How Ten Men Become a Camp Like the Camp of God

"And there was a man in Maon [whose business was in Carmel; and the man was very great, and he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats; and it came to pass, while he was shearing his sheep]" (1 Samuel 25:2). Rabbi Aivu said: Every place where shearing is mentioned, wealth is there. "Now the name of the man was Nabal [and the name of his wife Abigail]; and he was a Calebite" (ibid. ibid. 3). What is the meaning of "and he was a Calebite (kalbi)"? [That he was] of the tribe of [from the family of] Caleb. "And thus shall you say to him that lives (le-chai)" (ibid. ibid. 6) — for his preservation. "And David's young men came and spoke [to Nabal in the name of David all those words], and they rested (va-yanuchu)" (ibid. ibid. 9). What is "and they rested"? They were made into a camp. There we learned: Four things were they exempted from in a camp — they may bring wood from any place, and they are exempt from washing the hands, and from demai (doubtfully tithed produce), and from making an eruv. Rabbi Yehudah son of Rabbi Ilai said: Twelve thousand [are reckoned] as the camp of Midian. Rabbi Chanina said: A hundred men, as the camp of Gideon, "And Gideon came, and the hundred men [that were with him, to the outermost part of the camp]" (Judges 7:19). Rabbi Yusta bar Shunam said: Had it said "in the camp," I would say as you say; but since it says "to the outermost part of the camp" (ibid. ibid.), you cannot learn anything from it. Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin in the name of Rabbi Levi brings it from here: "And David's servants came and spoke to Nabal [in the name of David] and they rested (va-yanuchu)" (1 Samuel 25:9). What is "and they rested"? They were made into a camp. And the Rabbis of Caesarea bring it from here: "For at that time day by day they came to David to help him, until it was a great camp, like the camp of God" (1 Chronicles 12:23). And how much is the camp of God? Ten. Ten enter the synagogue and they become a camp.