Shulchan Arukh Yoreh De'ah · Siman 119

Shulchan Arukh Yoreh De'ah 119 — English translation

Translation: Wikisource Shulchan Aruch - English. Section numbers match the Hebrew text above.

1. 1A Jew who is suspected of eating forbidden things, whether he is suspected of something forbidden by the Torah or something forbidden by the rabbis, one may not rely on his word. And if one is a house-guest with him, he may not eat from his foods for which he is suspected. Rema: And there are those who say that even for someone who is not suspected, but rather that we merely do not know him to be established regarding keeping kosher, it is forbidden to buy from him wine or other things for which there is a concern about prohibited items. In any case, if one is a house-guest with him, he may eat with him.
2. 2If one is not suspected to eat forbidden things, but is suspected to sell them, one whom is a house-guest by him may eat with him. And thus if he sends food to your house, it is permitted, because it is presumed that he would not eat something strange to him, and someone who succumbs to temptation is not considered suspect.
3. 3One may give his food to the one who is suspected of eating non-kosher items in order that he should fix or cook them, and there is no concern that he will switch them, since he is not suspected of outright robbery. And if it is given to someone who is zealous about his actions, and he is suspected of eating non-kosher, it is forbidden, as perhaps he will damage what he was given and then switch it out with his own food. How? If one gives something to his father in law who is suspected regarding forbidden things, it is forbidden, because of the shame of marriage, and he wants to make his daughter look good, and therefore he will switch out something bad with something good. And thus if one gives something to an innkeeper who is suspect, sometimes he is embarrassed of his guest and will switch something bad for something good. (And in any case, it is permitted to deposit items with him and they should be in the same state as when they were deposited).
4. 4One who is suspected for one thing is not suspected for other things, but he is suspected for anything that is required to perform that thing. For example, one who was suspected of selling prohibited animal fat instead of permitted fat, and he would get youths to come buy from him by providing nuts, they fine him so that he could not sell even nuts.
5. 5One who is suspect for a serious forbidden act is suspect for an act with a lighter punishment, unless people are more cautious about that act than the serious act.
6. 6One suspected about two things, and he ceases to do them, but then afterwards is found to still be doing one of them, even if it is the more lenient of the two, we are concerned that perhaps he has returned to performing the other act as well, and is suspected regarding both of them,
7. 7One who publicly transgressed the Torah, except for idol worship and Sabbath desecration, or who does not believe the words of our rabbis, is believed with regards to other prohibitions. And regarding others he is believed, even on that same issue, to say that they are permitted. Rema: One who is suspected regarding a thing that is not common for people to transgress is not considered suspect, and in any case, for that same matter he is not believed. One who is accustomed to a particular forbidden act as he considers the law to be so, or with regards to a stringency that he holds himself to, it is permitted to eat with others that believe this to be permitted, as certainly they would not eat something that is considered forbidden.
8. 8One suspected about an act is not believed regarding it, even if he takes an oath.
9. 9A convert that becomes an apostate out of fear, and so too a Jew that sins out of fear that he will be killed, is still considered a Jew, and his ritual slaughter is still permitted, and he does not cause wine to be forbidden with his touch.
10. 10One who reports others to the government, his ritual slaughter is kosher and he is believed regarding other prohibitions.
11. 11An apostate who believes in idol worship in one city, on account of the non-Jews there, and in another city of Jews claims he is a Jew, he does not make wine forbidden.
12. 12One whom is forced to convert that remains in our lands, if he keeps kosher, whether with them or on his own, and is not able to flee so that he should be able to serve G-d, we can rely on his ritual slaughter and he does not forbid wine with his touch.
13. 13One who sells his friend forbidden food, and knew before he ate it, his friend should return the food to where he bought it from and the shopkeeper should return his money. And if he only knew when he ate it, what he ate he ate, and he should return the remainder for a refund. And if the seller bought it to sell to non-Jews, he should pay him the value of non-kosher food. And if it was something that is not forbidden to be eaten except according to the rabbis, or if it was forbidden fruit, he should return the fruit for a refund, and if he ate it, what he ate he ate, and the shopkeeper should not return his money at all. And all are forbidden to benefit from, even something prohibited by the rabbis, the value should be returned and they should not be sold at all.
14. 14One who sells meat, and afterwards it is know that the animals were not checked properly, their rule is like that of something forbidden by the rabbis. Rema: And if he sold animals that had a presumption of being kosher, but something happened that he was unable to check it, even so it should be considered as something that is certainly not kosher and needs to be returned for a refund.
15. 15One who sells forbidden foods, he should remove and destroy them, and there is no reparation that can be done unless he moves to a new place where they do not recognize him and return lost items or slaughter for himself and cease producing forbidden foods, so that his repentance will be without tricks, since he would not himself transgress.
16. 16A cook whose actions attest that he wants to cause the public to stumble by eating non-kosher food, for example a slaughterer that cuts off the lesions from a lung to make it appear kosher, should be removed, and in any case he is excused from paying back those who bought from him.
17. 17A cook that cooks non-kosher food is unable to apologize saying, "I made a mistake."
18. 18A cook that makes non-kosher food by his own hand, but is not an expert, he has the chance to learn from his mistakes. Rema: And so it is necessary to go to a place where he will not be recognized and to repent, this is because he intentionally transgressed or strengthened this act, but if he is able to swear by an oath that it was done accidentally, it is enough that his friends can trust his word, and he shall repent as the judge sees fit. And see above in chapter 64.
19. 19One who says to another that is suspected of eating non-Jewish cheese: "Buy some kosher cheese for me from the cheesemaker," and he goes and brings him cheese and says to him: "This is kosher, I bought it from the cheesemaker," he is not believed. If he said, "I bought it from so-and-so the cheesemaker," he is believed. If he brings a gift from the cheesemaker, he is believed, because he is not suspected of switching products. About what are we speaking? When there is no suspicion of outright robber, but if he is suspected of this, then he is suspected of switching products. And all this is not regarding someone who is suspected of breaking Torah laws.
20. 20One who is suspected of eating that which not many are so lenient as to eat normally, even he is suspected of switching products. And there are those that say that we do not trust him regarding something forbidden by the Torah except with two seals.

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