“Can you be the tenth?” The traditional conversation starter whenever Jews gather for prayer services and are searching for a Minyan. Judaism stipulates that certain rituals and prayers may be recited only in a group of ten Jewish men over the age of thirteen.
The convenience or difficulty of gathering a Minyan is not necessarily determined by the size of the Jewish community. Obviously smaller communities have a greater challenge gathering this quorum three times daily, but I have seen many a large synagogue frustratingly search for the “tenth man.” Why do we need ten for the Minyan? You might be surprised to discover that the definition of a minyan is derived by way of a series of Torah rules-of-logic that lead us to this week’s parsha. As the Israelites prepared to enter the Promised Land, they requested Moshe send spies to scout the terrain and report their findings. Reluctantly, he tapped twelve men for the mission and sent them on their way. Their impressions were not unanimous. Ten of them concluded that entering the Land of Israel was certain suicide and roused the nation to rebellion. The other two, Yehoshua and Calev pleaded with the nation to reconsider their new position and confidently and passionately proclaimed that the conquest would succeed with the help of G-d. Alas, their pleas were unheeded and the people wailed for an entire night. The fallout from the spies’ treason was severe. An entire generation was barred from entering the Holy Land and that night of meaningless sorrow lives on in infamy as Tisha B’av - the day of Jewish tragedy and grief. The Torah record of G-d’s response to the debacle includes this verse: “How much longer (must I bear) this evil congregation (of spies) who are provoking (the Jewish people) against Me?” They were a group of ten men and G-d referred to them as a congregation. From this verse we learn that ten men is the definition of a Minyan. Considering the damage these men inflicted on our people does it not seem inappropriate to derive such an integral element of our religious rituals from their quorum? Chassidus explains that while their actions had severe repercussions their motives were actually positive. So long the Israelites remained in the desert, their religious commitment and spiritual experience was assured. Nourished by heavenly bread, hydrated by miraculous water and protected by the Clouds of Glory, they were immersed in the divine pursuit of Torah study without distractions. Entering the Land would mark a new reality for the fledgling nation with many distractions and the spies felt that it would cause the spiritual and religious demise of the fledgling nation. Their conclusion was tragically wrong but their initial motive was noble and expresses an important lesson for all time. Before engaging with the world to reveal divinity within the chaos and turbulence of the mundane reality, one must first be empowered through immersion in prayer and Torah study. Starting off the day with wrapping Tefillin, giving Tzedakah and spending some time in prayer and Torah study transforms the rest of the day into one of divine purpose and success.