311. The Minyan Must All Be Together

Tefillah u’Birkas Kohanim 8:6

A matter of holiness requires a minyan as per Leviticus 22:32, “I will be sanctified among the children of Israel.” If something that requires a minyan was started with ten people but some of them left, even though we may not start them without a minyan, those who remain may conclude them.

Tefillah u’Birkas Kohanim 8:7

All members of a minyan, including the prayer leader, must be in the same place. If a small courtyard opens entirely into a large courtyard, then if there are nine people in the large one and one person in the small one, they are considered one group. However, if nine are in the small courtyard and one is in the large courtyard, they cannot be considered a group. If the congregation is in the large courtyard but the prayer leader is in the small courtyard, they fulfill their obligation by davening this way. If the congregation is in the small courtyard but the prayer leader is in the large courtyard, they do not fulfill their obligation. Since the leader is not in the same place, he is considered separate from the group. The idea behind this is that the walls on the sides of the large courtyard separate it from the small courtyard. The small courtyard, however, is not considered separate from the large one. Rather, it is viewed as a corner of the large one.