>
The Sages saw in this verse the dialog between the one initiating with a
blessing and the one responding with <i>Amen</i>. The response, they
stressed, should be recited as described in the verse - 'together' - no
louder than the original blessing
</font><font face="Verdana" size=1>[Berachot
45a]</font><font face="Verdana" size=2>. What is so terrible about an
extra-loud <i>Amen</i>? <br><br>
We first need to determine: what does <i>Amen</i> mean? <br><br>
By answering <i>Amen</i> to a blessing, we indicate our agreement.
<i>Amen</i> means that our inner understanding is at one with what we
have heard. It is not a form of public communication, but an inner
response of the soul. We confirm that the sentiments that we have heard
resonate with our own thoughts and feelings. <br><br>
If <i>Amen</i> is said more loudly than the original blessing, this would
indicate that our <i>Amen</i> is coming to add our own emotions to those
already expressed in the blessing. This is not a negative act due to
our physical nature, we are influenced and emotionally moved by external
speech and actions - but speech is only a vehicle to awaken inner
enlightenment. A true <i>Amen</i> is not a loud outburst of emotion, but
rather the quiet reflection of agreement and inner awareness. <br><br>
The blessing calls out, "<i>Declare God's greatness with
me!</i>" It is a public cry to awaken inner awareness in
others. <br><br>
And we respond with <i>Amen</i>. "<i>We will exalt His Name
together.</i>" We exalt God's Name, with inner recognition, above
and beyond all language. Unlike the blessing, expressed openly in speech,
<i>Amen</i> belongs inside the mind. The blessing is the means, and
<i>Amen</i> is the goal. <br><br>
<b>Short in Letters, Long in Thought</b> <br><br>
The Sages wrote </font><font face="Verdana" size=1>[Shabbat
119b]</font><font face="Verdana" size=2> that the word <i>Amen</i> is an
abbreviation for "<i>El Melech Ne'eman</i>" ('God, faithful
King'). This is another sign that <i>Amen</i> belongs to the realm of
thought, where speech is brief and reflection is extensive. Like an
iceberg, only a small part of this response is revealed; its true content
is hidden within. <br><br>
</font><font face="Verdana" size=1>Rav Kook on the Net:
<a href="http://ravkook.n3.net/">RavKook.n3.net</a> [adapted from
Ein Ayah vol. II p. 202]</font><font face="Verdana" size=2>
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