Question: May one answer Amen to a blessing recited by one who desecrates Shabbat?
Answer: The root of this question lies in the words of Hagaon Harav Elchanan Wasserman (Kovetz Shiurim, Vol. 2, Ch. 47) who writes that there is no significance to Mitzvot performed by one who is a true heretic, for even if such a person eats Matzah on Pesach, for example, since he does not actually believe that doing so is a commandment from Hashem, he has not performed any Mitzvah. The same applies to blessings. When someone who denies the most basic tenets of our belief system recites a blessing, he does not really intend to direct this blessing to Hashem, he does not believe that Hashem is our G-d or that He is King of the Universe, and he also does not believe that “everything came into existence by His word.” Thus, one may not answer Amen upon hearing such a person’s blessing.
A Blessing Recited by a Reform “Rabbi”
Based on this, Hagaon Harav Moshe Feinstein zt”l rules (in his Responsa Iggerot Moshe OC 2:50) that if one hears a blessing recited by a Reform or Conservative “Rabbi,” who are infamous for being absolute apostates and masters of twisting and manipulating the core principles of our faith, one may not answer Amen to such blessings, for the recitation of blessings is like mundane speech for them and bears no sanctity whatsoever.
The Law Regarding One Who Desecrates Shabbat
Regarding those who desecrate Shabbat, Rabbeinu Yosef Haim writes (in his Responsa Rav Pe’alim, 2:11) that if a Shabbat desecrator was given an Aliyah to the Torah on Shabbat, his Aliyah is not counted towards the requisite seven Aliyot on Shabbat, for those who desecrate Shabbat do not believe in the holy Torah and they deny the fundamentals of our faith, such that their Aliyah to the Torah is considered not to have happened at all.
Nevertheless, Maran Rabbeinu Ovadia Yosef zt”l discusses the Ben Ish Hai’s opinion lengthily and writes (Halichot Olam, Vol. 3, p. 121) in the name of several Poskim that although this ruling is certainly true regarding those who are actually heretics and deny the validity of the Torah, it stands to reason that when a Shabbat desecrator recites a blessing, his intention is directed toward Hashem. The fact that he desecrates Shabbat is because he has fallen prey to his Evil Inclination, but not because he is an actual heretic.
In truth, the opinion of the Ben Ish Hai makes perfect sense for where he resided, for in Baghdad, most Shabbat desecrators had received a solid Jewish education as children and later decided to lead a non-religious lifestyle. For such people, their Aliyah to the Torah is worthless. Nowadays, however, the reality surrounding Shabbat desecration has changed.
Maran zt”l quotes the words of several great Poskim and rabbinic leaders of the Jewish communities in America from the generation preceding his who quote the Sho’el U’Meshiv and other Acharonim who ruled that Shabbat desecrators in America are considered “children captured among the nations” and cannot be judged with full stringency, for they are unaware of the severity of their actions.
Thus, halachically speaking, the great Rishon Le’Zion, Hagaon Harav Yitzchak Yosef Shlit”a, writes (in his Yalkut Yosef- Berachot, Ch. 215) that in general, one should answer Amen to a blessing recited by a Shabbat desecrator nowadays, unless we know for sure that this person is an actual heretic who does not believe in Hashem or His holy Torah, in which case one should not answer Amen.
Summary: One should not answer Amen to a blessing recited by a heretic or a Reform “Rabbi” and the like. However, one should, in general, answer Amen to a blessing recited by those who desecrate Shabbat nowadays, for they do not deny the existence of Hashem and are merely unaware of the severity of their actions. However, if a Shabbat desecrator is known to be an actual heretic, one may not answer Amen to blessings recited by him.
