Minyan

In Judaism, a minyan ( minyān , lit. (noun) count, number; pl. minyānīm ) is the quorum of ten Jewish adults required for certain religious obligations. In all traditional orthodox practising Jewish religious movements, only men aged 13 years and older may constitute a minyan. The minimum of 10 Jews needed for a minyan has its origin (in part) in Abraham's prayer to God in Genesis 18:32. The minyan has additional roots in the judicial structure of ancient Israel as Moses first established it in Exodus 18:25 (i.e., the "rule of the 10s"). Cyrus Adler's and Lewis Naphtali Dembitz's entry for "Mi