Rabbi Freedman’s Shabbat Message

Among a variety of topics included in this week’s sidra is that of the סוֹטָה – the Sotah.  The Sotah was a woman suspected by her husband of committing adultery.  The actual word סוֹטָה is not found in the text itself but is based on the verb שׂטה which is used throughout this section and means to go astray.  For example the passage begins with the following sentence:

דַּבֵּר֙ אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְאָֽמַרְתָּ֖ אֲלֵהֶ֑ם אִ֥ישׁ אִישׁ֙ כִּֽי־תִשְׂטֶ֣ה אִשְׁתּ֔וֹ וּמָֽעֲלָ֥ה ב֖וֹ מָֽעַל

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: If a man’s wife goes astray and is unfaithful to him ……” (Numbers 5:12)

One should point out that while the Biblical text spells the verb with the letter שׂ sin, by the time it entered into rabbinic literature, it had changed to a ס samech.  This was a common occurrence as Biblical Hebrew morphed into Mishnaic Hebrew.  A further interesting linguistic point is that the word סוֹטָה is etymologically related to the Yiddish / Hebrew word shtus or shtut meaning nonsense, stupidity, or foolishness, because, said the sages, the urge to sin clouds a person’s rational vision.  Resh Lakish, a third century scholar from Judea, is quoted in the Talmud in Massechet Sotah 3a:

אֵין אָדָם עוֹבֵר עֲבֵירָה אֶלָּא אִם כֵּן נִכְנַס בּוֹ רוּחַ שְׁטוּת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״אִישׁ אִישׁ כִּי תִשְׂטֶה אִשְׁתּוֹ״

A person commits a transgression only if a spirit of folly or shtut enters him, as it is stated in Numbers 5:12: “If a man’s wife goes astray (תִּשְּׂטֶה).”

The ritual itself was quite complicated.  The woman was brought before a priest and administered a potion which would have no effect on her if she was innocent, but would have dire consequences if she had been unfaithful.  It is reported by our sages that if guilty, her paramour would suffer the same fate.  At the same time she was expected to listen carefully to the kohen as he recited the oath stating that if she had not defiled herself, she would be unharmed, but if she had broken the vows of her marriage, she would be cursed and suffer harm.

As he concluded his statement, she was expected to affirm the oath and accept the consequences of her behaviour and she did this by reciting a word familiar to us all, she would say the word amen twice:

וְאָֽמְרָ֥ה הָֽאִשָּׁ֖ה אָמֵ֥ן ׀ אָמֵֽן

And the woman said “Amen, Amen.”

(Numbers 5:22).

Perhaps because we are so familiar with the word אָמֵֽן as a response to blessings heard in the synagogue or in our homes, we tend to read this verse and move on rather quickly, but in fact we would do well to pause and examine the significance of this short word because this is the very first time that it appears in the Torah, the first time it is found in all of Jewish literature.

The fact that that the utterance of the word Amen is so routine, few commentators discuss its origin, meaning and significance.  However, in his introduction to the Koren Siddur, Rabbi Sacks z”l writes the following:

Saying Amen is what philosophers call a “performative utterance.”  It is a formal act of acceptance and affirmation, meaning (1) we believe this to be true, or (2) we associate ourselves with what has been said.  It functions in the Torah as an assent to an oath (for example, in Numbers 5:22 and Deuteronomy 27: 15-26 – incidentally the only two places in the Torah that the word is found).  The root אמנ, aleph, mem, nun, has a range of senses, including ‘to believe, to trust, to care, to be faithful.”  In general liturgical responses form an essential link between the Leader and congregation, turning a prayer on behalf of the community into one assented to by the community.

In an article entitled Amen as Response and Introduction, Rabbi Raymond Apple z”l who served as the rabbi of Sydney’s Great Synagogue for over 30 years until 2005, wrote the following by way of introduction:

Amen (“Thus it is”, “So be it!”) is a common religious exclamation, usually left untranslated.  That it expresses affirmation is evident from its context.  The root is aleph-mem-nun, to be firm, faithful, trustworthy and credible.

This root was known at an early period: its derivatives are found in Genesis, e.g. 18:13 (אֻמְנָ֛ם, in truth), 42:20 (וְיֵאָֽמְנ֥וּ, and be verified) and 45:26 (הֶֽאֱמִ֖ין, believe).  Amen however, does not appear in the Bible prior to two legal passages, Numbers 5:22, where it is doubled (Amen Amen), and Deuteronomy 27:15-26, where it comes twelve times.

