What's ideal doesn't always work in real life :(

In a comment to this recent post of mine, Al said, "I believe partnership minyans wait until 10 men AND 10 women... Bringing women into your services should not be an excuse to excuse the men, which it sadly becomes by dropping the minyan requirement."

A Partnership Minyan is a wonderful idea, but it wouldn't work in my local non-egalitarian synagogue for one unfortunate reason--we don't have 10 men, not because we excused them, but because we lost them to the Mal'ach HaMavet/Angel of Death. Our shul didn't begin counting women for a minyan until we literally ran out of men. On most Shabbatot/Sabbaths and Chagim/major holidays, we barely have enough men for the aliyot. No doubt, they'll start giving women aliyot soon for the same reason. Given a choice, I'd rather be counted and giving an aliyah on principle, rather than as a last resort.

Related: See my next post.