During the morning prayer service, one may not pause or interrupt between the blessing of redemption (Ga’al Yisrael), and the recitation of the Amidah. Even standing silently between them is prohibited. However, there is also a halacha that one must respond with an Amen after hearing a blessing. Thus, it would seem that someone who hears the chazan (cantor) complete the blessing of Ga’al Yisrael must answer Amen. But then he is creating an interruption between the blessing and the Amidah! What’s a person to do?
Some answer that saying Amen to Ga’al Yisrael is like saying Amen after one’s own blessing. In general, a person does not say Amen to his own blessing. However, if he is concluding a subject the Amen is considered part of the blessing and thus is not considered an interruption. (The classic example of this is in Birkat HaMazon, when we conclude our own blessing of “Boneh Be-rachamav Yerushalayim” by saying Amen.) Perhaps the Amen after Ga’al Yisrael is in the same category.
Others insist that the reciting of Amen at this point is an interruption and should be avoided. How can a person avoid taking sides in this disagreement?
The poskim offer three suggestions:
1. The person praying should try to reach Ga’al Yisrael a little before the chazan. He can then wait, recite Amen to the chazan’s blessing, then recite the blessing himself, and immediately begin the Amidah. However, this solution is not without its problems. First, one is not supposed to pause in the middle of the blessings following Keriat Shema. Second, ideally one is meant to begin the Amidah at the same time as the chazan.
2. The person praying should recite the blessing together with the chazan. In such a case, he is not required to say Amen, as a person does not say Amen to his own blessing. However, as we have seen, there is an opinion that in the case of Ga’al Yisrael a person does say Amen to his own blessing.
3. The person praying should start the Amidah before the chazan. Once someone is in the middle of the Amidah, he does not respond Amen under any circumstances. However, once again, this means one is not beginning the Amidah with the chazan.
A fourth solution is very commonly followed nowadays. Namely, the chazan recites Ga’al Yisrael under his breath. Since no one hears the blessing, no one needs to answer Amen. Interestingly, this practice is not mentioned anywhere in the literature. Can it be that there truly is no source for it?
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