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category:  Jewish Law

Counting Jews

The Rav Name: Rabbis of the Da’at Institute
  • Question

Is there a problem with counting Jews according to number, e.g., one, two, three, etc.?

  • Answer
The Magen Avraham states that it is forbidden to count Jews, even if you didn’t mean to count, but were casting lots, and even for a matter concerning a mitzvah. It became common practice to count Jews by the words of a verse from the Torah, e.g., “Hoshiah et Amecha …” and other verses from the Torah which provide protection against the evil eye.

Sources

פסקי תשובות ח”ב ע’ שכט