QUESTION

Westchester, NY

Given the circumstances of not gathering in groups and not davening Ma’ariv after Tzeit on מצש״ק, would the Rosh Yeshiva recommend saying ברכת הלבנה at first sight of the new moon until ב״ה things change?

ANSWER

Absolutely. If you don’t say it in shul (as it were), no one will remember to say it. The language of Rema (Shulchan Arukh OC 426:1) is אין לקדש אלא בלילה בעת שהלבנה זורחת ונהנין מאורה – so:

1. The language is not strictly saying it doesn’t count, just that