Joining the minyan

שו”ת › Category: Halacha › Joining the minyan

asked 8 years ago

Hello Rabbi, I am on a base without many religious people and we have difficulty with the Shacharit minyan. Many times it happens that we are 8-9 people and soldiers come to complete our minyan, whose definition ranges from traditional to completely secular. Several times I tried to protest this and claim that it is impossible to include them in the minyan because they do not observe the commandments. (It is worth noting that I have a certain suspicion that their trigger for completing our minyan is because it gives them a break from work.. Many times these are soldiers who are imprisoned, etc.) I would be happy to know what the Rabbi thinks is the criterion by which I can examine whether a person is qualified for the minyan or not.

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מיכי Staff answered 8 years ago

It is acceptable to add secular people to the minyan. My personal opinion is that if they don’t believe, it doesn’t help anything (like adding potted plants). Of course, those who do believe but don’t observe the mitzvot for whatever reason can join. Therefore, you can perhaps rely on the opinion of the poskim who recognize them as part of the minyan (which I do not think). In my opinion, in principle, you should find out whether they believe and whether they pray when they are with you. This can be unpleasant, and you can probably count on the fact that if they join, they probably do not see it as a frivolous matter, but in my opinion, it is still better to find out gently.

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י.ד. replied 8 years ago

They are mostly Jewish and all the polls show that most Jews believe in the State of Israel.
Although including Druze doesn't work.