Q. We learned recently on the Daf that one should not count people directly. When making sure one has a minyan for davening, can one count the present attendants mentally, by just looking at them?
A. Although some Poskim are lenient, Horav Shlomo Miller’s Shlit’a opinion is that counting the present in one’s mind is also not allowed. However one may count their hats or jackets, as the Talmud (Yoma) mentions that indirect counting is permitted.
Rabbi A. Bartfeld as advised by Horav Shlomo Miller and Horav Aharon Miller Shlit’a