Women answering Amen on the bracha of leshev basukkah?

Is there any concern about women answering Amen to the bracha of leshev basukkah?

Is there a difference between Sephardi and Ashkenazi women?

Your asking an interesting shayla. When it comes to mitzvos that are time bound, woman are exempt from those mitzvos. The question arises regarding whether voluntarily saying a blessing on these mitvos is permitted. The Ashkenazic poskim conclude that woman may make a bracha on these mitzvos even though they are exempt whereas the Sephardic poskim prohibit woman from making one (they can still perform the mitzvah voluntarily and get merit for it, they just can’t say the bracha.)

The question now arises regarding answering amen to that bracha. In general, everyone is always permitted to answer amen to a bracha. So if a woman, Sephardic or Ashkenazic heard a bracha that is time bound such as leyshev b’sucah, they may answer amen with no issue.

But during the evening kiddush, a woman is obligated in the mitzvah of kiddush but not obligated in the mitzvah of succah. Therefore answering amen is dependent on what was written above. Since a woman needs to drink the grape juice after kiddush is completed, answering amen on leyshev would be a hefsek if she is not allowed to make the bracha…

Therefore a Sephardi woman should not answer amen on Leyshev b’sucah but for ashkenazim it’s not a problem as they do say Brachos on mitzvos that are time bound.

1 Like