Due to the recent uptick in COVID cases in Crown Heights forcing many people to remain home, Rabbi Avrohom Osdoba and Rabbi Yosef Braun of the Crown Heights Beis Din issued guidelines for davening alone and porch minyanim during Rosh Hashana.
By Anash.org reporter
The recent uptick in COVID cases and strict social distancing measures set up in many shuls, will force many Crown Heights residents to be unable to daven at their usual Rosh Hashana locations.
Large tent minyanim have been set up at various locations around Crown Heights, and many have suggested restarting the porch minyanim that were once widespread during the early weeks of the pandemic.
Rabbi Avrohom Osdoba and Rabbi Yosef Braun of the Crown Heights Beis Din issued guidelines on how to daven alone during Rosh Hashana or conduct davening outside a permanent shul.
For davening alone:
1. Even those who cannot daven with a minayan should arrange to daven at the same time as the minyan.
2. Hataras Nedarim can be done with just 3 people, it is our custom to do it with ten people. If necessary it can be done over the phone providing that the three are in one place.
3. One davening alone does not say piyutim in the middle of Shmoneh Esrei. You may say them afterward. We do not say the piyutim that are ascribed to the chazan.
4. It is appropriate to read the daily yomtov leining from a chumash.
5. One should not blow shofar alone or daven musaf without a minyan before 3 hours into the day (sof zman krias shema). unless they will be unable to do it later.
6. When blowing shofar alone one should blow the 30 sounds but not the tekios in middle of Shmoneh Esrei. It is appropriate to blow those 70 additional tekios after davening.
For davening in porch minyanim:
7. Those in different places may join to form a minyan if some in each group are able to see some of the others (in each group there should be one person who can see one from each group), provided that there is no public area dividing them. All ten must be on one side of the street.
8. Once there is a proper minyan, anyone who hears them can join them and answer with them. As long as there is no idolatry or filth in between.
9. On Friday night do not say the bracha of מעין שבע. One may say from Magei Avos till Zecher Maasei Breishis.
10. In order to be able to carry on Shabbos, one must arrange proper halachically valid mechitzos. One must also arrange a proper Eiruv Chatzeros in necessary.
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