Maybe he's brewing in a dorm room?
You can definitely get away without boiling all of it at once, and only need to boil a gallon or so for the hops. Yes, I know there will be less oils released in a smaller boil batch probably because the oils are more concentrated. It will be good beer.
Wort is boiled to remove DMS (dimethyl sulphides) and release the hop oils. Secondarily, it kills almost all the bacteria (I am sure there are some extremophiles that will survive.)
If you use malt extract then you don't need to boil to remove DMS. You still need to boil to get the hop oils but you only need to boil some of the wort with the hops in it. Sugars in the wort helps extract the oils.
Tap water must be boiled to kill the bugs. Do it a gallon at a time.
I have successfully used spring water additions without boiling it - YMMV.
You can do it in steps.
Boil tap water a gallon at a time. Keep the pre-boiled water aside for use in the next steps.
Make "tea" by steeping any specialty grains in a gallon at about 140 degrees F
Add to the fermenter
Dissolve the extract in a gallon of warm pre-boiled water.
Add to the fermenter
Boil the hops in a gallon of wort or use liquid hops extract.
Add to the fermenter
And you are ready for yeast.
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