Rabbi Howard Morrison

A Minyan is more than individuals

The word minyan literally means a number. The concept of Minyan means a community of equally obligated Jews. In prayer, the Minyan number of ten symbolizes the minimum needed for the presence of community. A Minyan is required for the fullness of a community worship service. A Minyan is required for the fullness of a wedding ceremony. A Minyan is required for the recitation of the mourner's Kaddish, where a mourner sanctifies God's name and remembers the merit of a loved one in a communal setting. In the vastness of the Jewish world, depending on the circumstance and the religious ideology, the Minyan may require ten men, ten women, or be a combination of the two. 

During the height of the pandemic, among other things, we felt the pain of not having the presence of a real physical Minyan. Not being able to recite the familiar Kaddish was frustrating to many of us. Even in more liberal settings, where the familiar Kaddish was recited in a Zoom only service, not actually being in shul surrounded by others was frustrating.

In the cold of Winter or in the heat of Summer, pre and post pandemic, we have felt the sting of being one or two short of a Minyan. Those present know the feeling of frustration. Whether it be in an Orthodox setting, a traditional setting, or an egalitarian setting, that experience of being just short of a Minyan is also one of frustration. Even in big shuls where morning services, Shabbat and Festival services, boast of large enough turnouts, many of us here feel the sense of loss when we do not have a Minyan - the prayer service is abbreviated and the familiar Kaddish is not recited.

Now imagine the plight of a small congregation which has educated all of its members to attend as frequently as possible for the risk of not attaining a Minyan. Imagine a small shul which has its core group of Minyan regulars who keep the services going week after week, and year after year. Then, imagine, when shockingly and suddenly your core group has been assassinated, slaughtered, in their familiar house of worship. Your Minyan is gone. Other members, actively or peripherally involved, are afraid to attend - No Minyan, No Kaddish, No Torah service, No wedding, etc.

The power of ten is the power of community. Thus, when Robert Powers, an American white supremacist, murdered 11 worshipping Jews at the Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018, he did more than murder eleven individuals. He did more than raise the concerns of gun violence, the death penalty, and the free exercise of religion. As a Summer article in the New York Times put in its headline, "The Pittsburgh gun man didn't just kill eleven Jews. He killed a Minyan." That particular Minyan has yet to re-establish itself five years later.

During the martyrology of Yom Kippur, we recite "Eleh Ezkerah - These do I remember" - Ten famous Sages, a Minyan of rabbis, who helped to formulate our tradition and who were brutally slain by the Romans.

Fast forward to the Shoah - We remember six million slaughtered men, women, and children. We remember synagogues, communities, Minyanim forever vanquished.

 I will never forget our Beth Emeth trip to Poland in 2015. We brought moments of life to destroyed synagogues when we would pray one of the daily services at the remnant of what was once a shul. 

I will never forget our Beth Emeth trip to Spain and Portugal in 2019. We brought moments of life to destroyed synagogues when we would pray one of the daily services at the remnant of what was once a shul, destroyed during the inquisition or some other dark chapter of our history.

When we recite Yizkor in a few minutes, we will lovingly remember precious individuals. We will also remember communities and Minyanim of Beth Emeth which span almost the last seven decades. 

The Talmudic origins of ten being the requisite number for a communal prayer Minyan are found in a few sources. When God informs Abraham about the impending destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, God is willing to spare the cities if ten righteous are found among them. The reunification of Joseph and his family begins when ten sons of Jacob sojourn to Egypt from Canaan during a famine to procure food. Had ten tribal chieftains believed in God's promise about the promised land, there would never have been a forty year wandering in the wilderness.

On this most sacred day of the year, we pray and remember the righteous of our shul. 

We pray and remember the martyrs of the Shoah. 

We pray and remember those lost to old age, poor health, or hatred in all chapters of Jewish history.

We pray and remember small shuls which either have difficulty or can no longer attain a Minyan. 

We pray and remember larger shuls, like our own, which struggle at times to attain a Minyan.

We pray and remember that a small but viable shul in Pittsburgh had its Minyan killed by an anti-Semitic white supremacist. 

We pray for the day when all synagogues of all streams of Judaism will have a healthy Minyan in whatever way a Minyan is defined at all occasions.

I am grateful for the hundreds, if not over a thousand, who have joined us this day in person or on livestream to ensure the continued perpetuation of our Beth Emeth Bais Yehuda Hebrew Men of England congregation.

I wish us all Gmar Chatimah Tovah.
Rabbi Howard Morrison