minyan

In Judaism, a minyan ( mīnyān , lit. (noun) count, number; pl. mīnyānīm ) is the quorum of ten Jewish adults required for certain religious obligations. In more traditional streams of Judaism, only men 13 and older may constitute a minyan; in more liberal (non-Orthodox) streams women are also counted. The minimum of 10 Jews needed for a meeting has its origin in Abraham's prayer to God in Genesis 18:20. In that prayer, Abraham asks the Almighty not to destroy Sodom if there are 50 believers and keeps asking Him until 10. God then promises Abraham that He will not destroy Sodom if there are 10 believers in Sodom. The most common activity requiring a minyan is public prayer. Accordingly, the term minyan in contemporary Judaism has taken on the secondary meaning of referring to a prayer service. Sources The source for the requirement of minyan is recorded in the Talmud. The word minyan itself comes from the Hebrew root meaning to count or to number. The word is related to the Aramaic word mene, numbered, appearing in the writing on the wall in .