Question
Is there anything in the Torah which explains why a minyan is made up of ten men?
Answer
The Talmud (Megila 23b) learns the need of a minyan for any “matter of holinessâ€? (i.e., kaddish, reading the Torah etc) from the verse (Leviticus 22:32), “I will be made holy in the midst of the sons of Israel.â€? The Talmud then connects “in the midstâ€? to a similar phrase in Numbers 16 (“separate from the midst of that congregationâ€?), which we understand from context to be ten (the twelve spies minus Joshua and Caleb who were certainly not involved in the sin).
With my best regards,
Rabbi Boruch Clinton