The number one is a unit. It is the smallest unit.
Two is not a unit anymore – it is a multiple of separate objects. Likewise three through nine.
Ten is a different story. It is the first “large unit” made up of numerous objects.
In this way, we can understand the significance of the minyan – ten individual people form a unit. Ten constitutes the unit of a congregation for communal prayer.
There additional occurrences in the Torah in units of ten: Ten statements of creation. Ten generations from Adam to Noach. Ten generations from Noah to Abraham. Ten tests of Abraham. Ten plagues visited upon the Egyptians before the Exodus. Ten miracles at the exodus from Egypt, and another ten at the Red Sea. Ten tests of the Jews in the desert. Ten daily miracles in the Holy Temple. Ten things created God created at twilight before Shabbat. Ten days of repentance, which culminate on Yom Kippur which occurs on the tenth day of the month of Tishrei.
Perhaps the most well know is the Ten Commandments. They are also a unit. They constitute commands between Man and Man and between Man and God. We are taught that they in fact are a microcosm for the entire 613 commandments of the Torah.
