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The Need For a Minyan
Judaism has an interesting concept called a minyan, a prayer quorum.
Special prayers sanctifying God's name (such as the kedushah and kaddish
prayers) may only be said when ten men are present. An individual may
pray in solitude, but without a minyan, certain parts of the liturgy must be
omitted.
The Talmud derives the requirement for a prayer quorum from
God's declaration, "I will be sanctified in the midst of the Israelites" (Lev.
22:32). What exactly does the word 'midst' mean?
We find the word 'midst' used again when God warned the
people living nearby the dissenters in Korach's rebellion: "Separate
yourselves from the midst of this 'eidah' (community)" (Num. 16:20). From
here, the Sages learned that God is sanctified within an eidah.
And what is the definition of eidah? The Torah refers to the ten
spies who brought a negative report of the Land of Israel as an eidah ra'ah,
an evil community (Num. 14:26). So we see that God is sanctified in a
community of at least ten members.
The requirement for a prayer quorum, and the way it is derived,
raises two issues that need to be addressed:
Holiness is based on our natural aspirations for spiritual growth and
perfection. However, the desire to perfect ourselves — even spiritually — is
not true holiness. Our goal should not be the fulfillment of our own
personal needs, but rather to honor and sanctify our Maker. Genuine
holiness is an altruistic striving for good for its own sake, not out of
self-interest.
The core of an elevated service of God is when we fulfill His will
by helping and uplifting society. Therefore, the kedushah (sanctification)
prayer may not be said in private. Without a community to benefit and
elevate, the individual cannot truly attain higher levels of holiness.
This special connection between the individual and society is
signified by the number ten. Ten is the first number that is also a group, a
collection of units forming a new unit. Therefore, the minimum number
of members for a quorum is ten.
Learning from Villains
Why do we learn this lesson from the wicked? It is precisely the
punishment of the wicked that sheds light on the reward of the righteous.
If the only result of evil was that the wicked corrupt themselves, it would
be unnecessary for the law to be so severe with one who is only hurting
himself. However, it is part of human nature that we influence others and
are influenced by our surroundings. Unfortunately, evil people have a
negative influence on the entire community, and it is for this reason that
they are punished so severely.
Understanding why the wicked are punished clarifies why the
righteous are rewarded. Just as the former are punished principally due to
their negative influence on the community, so too, the reward of the
righteous is due primarily to their positive influence. Now it becomes clear
that true holiness is in the context of the organic whole. And the kedushah
prayer sanctifying God's Name may only be recited in a minyan, with a
representative community of ten members.
(Gold from the Land of Israel pp. 258-260. Adapted from Ein Eyah vol. I, p. 104.)
Copyright © 2006 by Chanan Morrison
Perfecting the Community