Marit Ayin/Suspicious actions: Difference between revisions

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.

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.<ref>Refer to Devar Shmuel 92:page 40. </ref> Furthermore, pareve milk is so common<ref>Refer to Machzik Beracha Y.D. 87:6, Yugel Yaakov 23. </ref> that no one would think one is using real milk for a coffee while eating a fleshig meal.<ref>Yechaveh Daas 3:59. See P’leasi Y.D. 87:8. </ref> 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.<ref>Harav Yisroel Belsky Shlita, see Yabea Omer Y.D. 6:8. The Be’er Moshe (Pischei Halacha- Kashrus page 113:7) holds that one has to place the bottle on the table. See Badi Hashulchan 87:48, Biurim “sh’keidim.” </ref>

One is permitted to eat pareve ice cream after a meat meal without placing the package on the table.<ref>Yabea Omer ibid. See Tzitz Eliezer 5:12. </ref> Similarly, one is permitted to put margarine on meat,<ref>Cheshev Ha’efod 1:20:page 17, see Yugel Yaakov 23, Badi Hashulchan 87:48.</ref> 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.<ref>Hechsheiros 10:footnote 99. It is proper not to walk in the street eating a soy sandwich with a milk drink in your hand (ibid).  </ref> One who wishes to drink pareve milk (which is not known to people) with meat should place the container on the table.<ref>Hechsheiros 10:42. </ref>

 

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.

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).<ref>Refer to Kashrus Magazine issue #138:pages 48-50. </ref> 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."<ref>This is expressed in OU document X-94 in depth. Refer to Journal of Halacha and Contemporary Society 53:pages 103-104. The Badatz in Yerushalayim did not agree to certify such a product (Journal of Halacha and Contemporary Society 50:page 105). </ref>

The opinion of Harav Moshe Feinstein zt"l<ref>Igros Moshe O.C. 2:40. </ref> is that 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.<ref>Igros Moshe ibid. Refer to Mesechtas Kesubos 60a. </ref>

 

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.

 

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.

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.<ref>Opinion of Harav Shachter (OU) in a letter sent by Rabbi Eli Gersten from the OU. </ref>

 

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.<ref>Divrei Chaim O.C. 1:6, see Rav Poalim O.C. 3:21, Maharsham 1:66. </ref>

 

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.<ref>Harav Yisroel Belsky Shlita. Refer to Igros Moshe O.C. 1:96. </ref> This is common when walking into a store at a rest stop.<ref>Harav Yisroel Belsky Shlita. </ref> Walking into a store which sells only non-kosher would be a problem.<ref>Igros Moshe O.C. 2:40. Refer to Kashrus Kurrents from the Star-K. </ref> 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.

 

The opinion of Harav Moshe Feinstein zt"l<ref>As expressed in Igros Moshe O.C. 2:40. See Igros Moshe O.C. 3:25. </ref> is 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. One who sees him may think that a frum person davened there or someone may learn from this and say "davening in a reform temple is permitted."

 

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.<ref>Igros Moshe O.C. 1:96. Harav Moshe Feinstein zt”l still avoided traveling in a car after candle lighting because of a maris ayin concern.  

 

In regard to keeping an umbrella open before Shabbos see Nodeh Beyehuda 2:30. </ref>

 

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,<ref>Mesechtas Kesubos 60a, Rambam Machalos Asuros 6:2, Tur Y.D. 66, Bais Yosef Y.D. 66, Chinuch 148, Shulchan Aruch Y.D. 66:10, Levush 66:10. </ref> but if it is not in the mouth it is not permitted because of maris ayin.<ref>Others say it is an issur d’rabbanan (Aruch Hashulchan 66:35). </ref> People may think it is blood from an animal etc which is forbidden m'd'oriaisa to eat.<ref>Shulchan Aruch 66:10, Levush 10. This is discussed in Vayikra 7:26, see Vayikra 3:17, 17, 14, Devarim 12,16, 12, 24. In regard to the reason for the issur see Chinuch ibid. </ref>

 

According to some opinions, if one sucks a bloody wound and spits out the blood there is no concern.<ref>Refer to Darchei Teshuva Y.D. 86:68 in depth. </ref>

 

Blood which is in one's mouth but came onto a piece of bread is forbidden to be eaten unless one removes the blood.<ref>Mesechtas Kesubos ibid, Shulchan Aruch ibid, see Darchei Teshuva 69,  Hechsheiros page 238. </ref>

Harav Moshe Feinstein zt"l<ref>Igros Moshe O.C. 1:96, E.H. 3:19, O.C. 4:82.  </ref>says that there is no concern of maris ayin if a man wants to stay at a widow's home when she is out of town. We are not concerned with the fact that some people may think that she was home and he is transgressing yichud since there are many ways in which one can avoid yichud, therefore, there is no maris ayin.

We have discussed the halachos of maris ayin and how people may perceive one's actions. The Gemorah in Yoma<ref>86a. </ref> 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."