It is also used in I Kings 1:36, Jeremiah 28:6, Nehemiah 5:13 and 8:6, I Chronicles 16:36, and throughout the Book of Psalms 41:14, 72:19, 82:53 and 106:48.  All monotheistic faiths use it as a prayer response, including Islam, though Amen is not found anywhere in the Koran.

The origins of Amen, wrote Rabbi Apple, are uncertain, though the root is known in several other Semitic languages.  Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch in his commentary to Genesis 15:6 (וְהֶֽאֱמִ֖ן בַּֽה’ – and Abram believed in the Lord) links Amen with a later word which means to be an artist.  The most common Hebrew word for an artist is אָמָּן.  This term generally refers to a visual or performing artist, while אוֹמָן refers to a craftsman or master artisan.  Amen is therefore understood as giving shape and form to a statement.

There is also a theory that it is linked with an Egyptian deity, Amun / Amen-Ra, but this may be mere coincidence.

The Talmud records a folk etymology for Amen.  When a person prays alone, with no-one else present who is able to respond Amen to the blessings recited in advance of the Shema, the individual himself adds three words before commencing the Shema – אֵ’ ל מֶֽלֶךְ נֶאֱמָן El Melekh Ne’eman meaning God, Faithful King, the initials of which yield the word Amen (see TB Shabbat 119b and Sanhedrin 111a).

In most cases, as explained above, Amen is recited as a response to blessings said by others to indicate agreement with the words just spoken.  For example, when the Chazan repeats the Amidah out loud, as he is expected to do during the Shacharit, Mincha or Musaf services – a practice that was only introduced in case anyone in synagogue was unable to recite the prayers themselves – it is incumbent on all others present, who form part of the minyan, to respond Amen to each bracha to indicate their acceptance of all the sentiments being expressed within these prayers.  Similarly when the Friday evening Kiddush is recited by the Baal Habayit, as is so often the case around the Shabbat table, all the other members of the family are required to answer Amen at he concludes the blessings – by doing so they demonstrate their participation in and fulfilment of the mitzvah to sanctify Shabbat.  Even in a case where one is not directly involved in the prayer, such as when one overhears another person reciting a bracha as they are about to eat something, they should still respond Amen to indicate that they agree with the theological concept being expressed, i.e. that we should always express our gratitude to the Almighty for any food that we consume, for it is seen as a gift from God.

In all these cases, others are reciting the prayer and we respond, but there are a few occasions when we conclude a prayer that we ourselves have said by reciting Amen.  Perhaps this is done to indicate our own allegiance to the prayers we have said.

Two occasions spring to mind.  The first is during Shacharit, the Morning Service, as we conclude our recital of Pesukey Dezimra.  Following the last psalm of this section, Psalm 150, which also happens to be the final psalm in the Book of Tehillim, the Siddur has what can only be described as a closing benediction – this short paragraph begins with the words בָּרוּךְ ה’ לְעוֹלָם אָמֵן וְאָמֵן Blessed is the Lord for ever, Amen and Amen and it concludes וְיִמָּלֵא כְבוֹדוֹ אֶת כָּל הָאָֽרֶץ אָמֵן וְאָמֵן And His glory filled all the earth, Amen and Amen.

The second example is in Birkat Hamazon – The Grace After Meals.  As we conclude the third benediction we say – בּוֹנֵה בְרַחֲמָיו יְרוּשָׁלָֽיִם אָמֵן – Blessed are You, O Lord who rebuilds Jerusalem in His mercy, Amen.  It is suggested that Amen was placed here to signify the formal conclusion of the Biblically mandated section of Birkat Hamazon.  In spite of the fact that a fourth blessing was added by the sages during Roman times, the implication is that everything that follows the third blessing is of a secondary status.  There is however some disagreement between Sephardi and Ashkenazi Jews on this point.  The Sephardi tradition is to say Amen but to say it rather softly so as not to lessen the importance of the fourth blessing, however Ashkenazim are generally lenient in this regard and they say Amen in a normal voice just as one would say the rest of the Birkat Hamazon.  Nonetheless, Ashkenazim are expected to pause before saying אָמֵֽן.

The author of the Shulhan Arukh, Rabbi Joseph Karo offered a different explanation suggesting that Amen should be said at the conclusion of any series of blessings.  That being the case, one might ask why the final bracha of every Amidah doesn’t end with Amen.  In fact in a sense it does, since the rabbis added the well-known line:

עֹשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם בִּמְרוֹמָיו הוּא יַעֲשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם עָלֵֽינוּ וְעַל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאִמְרוּ אָמֵן

Oseh shalom bimromav Hu ya’aseh shalom aleynu ve’al kol Yisrael ve-imru Amen

He who makes peace in His high places, may He make peace for us and all Israel, and say Amen.

