[Avodah] Mar'is Ayin and Personal Standards

[Harry Weiss]

> From: rabbirichwolpoe at gmail.com
>
> The owner of the restaurant at which I work puts large outgoing orders
> in used boxes. Most of those boxes come from the liquor store nearby.
>
> However, the owner will not permit us to use boxes from unkosher
> products or even kosher dairy products. [This is a kosher fleishig
> Chinese Restaurant] It seems he has a very strong sense of mar'is ayin
> and is afraid that boxes from unkosher products or from dairy products
> will hurt his restaurant's kashrus reputation.
>
>
> Are his mar'is ayin standards over the top? Is there any halachic reason
> for him to think that way?

Why not expand the question to a practical one for many of  us.  Costco or 
Sams Club do not provide bags.  They offer to pack your merchandise in 
boxes.  Many of  the boxes are from non kosher items.  Is it proper to 
bring things home in those boxes and to reuse those boxes?



Harry J. Weiss
hjweiss at panix.com