One of the most fundamental building blocks of Jewish communal life is the minyan, most simply defined as a quorum of ten Jews, Bar Mitzvah age or older.  A minyan is required for communal prayer and, as we will see, for many other occasions in Jewish life as well.  Where does this idea of minyan come from and what makes it so important for communal prayer and special occasions?

    The Aruch Hashulchan puts it most succinctly when he states that the reason for having a minyan is that when you do so you automatically have the Shechina, or God’s presence, manifest there as well.  This, of course, creates a higher level of holiness and sanctification than would be possible without the presence of the minyan.  Hence, any occasion in Jewish life which requires extra holiness, any “davar shebekedusha”, should be performed with a minyan.

    The basis for the Aruch Hashulchan’s statement comes from a discussion in the Gamara regarding three passukim from the Torah and their interpretation.  The first passuk states:  “. . . And I shall be sanctified among the Children of Israel.”  The Hebrew word used for “among” in this passuk is “b’toch”.  The same word “b’toch” is used in the second passuk.  During the incident with Korach and his followers, God tells Moshe to “. . . separate from among this evil congregation.”  The Gamara then brings a final passuk from the story of the meraglim, the spies that Moshe sends to scout out the Land of Israel.  That passuk is understood to define the word “congregation” used in the second passuk as referring to a group of ten men.  This is derived from the fact that there were twelve spies sent.  Two remained faithful and ten turned evil.  The evil ones are referred to as a “congregation”.

    The Gamara uses these three passukim and these links between them to derive the idea that when the first passuk states:      “. . . I (God) shall be sanctified among the Children of Israel”, it means to say that God’s name is to be sanctified among a group of ten men, which is another way of saying that God rests His name, His presence, when ten Jews gather together, hence, when there’s a minyan.

    It’s interesting to note that although the concept of minyan is extrapolated from these passukim in the Torah, there are those who believe that the requirement to have a minyan is only rabbinic in nature.  They feel that the rabbis used this drasha only to provide a basis for this halacha from the Torah.  Nevertheless, the halacha today is that wherever the rabbis mandated a minyan, one cannot fulfill his obligation without one.
    
    The list of such occasions is quite extensive.  This includes many parts of the prayer service such as:  kaddish, barachu, shemoneh esrei and kedusha.  The reading of the Torah and Haftorah also require a minyan.  In addition, a minyan is required in order to mention God’s name in the zimun before bentching birchat hamazon as well as in order to comfort the mourner, the mitzvah of nichum aveilim, as he walks from his loved one’s grave.  Another major occasion that requires a minyan is shevah brachot, the seven blessings said for the bride and groom.  Shevah brachot are recited one time under the chupah during the wedding itself and then during bentching at any meal that the couple attends for the next seven days, as long as the family and friends can muster a minyan.

    Although these are only some of the times a minyan is required, it’s enough to demonstrate the pattern.  As we mentioned at the beginning, the minyan is one of the fundamental building blocks of Jewish communal life.  We, as Jews, live some of our most important moments in public with our fellow Jews.  From birth to death and all the points in between, we share it all with our fellow Jews and, thanks to our minyanim, with Hashem, as well.