QUESTION: When I recite Kiddush, some of the younger family members will elongate their Amen more than usual. Am I required to wait for them to finish saying Amen before continuing Kiddush?

ANSWER: There are two categories of berachos. There are berachos that are recited on behalf of others so that they can fulfill their obligation, and there are berachos in which the listeners are just bystanders. The Magen Avrohom (124:15) writes that if they are just bystanders, you are not required to wait for them if they elongate their Amen. However, if the beracha is being recited on their behalf, even though they are not permitted to elongate Amen, you must wait for them to finish before you can continue. This is because if you continue while they are still answering Amen, they will miss out on part of the next beracha and they will not fulfill the mitzvah. At an opportune time, someone can explain to them why it is not proper for them to elongate Amen (i.e., this causes the Amen to be unclear – Shulchan Aruch 124:8). If someone finds himself at a Shabbos table where the person reciting Kiddush will not give adequate time to say Amen on the beracha of Hagafen, it would be better not to answer Amen on that beracha. Answering Amen on that beracha will cause one to lose a few words of the next beracha and not fulfill the mitzvah of Kiddush.

The Beiur Halacha writes that according to some opinions, Chazaras Hashatz is also viewed as a beracha said on behalf of the congregation, and therefore one must wait for everyone to finish reciting Amen – even those who are lengthening it more than they should. However, in his commentary Mishnah Berurah (124:37) he writes that one is not required to wait more than the average. Presumably, this is because today, everyone davens their own Shmoneh Esrei, and therefore we do not view Chazaras Hashatz as fulfilling each individual’s obligation.

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The Gerald & Karin Feldhamer OU Kosher Halacha Yomis is dedicated to the memory of Rav Yisroel Belsky, zt"l, who served as halachic consultant for OU Kosher for more than 28 years; many of the responses in Halacha Yomis are based on the rulings of Rabbi Belsky. Subscribe to the Halacha Yomis daily email here.