[Avodah] Misayei'a L'Dvar Aveira - cashier situation

[Daniel Israel]

Zev Sero wrote:
> Samuel Svarc wrote:
>> While I agree with RZS's conclusion (for the reasons given by RDB), I don't
>> understand his sevara. I don't agree that someone who buys treif would 
>> steal and furthermore the halacha doesn't agree.
> 
> The main chidush of a supermarket is that it's self-service; you take
> what you want, and the only function of the assistant is to take your
> money.  If you were a ganef you could simply walk out with the goods;
> you might not get very far, but it is an option.  In this situation,
> I don't see how the assistant helps the avera in any way.  All he's
> doing is preventing a second avera.

I think RSS was responding to what sounded like (I also read it this 
way) your implication that we assume that if someone  eats treif they 
would also steal.  There may have been times and places when that would 
be a reasonable assumption, I'm not sure, but it is not one in today's 
world.

If that was not what you meant, then I'm not sure what introducing the 
ganef does for your argument.

-- 
Daniel M. Israel
dmi1 at cornell.edu