[Avodah] Downs and Minyan

[Micha Berger]

R Asher Weiss recently wrote a teshuvah about counting a man who has
Down or Autism toward a minyan. A translation, paraphrase or summary
appeared on the web site run by his talmidim
<https://en.tvunah.org/2019/04/05/minyan-and-down-syndrome>.

I am hoping it's a summary, because what is in the post is too
brief to be applied.

   Question:
   Do autistic men or men with down syndrome count for a minyan with
   regard to Tefilla or Zimun. Regarding Zimun is there any distinction
   between 3 or 10?

   Answer:
   There is a wide range within these conditions, from very severe
   dysfunction to very highly functioning relative to the illness. If he
   displays basic understanding and communicates with others, and he
   participates in the davening on a basic level, there would be room to
   include him in a minyan or zimun when necessary [i.e. if you can easily
   complete the minyan without him that would be preferable].

   See Shu"t Minchas Asher Vol. 2 Siman 48

For example... Shuby says Shema with me every morning. Or tries to... his
limitation isn't his ability to remember the words, but to articulate
them. Although he does follow my lead. "Vea'ahavta" "hava"... If he
can recognize that Adon Olam is being sung (despite not being the tune
he learned), he will try to since along. Not necessarily get the poem
right, but he'll try.

So Shuby does "displays basic understanding and communicates with others",
but is this what RAW means by "participates in the davening on a basic
level"?

Does anyone have Minchas Asher vol 2 and can look up #48 for me?

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             Between stimulus & response, there is a space.
micha at aishdas.org        In that space is our power to choose our
http://www.aishdas.org   response. In our response lies our growth
Fax: (270) 514-1507      and our freedom. - Victor Frankl, (MSfM)