[Avodah] Fwd: Igros Moshe Y.D. 3:18

[Zev Sero]

Meir Rabi wrote:
> Daniel Eidensohn wrote:
>> See Igros Moshe Y.D. 3:18
 
> and Zev Sero responded
>> Not relevant, because there is a siman recognisable by the customers, 
>> i.e. the packaging, so they are not dependent on the shopkeeper's word 
>> that the meat is kosher.
  
> Can someone elaborate on that Teshuvah; Reb Moshe says that the Takana 
> not to purchase K meat applies even where there is Halachic foundation 
> to trust the sellers and even where an independant Gd fearing mashgiach 
> is present.

I believe he is referring to a takanah by the Agudas Horabonim (the Union
of Orthodox Rabbis of the USA and Canada), of which RMF was the president,
against allowing a butcher shop to sell both kosher and treif.  I assume
the reason for the takanah was fear of confusion, and/or because it would
be too easy for the butcher to cheat without being detected.  But from the
teshuvah it would seem that this only applies if there is no way for the
customer to tell the difference between kosher and treif, so that he has
to rely on the owner or mashgiach.  If there is a siman recognisable by
the customer, as there is when the meat is in a sealed package with a
label indicating its status, then RMF would seem to have no objection.

-- 
Zev Sero                      The trouble with socialism is that you
zev at sero.name                 eventually run out of other people’s money
                                                     - Margaret Thatcher