[Avodah] Q. How do we know that a minyan must consist of ten adult men?

[Micha Berger]

On Wed, Aug 22, 2018 at 01:59:35PM +0000, Professor L. Levine via Avodah wrote:
: The following is from today's OU Kosher Halacha Yomis:
:> Q. How do we know that a minyan must consist of ten adult men?
:> A. The Gemara (Brachos 21b) writes that a davar shebikedusha (certain
:> prayers that sanctify G-d's name) may only be recited in the presence
:> of ten men. The source for this is the verse, "V'nikdashti b'soch Bnei
:> Yisrael" (Vayikra 22:32 -- "and I will be sanctified in the midst
:> of the children of Israel"). How many people must be present to be
:> considered "in the midst"? The Gemara points out that the term "in the
:> midst" is also used to refer to the ten spies who explored the Land of
:> Israel...

The Yerushalmi (Berakhos 7:3, Megillah 4:4) brings this as the position
of R' Ba and Yasa besheim R' Yochanan. 

R' Simon says it's tokh - tokh from Bereishis 42:5, the brother going down
to Mitzrayim "lishbor besokh haba'im".

R' Yosi bei Rabbi Bun objects, and brings "Benei Yisrael" from the same
pasuq.

In any case, it's interesting that whether we are speaking of the meraglim
or the brothers who sold Yoseif, it's an eidah who gathered for something
quite different than tefillah.

:> Prayers such as Kaddish, Barchu, Chazaras Hashatz and Kriyas Hatorah may
:> only be recited in the presence of a minyan (Shulchan Aruch OC 55:1). If
:> one began to recite a davar shebikedusha in the presence of a minyan...

Nor Chazaras haShatz. The need for a minyan for ChS isn't davar shebiqdushah,
but simply that it is there to add a tzibbur aspect, which is impossible
without a tzibbur.

:> even if up to four of the members walked out, one may still complete
:> that prayer...

Including the closing qaddish. Similarly if there were a minyan for
Pesuqei deZimar, but not by the end of Borkhu.

The machloqes between the MB and AhS is how we defing "closing qaddish"
when it comes to Shemoneh Esrei.

:> however beyond that point there is a disagreement between the Mishnah
:> Berurah (55:18,19) and the Aruch Hashulchan (55:7). The Mishnah Berurah
:> says one can still say both the Kaddish after Tachanun and the Kaddish
:> after Uva L'tziyon Goel. While the Aruch Hashulchan opines that only one
:> Kaddish should be recited after Tachanun and that Kaddish should now be
:> a Kaddish Shetiskabel...

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger                 Life is complex.
micha at aishdas.org                Decisions are complex.
http://www.aishdas.org               The Torah is complex.
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