Thursday, March 11, 2010

The power of Amen

Hi,

"Rabbi Yosi said: One who replies 'Amen' is greater than the one who recites the blessing itself.

"Rabbi Nehorai said: Heavens! This is certainly true, for rank-and-file soldiers are the ones who start wars, and the mightier warriors are the ones who win them."

(Talmud, Nazir 66b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

2 comments:

  1. Doesn't Rabbi Pappias (Mekhilta de-Rabbi Ishmael, Amalek) credit Yitro with uttering the first beracha (Shmot 18:10)? Then in the "primal scene" of blessing, Moshe Rabbeinu would have been the first to say "Amein" to that blessing, it being unthinkable that he would not have responded so. And it goes without saying that Moshe was greater than Yitro, so in that "primal scene,"
    we have a proof of R. Yosi's point.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for your comment.
    I would note, though, that R' Pappias is not crediting Yitro with the first berachah, only with the first expression of thanks to Gd in the form of ברוך for taking the Jews from Egypt.

    ReplyDelete