Bar Mitzvah who knows he doesn't have two hairs, can he join the minyan
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Question
A boy who turned 13 and knows he never had two hairs, can he join the minyan for Kaddish, Kedusha, and prayer?
Answer
He can join the minyan, and there is no need to inform the congregation about this.
Source
The Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim, Siman 55, Seif 5 writes: "If he has not brought two hairs, even if he is older in years, his status is like a minor until most of his years have passed, then it will be clarified that he is a saris. If signs of saris appeared earlier, his status is like an adult." The Rema writes: "However, we do not scrutinize the hairs, but as soon as he reaches the age, we assume him to be an adult and say that presumably he brought two hairs (Maharik, Shoresh 49)." Even the Sephardim follow the custom of the Rema in this matter, not scrutinizing the hairs, as written by the Chida in Kesher Gadol, Siman 8, Ot 10.
Even if he does not have two hairs, he joins the minyan, as written by the Mishnah Berurah, Siman 55, Seif Katan 40: "And indeed, we hold that once they reach the age, there is a presumption that they have brought two hairs, and therefore even if we see that they do not have two hairs, we are concerned that they had them but they fell out, as these hairs sometimes fall out due to thinness or oiliness, and yet we do not rely completely on this presumption, but consider it as a doubt, and therefore we always go stringently regarding anything from the Torah, and leniently regarding rabbinic decrees. See below in Siman 199, Mishnah Berurah, Seif Katan 8, and this requires study. See above in Seif Katan 31, what we wrote there in the name of the PMG."
Even if he knows he never had hairs, still there is no need to inform the congregation, because regarding Kaddish and Kedusha they were lenient. This is proven from the words of the Mishnah Berurah, who references his words in Siman 199, Mishnah Berurah, Seif Katan 8, where he writes that according to us, a deaf person does not join the zimun in ten, since we hold that the Shechinah dwells only in ten adults together. And he concludes that this requires study, and it should be said as written in Biur Halacha that the blessing of zimun is stricter than Kaddish and Kedusha, because they were lenient in them so that Israel would not be left without Kaddish and Kedusha.
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