Marit Ayin/Suspicious actions

The halachos of maris ayin arise quite frequently. For example, one may go into a Kosher supermarket and see kosher shrimp with excellent hashgachas. It has become very common today for people to consume surimi products. Real shrimp is obviously not Kosher since it does not have the necessary simonim for a kosher fish. Therefore, is there a problem of maris ayin since people may see one eating this product? Can one use pareve creamer with coffee? Is there a need to place the bottle next to the coffee? There is a restaurant which recently began making cheeseburgers using pareve cheese. Is there a concern of maris ayin while eating this, since people see that one is eating them? Can one walk into a non-kosher restaurant to use the bathroom? Is one allowed to walk into a non-kosher restaurant to meet with clients? Is there a concern of maris ayin with a mashgiach walking into a non-kosher restaurant in order to do reverse certification (see footnote)? All these questions and others will be discussed below.

What is Maris Ayin ?

1. Some poskim say that if one is doing a permitted act but it appears that it is forbidden then there is maris ayin. Others say if one does something many times which may be forbidden and now one is doing it in the permitted manner, then there is maris ayin.
2. Harav Moshe Feinstein zt"l says that maris ayin means "someone thinks that I violated something, and he thinks that someone inappropriately ate something non-kosher. However, it does not include doing something permitted that people may mistakenly think is forbidden due to the fact that they do not know the halacha."

What is Cheshad ?

1. Some say cheshad is something that a person does and it could be translated into either permitted or forbidden.

In Private

1. When something is not allowed because of maris ayin, then it is not permitted in one's room either (chadrei chadurim - privately). Some say this is only something which is perceived as an issur d'oraisa, and not something which is perceived as an issur d'rabbanan.

Surimi

1. Surimi is a Japanese word which refers to a food product typically made from white fleshed fish that has been pulverized to a paste and has a rubbery consistency when cooked. Surimi is used to imitate crab legs, lobster, and shrimp.

Eating Imitation Food

1. The Gemorah in Chulin says that Yalta the wife of Rav Nachmun said that for every non-Kosher food there exists a counterpart which is Kosher. In response to this, her husband ordered that one of the foods be heated for her. The reason why Hashem did this is to give Klal Yisroel reward for watching the mitzvahs.
2. Rashi says one should not say "I do not have a desire to eat pork." Instead one should say "I want it but I do not eat it because Hashem said I can not eat it."
3. Based on the above, one would be able to eat kosher products which are meant to serve as a replica of the real non-kosher food, such as surimi. Some were not so happy with the fact that it says "shrimp" on the bag, but the custom of many is to be lenient with this.

Milk from Almonds

1. The Rama says one who drinks milk made from almonds (pareve) in the same meal as animal meat should place some of the almonds next to him so there will be no concern of maris ayin. Some say one should do so even when eating chicken.
2. However, if this is not possible, one may still eat the meat (or chicken) and pareve milk together. Some say the whole concern of maris ayin in this regard is by a big seuda, but if one is eating these foods at home there is no need to place the almonds on the table.

Pareve Creamer

1. The custom is that using pareve milk is permitted for a number of reasons. Eating chicken with almond milk was not part of the gezeirah. Therefore we should not be adding concerns of maris ayin which are not mentioned in the Gemorah. Furthermore, pareve milk is so common that no one would think one is using real milk for a coffee while eating a fleshig meal. There is no need to place the bottle of creamer on the table in order to let people know that the milk used is pareve.

Pareve ice cream

1. One is permitted to eat pareve ice cream after a meat meal without placing the package on the table. Similarly, one is permitted to put margarine on meat, or butter on a soy burger since it is known to all that there exists pareve meat etc. In the company of people who do not know that there are such pareve products one should let them know what he is eating in order for them not to think he is doing incorrectly. One who wishes to drink pareve milk (which is not known to people) with meat should place the container on the table.
2. Based on the aforementioned, there is no maris ayin issue involved in eating surimi. Since people know that surimi shrimp etc exists, we do not have to worry that one will think he is eating a non-kosher product.

