Table of Permitted Responses

Israeli: ' marks a reduced vowel that Israeli speech drops (b'rachah); when the vowel is pronounced it is written e (lefanecha). - separates syllables that would otherwise run together.

How to read the transliterations

TABLE OF ALLOWED RESPONSES

Column labels: Pesukei DeZimra (Barukh SheAmar through Yishtabah); Inside a Shema paragraph or its prior blessings¹; At intervals among Shema paragraphs or its prior blessings; From finishing the blessing גָּאַל יִשְׂרָאֵל to starting the Amida².

אָמֵן יְהֵא שְׁמֵהּ רַבָּא; אָמֵן after דְּאָמִירָן בְּעָלְמָא³: Pesukei DeZimra - Allowed; Inside a Shema paragraph or its prior blessings - Allowed; At intervals among Shema paragraphs or its prior blessings - Allowed; From finishing the blessing גָּאַל יִשְׂרָאֵל to starting the Amida - Prohibited [שו״ע או״ח סו, ט; משנ״ב נא, ח].

אָמֵן after any blessing: Pesukei DeZimra - Allowed; Inside a Shema paragraph or its prior blessings - Prohibited; At intervals among Shema paragraphs or its prior blessings - Allowed; From finishing the blessing גָּאַל יִשְׂרָאֵל to starting the Amida - Prohibited⁴.

בָּרוּךְ הוּא וּבָרוּךְ שְׁמוֹ; בָּרוּךְ הוּא: Pesukei DeZimra - Prohibited⁵; Inside a Shema paragraph or its prior blessings - Prohibited; At intervals among Shema paragraphs or its prior blessings - Prohibited; From finishing the blessing גָּאַל יִשְׂרָאֵל to starting the Amida - Prohibited.

Tallit: Pesukei DeZimra - Don the tallit, yet recite the blessing among the paragraphs [משנ״ב נג, ה]; Inside a Shema paragraph or its prior blessings - Don the tallit, yet recite the blessing once the Amida is done [שו״ע ורמ״א או״ח ס, ב]; At intervals among Shema paragraphs or its prior blessings - Don the tallit, yet recite the blessing once the Amida is done; From finishing the blessing גָּאַל יִשְׂרָאֵל to starting the Amida - Prohibited [שו״ע או״ח סו, ח].

Tefillin: Pesukei DeZimra - Don the tefillin, yet recite the blessings among the sections [משנ״ב נג, ה]; Inside a Shema paragraph or its prior blessings - Prior to the Shema: prohibited; amid the Shema, don the tefillin and recite the blessing [משנ״ב סו, טו]; At intervals among Shema paragraphs or its prior blessings - Allowed; From finishing the blessing גָּאַל יִשְׂרָאֵל to starting the Amida - Don the tefillin, yet recite the blessings once the Amida is done [שו״ע או״ח סו, ח].

Barekhu⁶: Pesukei DeZimra - Allowed; Inside a Shema paragraph or its prior blessings - Allowed; At intervals among Shema paragraphs or its prior blessings - Allowed; From finishing the blessing גָּאַל יִשְׂרָאֵל to starting the Amida - Prohibited.

Shema: Pesukei DeZimra - Recite the opening verse with the congregation [משנ״ב סה, יא]; Inside a Shema paragraph or its prior blessings - Prohibited, save for shutting one's eyes and singing the Shema's melody; At intervals among Shema paragraphs or its prior blessings - Prohibited, save for shutting one's eyes and singing the Shema's melody⁷ [שו״ע או״ח סה, ב]; From finishing the blessing גָּאַל יִשְׂרָאֵל to starting the Amida - Prohibited.

Kedusha: Pesukei DeZimra - Allowed⁸ [משנ״ב נא, ח]; Inside a Shema paragraph or its prior blessings - Recite solely the verses that open with בָּרוּךְ and קָדוֹשׁ; At intervals among Shema paragraphs or its prior blessings - Recite solely the verses that open with בָּרוּךְ and קָדוֹשׁ; From finishing the blessing גָּאַל יִשְׂרָאֵל to starting the Amida - Prohibited [משנ״ב סו, יז].

אָמֵן following הָאֵל הַקָּדוֹשׁ and שׁוֹמֵעַ תְּפִלָּה: Pesukei DeZimra - Allowed; Inside a Shema paragraph or its prior blessings - Allowed; At intervals among Shema paragraphs or its prior blessings - Allowed; From finishing the blessing גָּאַל יִשְׂרָאֵל to starting the Amida - Prohibited [רמ״א או״ח סו, ג].

Modim DeRabanan: Pesukei DeZimra - Allowed; Inside a Shema paragraph or its prior blessings - Recite solely the words מוֹדִים אֲנַחְנוּ לָךְ; At intervals among Shema paragraphs or its prior blessings - Recite solely the words מוֹדִים אֲנַחְנוּ לָךְ; From finishing the blessing גָּאַל יִשְׂרָאֵל to starting the Amida - Prohibited [משנ״ב סו, כ].

When summoned up to the Torah⁹: Pesukei DeZimra - Allowed; Inside a Shema paragraph or its prior blessings - Allowed - yet not amid the Shema's opening verse or בָּרוּךְ שֵׁם כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתוֹ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד; At intervals among Shema paragraphs or its prior blessings - Allowed; From finishing the blessing גָּאַל יִשְׂרָאֵל to starting the Amida - Prohibited [משנ״ב סו, כו].

Commentary

1. The paragraphs are as follows: from the blessing יוֹצֵר אוֹר to יוֹצֵר הַמְּאוֹרוֹת; from אַהֲבָה רַבָּה or אַהֲבַת עוֹלָם to Shema; from Shema to וּבִשְׁעָרֶיךָ; from וְהָיָה אִם שָׁמֹעַ to עַל־הָאָרֶץ; from וֶאֱמֶת to גָּאַל יִשְׂרָאֵל [שו״ע או״ח סו, ה]. Responses permitted within a paragraph are also permissible within a verse, though it is preferable to respond only at the end of a thought.

2. Some rule that on Shabbat one may respond to Kaddish, Barekhu, Kedusha or Modim [רמ״א או״ח קיא, א]. See law 363.

3. Only these are required responses; the other responses of אָמֵן in Kaddish are only a custom [משנ״ב סו, יז].

4. One may answer אָמֵן if one hears another concluding the blessing גָּאַל יִשְׂרָאֵל [רמ״א או״ח סו, ו].

5. These responses are only a custom, as they are not mentioned in the Gemara [משנ״ב נא, ח].

6. Whether before the blessings of the Shema or before the Reading of the Torah. The blessings said by the עוֹלָה are like any other blessing [משנ״ב סו, יח].

7. If the congregation is saying Aleinu, one should stand and bow with them [ערוה״ש או״ח סה, ו].

8. Say only the biblical verses [אשי ישראל פט״ו, לא; see law 370].

9. The Gabba'im should not call up to the Torah one who is in the middle of prayer; however, if only one Kohen is present, he may be called up. Likewise, if only one person knows how to read the Torah, he may interrupt his prayers in order to be the ba'al koreh [משנ״ב סו, כו].