The recital of Amen was clearly of great significance to the rabbis.  We are told that if someone did not give due attention to responding Amen, he will face some form of penalty in the World to Come.  This warning is based on I Samuel 2:30 which states: כִּי-מְכַבְּדַי אֲכַבֵּד וּבֹזַי יֵקָלּוּ  Those who honour Me I will honour, while those who dishonour me, will be disgraced.

The nature of this penalty is that when the offender dies, a proclamation will be made to lock the doors of paradise.  Apparently the gates will only reopen when repentance has been made for every Amen neglected.  In a more positive comment, our sages point out that the gematria (numerical value) of the Hebrew letters that make up the word אָמֵֽן equals 91, which is identical to the value of the four Hebrew letters that make up the word Adonai (Lord) i.e. 65, plus the sum of the four letters of God’s ineffable Name, Yud He Vav He, i.e. 26.  From this the rabbis teach that answering אָמֵֽן is like uttering both of these Names, and to have God’s Names constantly on one’s lips in this way would bring about a great reward – so said the twelfth century Talmudist Eleazar of Worms in his famous work the Sefer Rokeach.

In another medieval work known as the Tur, the author, Rabbi Yaakov ben Asher asks the meaning of the words שֹׁמֵר אֱמֻנִים shomer emunim (“who keep the faith”) in Isaiah 26:2?  His answer is that it refers to those שאומר אמנים she’omeir amenim – i.e. those who say Amen.  Based on this explanation, the sages explain the verse from Isaiah – that the one who answers Amen with total concentration will find the gates of Gan Eden open for him.

So we see that אָמֵֽן is not merely a concluding formula or passive response; it is a declaration of faith, affirmation, truth, loyalty, and communal participation.  Rooted deeply in the Hebrew Bible, developed richly in rabbinic literature, and embedded permanently in Jewish prayer, Amen reflects central Jewish values: covenant, trust in God, communal solidarity, and the sanctification of divine truth.  Connected to the words אמונה emunah – faith, נאמן ne’eman – trustworthy and אומן omen meaning supporter or guardian – the word itself conveys concepts fundamental to Judaism –both in respect to the relationship between a Jew and his God, as well as between a Jew and his neighbour.

A final thought is based on the Talmudic instruction in TB Berakhot 47a to recite Amen consciously, clearly and correctly.  The Talmud speaks of three mistakes that people often make when saying Amen – the first is known as an Amen chatufah –  a rushed Amen; the second is described as Amen ketufah – a truncated Amen, and the third is defined as Amen yetomah – an orphaned amen (i.e. responding without knowing the blessing).  In many ways the manner in which we practice our Judaism, should reflect these three categories.

Judaism in general and mitzvot in particular should never be rushed – every mitzvah we are able to perform is a like a key that opens a portal towards a spiritual encounter with the Divine.  To rush it is to diminish the sanctity of those precious moments when one is engaged in something exceptionally holy.  To truncate one’s Judaism is even worse.  Keeping Shabbat for an hour or two on a Friday evening is cheating God and yourself of the splendour of the day, fasting for a few hours only on Yom Kippur is diminishing the potential impact of a 25 hour fast and a full day of repentance.  There are countless examples of abbreviating and trimming mitzvot – sadly those who travelled down this path in earlier generations have for the most part been lost to our faith.

The final example is known as Amen yetomah – an orphaned amen, one that is pronounced with incomplete knowledge of how to say it properly.  Judaism, from its very inception, spoke of knowledge and learning.  It is not a coincidence that the sages were the first people in any part of the civilised world who introduced schools.

As Rabbi Sacks taught many times throughout his life – to defend a country, you need an army; but to defend a civilisation, you need schools.  By the first century CE – in a programme attributed in the Talmud to Rabbi Joshua ben Gamla – Jews had instituted the world’s first-ever system of universal compulsory education, supported by public funds.  Equally visionary was Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai’s famous request to the Romans, to preserve the academy at Yavneh.  From then on, Jews became the only people in history to predicate their existence on schools and houses of study.  It is no coincidence that they also became the only people to survive centuries of exile and dispersion without losing their identity.  This is what happens when you avoid the Amen yetomah – the orphaned amen.

The word אָמֵֽן is very short, it seems at first glance rather insignificant but in truth this is deceptive.  Its importance within our prayers and blessings is profound and perhaps in reviewing its significance it will become ever more apparent to say it at the right time, in the right way, and in the right place – and how else could one end this article other than with the words – וְנֹאמַר אָמֵן – and let us say Amen!

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi David Freedman