Minyan מנין

Does it not make sense regarding tefilla that each and every person should request mercy for themselves!?

Rabbi Natan says: Whence do we know that God does not despise the prayer of the many? For it is said, “Behold God is great and will not despise.”

Ravin bar Rav Ada said Rabbi Yitzchak said: Whence do we know that God is found in the synagogue? For it is said, “God stands in the Lord’s assembly [eida].” And whence do we know that ten who pray have the Shechina with them? For it is said, “God stands in the Lord’s assembly [eida].”…

And I will be sanctified within Benei Yisrael

Ravin bar Rav Ada said Rabbi Yitzchak said: Whence do we know that the Holy One, Blessed be He, is found in the synagogue? For it is said, “God stands in the Lord’s assembly [eida].” Whence do we know that ten who pray have the Shechina with them? For it is said, “God stands in the Lord’s assembly [eida].”…Whence do we know that three who sit in judgment have the Shechina with them?…Whence do we know that two who sit and learn Torah have the Shechina with them?…Whence do we know that even one who sits and learns Torah has the Shechina with him? … And once it’s so even with one, do we need to mention two? With two, their matters are written in the book of remembrance, with one, his matters are not written in the book of remembrance…And once it’s so even with three, do we need to mention ten? For ten, the Shechina arrives before them. For three, not till they sit [in judgment].

We do not make an abbreviated communal repetition of Shema [for those who missed saying it], and we do not pass before the aron kodesh [as a prayer leader], and they [the kohanim] do not raise their hands [to bless the congregation], and we do not read from the Torah, and we do not read haftara from the Prophets…with fewer than ten.

…And we do not recite Kaddish and Barechu with fewer than ten.

And you [pl.] shall not desecrate My holy name, and I will be sanctified [ve-nikdashti] within Benei Yisrael, I am God Who sanctifies you [pl.].

From where do we derive these things [in the mishna]? Rabbi Chiyya son of Abba said Rabbi Yochanan said: For the verse says, “And I will be sanctified within [be-toch] the children of Israel” (Vayikra 22:32). Every davar she-bikdusha [matter of sanctity] should not be with fewer than ten. What implies this? For Rabbi Chiyya taught: We learn from “toch“-“toch.” Here it is written “And I will be sanctified within [be-toch] the children of Israel.” There it is written, “Separate from within [mi-toch] the assembly [eida]” (Bemidbar 16:21). And we learn from “eida“-“eida.” For it is written there [regarding the spies], “until when will this wicked assembly [eida] persist?” (Bemidbar 14:27) Just as there [eida] is ten, so too here it is ten.

Rav Ba and Rav Yosei in the name of Rabbi Yochanan: It is said here “eida” and it is said there (Bemidbar 14:27) “until when will this wicked assembly [eida] persist?” Just as eida there [in the case of the spies] refers to ten, so too here it is ten. Rabbi Simon said: It says here “toch” and it says there (Bereishit 42:5) “The sons of Israel came to purchase food among [be-toch] those who came [to Egypt].” Just as toch that is said there is ten, so, too, here it is ten…

They recite Kaddish. And we do not recite it with fewer than ten free adult males who have grown two hairs [as a sign of maturation], and this is also the law for Kedusha and Barechu, that they are not said with fewer than ten.

But behold 100 women are considered comparable to two men, and yet it teaches “women make a zimmun for themselves”!

But behold 100 women are considered comparable to two men: with respect to a group for prayer and for any matter [davar] that is with ten. Even so, we consider them [the women] as three [for zimmun]….Rashi explained it as comparable to two men with respect to [lack of] obligation [in zimmun], for they [three women] are not obligated to recite zimmun [as three men are], but if they want they can recite zimmun…

Take a census of the assembly of the children of Israel, according to their families, according to their fathers’ houses, in the number of names, every male by head count. From twenty years old and up, all who go out to the army in Israel, you shall count them according to their legions, you and Aharon.

For Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: Even though they said a minor laid in his cradle is not included in [the three] to make a zimmun, we make him an adjunct of the ten [for reciting it with God’s name]. And Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: Nine [free men] and a bondsman can join together [for zimmun]. They raised an objection [based on a baraita]: It happened with Rabbi Eliezer that he entered the synagogue and did not find ten [for minyan], and he freed his bondsman and completed the ten. [That implies that] if he frees the bondsman, yes [he counts] and if not, no [he doesn’t]. [Rather, they] needed two [to complete the minyan]. One bondsman he freed and the other was able to help discharge the obligation [while still a bondsman]…And the practical halacha is not like any of these teachings…

It is written in Mordechai in the name of Rabbeinu Simcha that a bondsman and a woman can [be counted in] the ten for tefilla and birkat ha-mazon. It is clear that this is in accordance with the explanation of Rabbeinu Tam, who ruled like Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi regarding a single bondsman joining. Rabbeinu Simcha reasoned that this should also apply to a woman, because in every case a woman is equivalent to a bondsman [with respect to exemption from positive time-bound mitzvot]. Since Rabbeinu Tam himself did not want to act this way in practice, who can be lenient in the matter? Thus the practice has been not to count a woman at all.