Hello, we continue with Chapter 4 of the book "Brit Shalom" as we discuss the blessings to the Holy One, Blessed be He, for all that He gives us.
What does a person do when they hear a blessing? A person who hears a blessing from their friend answers "Amen." Here, I’ve brought a law that appears in the Shulchan Aruch in Section 16: "One who hears a blessing from his friend responds with Amen in order to express agreement with what was said." In other words, you said "Blessed be God" and so on, and I say Amen, agreeing with you.
This rule also applies when a Jewish person hears a blessing from a Ben Noah. That is, if a Ben Noah says a blessing, the Jew present should also respond Amen, provided it is clear that the intention is only to God, the Creator of the world, and not to any other entity.
Unfortunately, I have seen that sometimes people who practice idolatry mention God's name but intend it for the idolatry. In such cases, one must be cautious, and in such cases, one cannot respond with Amen.
Section 17: It is a proper custom to thank God for existence when a person wakes up from sleep at night. When a person opens their eyes at the end of the night and wakes up, they should immediately thank God for returning their soul. The text of the thanksgiving is: "I thank You, King, Living and Eternal, for returning my soul to me with great compassion, Your faithfulness."
These words are very profound. Their point is to say that a person receives their self through thanking the Creator for their existence, as opposed to the philosopher who said, "I think, therefore I am." Judaism says: "I give thanks, therefore I am." In other words, true existence comes from the recognition that my existence is granted to me by the One who desired my existence. And for this, every morning we say, "I give thanks."
