{"id":8433,"date":"2016-02-20T01:00:12","date_gmt":"2016-02-19T23:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/?p=8433"},"modified":"2018-05-24T13:02:31","modified_gmt":"2018-05-24T10:02:31","slug":"03-20-01","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/03-20-01\/","title":{"rendered":"01. Men\u2019s Obligation to Pray with a Minyan and in a Synagogue"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Sages ordained that men pray with a minyan <\/em>(a quorum of ten adult men) in a synagogue. The Sages teach that the divine Presence dwells wherever ten Jews engage in sacred matters (devarim she-bikdusha<\/em>), as Scripture states: \u201cElokim nitzav ba-adat Kel<\/em>\u201d (\u201cGod stands in a godly congregation\u201d; Tehilim 82:1), and ten Jews constitute an \u201cedah<\/em>\u201d (congregation). Although even when one Jew prays or studies Torah the Shekhina<\/em> is present, there are nevertheless different gradations, the highest level of which is when ten Jews are engaged in a davar she-bikdusha<\/em>, for then holiness is revealed in the world (see Berakhot<\/em> 6a). Based on this, the Sages ordained that all devarim she-bikdusha<\/em>, that is, enactments that express God\u2019s sanctity publicly, shall be recited in a minyan<\/em> of ten men. Devarim she-bikdusha<\/em> encompasses \u0124azarat<\/em> Ha-shatz<\/em>, Birkat Kohanim<\/em>, Barkhu<\/em>, Kaddish<\/em>, and Torah reading (Megilla<\/em> 23b). 1<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

The Sages further taught that when one prays with a minyan<\/em>, her prayers are accepted. Even if she lacks full kavana<\/em>, her prayers are accepted because she prays with the congregation (be-tzibur<\/em>) (see Berakhot<\/em> 8a). Praying with a minyan <\/em>is thus superior in two ways: the Shekhina <\/em>is with the minyan<\/em>, which makes prayer more acceptable, and in a minyan <\/em>one recites all the devarim she-bikdusha<\/em> that the Sages ordained for recitation specifically with a minyan<\/em> of men (Peninei Halakha: Prayer<\/em> 2:1-3). Since the Shekhina<\/em> dwells in the midst of a minyan<\/em>, it is proper for every person to try to be one of the first ten people to pray together, for it is because of them that the Shekhina<\/em> appears.<\/p>\n

When the minyan<\/em> prays in a synagogue its advantages are twofold, for the prayer is conducted in a place specifically designated for devarim she-bikdusha<\/em> (Berakhot<\/em> 6a; 8a). A synagogue is called a \u201csmall sanctuary\u201d (\u201cmikdash me<\/em>\u2019at<\/em>,\u201d from Ye\u0125ezkel 11:16, which R. Yitz\u0125ak interpreted to refer to \u201csynagogues and study halls\u201d [Megilla<\/em> 29a]), for its holiness is a reflection of the Temple\u2019s sanctity.<\/p>\n

It is thus apparent that prayer with a congregation (tefila be-tzibur<\/em>) is on some level a substitute for the Temple service: The Shekhina<\/em> dwells in a place of ten Jews, the sanctity of the synagogue resembles the holiness of the Temple, and the communal prayers were ordained to correspond to the public sacrificial offerings.<\/p>\n

Reish Lakish says: One who has a synagogue in his city but does not enter it to pray is called a bad neighbor. Not only that, he brings exile upon himself and his descendants. Those who come early to the synagogue for Sha\u0125arit<\/em> and leave late after Ma\u2019ariv<\/em> merit long life (Berakhot<\/em> 8a; SA 90:11).<\/p>\n

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  1. Megilla 23b and Sofrim 10:7 mention the things that must be recited with a minyan. The Sages (Megilla op. cit. and Berakhot 21b) derive from the verse \u201cI shall be sanctified among the Israelites\u201d (Vayikra 22:32) that a davar she-bikidusha shall not be recited among less than ten. Ran (ad loc.) and other Rishonim and A\u0125aronim explain that this is a rabbinic law, since the very recitation of these words is of rabbinic origin. Nevertheless, the basic idea of minyan comes from Torah law that governs the sanctification of God\u2019s name (Kiddush Hashem). That is, one is obligated to surrender his life rather than desecrating God\u2019s name by performing a transgression under coercion in the presence of ten Jews (Sanhedrin 74b). It seems that for this purpose, women count toward the ten (though Devar Shmuel (Aboab) \u00a763 and Pit\u0125ei Teshuva YD 157:7 raise doubts about this). ↩<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    The Sages ordained that men pray with a minyan (a quorum of ten adult men) in a synagogue. The Sages teach that the divine Presence dwells wherever ten Jews engage in sacred matters (devarim she-bikdusha), as Scripture states: \u201cElokim nitzav ba-adat Kel\u201d (\u201cGod stands in a godly congregation\u201d; Tehilim 82:1), and ten Jews constitute an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[124],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8433","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-03-20"],"yoast_head":"\n01. 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