"Kosher Cheeseburger"

1. There is a store on the Upper West Side of Manhattan which recently started making a kosher cheeseburger by using pareve cheese. Is there a maris ayin issue by eating this burger? (We will not discuss whether eating this is permitted hashkafically). Harav Yisroel Belsky Shlita said to avoid issues of maris ayin: The restaurant menu and receipts (for phone orders) must have on them the statement: "cheeseburger made with pareve cheese."

Walking into a non-Kosher Restaurant

1. It is forbidden to enter a non-kosher restaurant because of maris ayin. However, one who is famished, and has nowhere else to eat (in place of tzar and loss) is allowed to walk into a non-kosher restaurant and eat any kosher food which they may serve (coffee etc). The reason why entering is permitted is because one who suffers a great loss may override a rabbinic prohibition to remove his suffering. Based on the above, one who does not have a different place in which to use the bathroom other than a non-kosher restaurant may enter the non-kosher restaurant to use their bathroom. Others are lenient with walking into a non-kosher restaurant to use the bathroom even if there is another bathroom available.

Attending a meeting in a non-Kosher Restaurant

1. If one's boss asks him to meet a client in a non-kosher restaurant, one is permitted to do so if he will otherwise lose his job. However, if his job is not in jeopardy if he does not go to the non-kosher restaurant, then he should not go. In any case, one who finds himself in this situation should discuss it with a Rav.

Entering a Cafeteria

1. If a company cafeteria sells all types of items, including a few which happen to be certified as kosher, then one may buy food from the cafeteria and eat at the tables. This is because it is well known that cafeterias sell both kosher and non-kosher items and that people eat all types of food there.

Reverse Certification

1. It is permitted for a mashgiach to enter a non-kosher establishment for reverse certification. Since it is a requirement for the hashgacha organization it is permitted since maris ayin is permitted in the place of a loss.

Walking into a Coffee Shop

1. The question arises if there is a concern of maris ayin with walking into a coffee shop to get a coffee, which sells kosher and non-kosher. Lemaseh, since a coffee shop sells kosher items (coffee) as well as non-kosher, there is no maris ayin concern. This is common when walking into a store at a rest stop. Walking into a store which sells only non-kosher would be a problem. Those who are makpid to only drink cholov yisroel, should be careful not to drink from an opened cholov yisroel bottle at a rest stop unless you see the person in the store opening it, since you can not verify that cholov yisroel milk is in there.

Entering a Reform Temple

1. Some hold that one is not permitted to enter a reform temple at the time of davening to daven in a room which is designated for Orthodox prayer because one who sees him may think that a religious person davened there or someone may learn from this and say "davening in a reform temple is permitted."

Going in a Car after Candle Lighting

1. It is very common for a man to drive to shul (a short distance) after his wife has lit candles. This is permitted and not considered maris ayin, since it is well known that a man can do melacha until eighteen minutes after his wife has lit candles. Even if a few people might think he did something wrong, it is not maris ayin since those who think he did something wrong are ignorant.

Water Sprinkler – Shabbos

1. See Zoreah#Watering_plants

Non - Leather Shoes on Yom Kippur

Some say non-leather shoes that look exactly like leather shoes may not be worn on Yom Kippur because of maris ayin.

Eating Human Blood

1. One is not allowed to eat human blood which separated from the body because of maris ayin, however, blood which is still in one's mouth (i.e. from brushing teeth) can be swallowed, but if it is not in the mouth it is not permitted because of maris ayin. People may think it is blood from an animal etc which is forbidden m'd'oriaisa to eat.
2. According to some opinions, if one sucks a bloody wound and spits out the blood there is no concern.
3. Blood which is in one's mouth but came onto a piece of bread is forbidden to be eaten unless one removes the blood.

Sleeping and eating at a Widow's Home

1. There is no concern of maris ayin if a man wants to stay at a widow's home when she is out of town.

After note

1. We have discussed the halachos of maris ayin and how people may perceive one's actions. The Gemorah in Yoma says that one should act in a way that people will say "fortunate is his father and rebbe who taught him Torah." One should do things which will be a kiddush Hashem and people will say with admiration: "he is a frum Jew."

Credits

1. Special thanks to Rabbi Moishe Dovid Lebovits Rabbinical Administrator for KOF-K Kosher Supervision and author of Halachically Speaking for this article. To reach the author please email mlebovits@kof-k.org.