Reply To: Yiiddeshe Application for Robotics and Artificial Intelligence

If I recall correctly, the Shulchan Aruch says that a person a person who is sleepin, and even a deaf person are also counted in a minyan, despite the fact that they cannot answer umein after the chazan. But the SA also says that if there are not nine people who have kavanah during the chazan’s recitation of the barachos, those barachos are “close to being” said in vain.

Most meforshim conclude that there is no contradiction (aka the barachos from a minyan sleeping a schnoozer is accepted by the Ebeshter but the barachos from a minyan w/o kavanah may not be yotzeh) because the Shulchan Aruch doesn’t explicitly say not accepted but instead uses the terminology “are close to being,” rejected. They bring down from this that in actuality the chazan’s barachos are not said in vain for minyanim with snoozers and schmoozers. There are disagreements as to how many people that do not actually answer umein can be counted for a minyan with the kulah being up to four schmoozers (aka no kavanah) and one snoozer (aka sleeping) and the chumrah being there always have to be nine daveners with kavanah answering umein during chazaras ha’shatz.

HOWEVER, nowhere in Shulchan aruch does it address whether R2D2 and his robotic friends with a virtual neshamah who meticulously answer uuumeeein v’uumeeein are to be included in minyanim. They would certainly take major offense at being considered a “golam”.