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Leaving Maid at Home with Non-Kosher Food

in your response to leaving a maid at home (bishul akum), where does the heter of “telling her she cannot cook in your pots and thereby creating it a safek giving one a leniency” come from? the halacha in yoreh deah 118:12 and 122:9 does not seem to say such a heter there regarding this exact case? thank you

Answer:

The Shulchan Aruch refers to a case where the maid where the maid has non-kosher food with her, and therefore there is a concern that she will cook the food in the homeowner’s pot, and make it treif.

If there is no non-kosher food at home, the only concern is bishul akum, which is what the previous answer related to, and one may be lenient.

With regard to the concern that the maid might buy non-kosher food and cook it in the pot, see Bedek Habayis (in the Beis Yosef, Yoreh De’ah 118), and Aruch Ha-Shulchan (118:29). In our case, it is unlikely that a maid will do this, for fear that the owner will call her while she is gone, and also for fear of discovery.

In addition, when the maid has her own utensils, we are not concerned that she will intentionally use the Jew’s, against his instructions. See Tosafos in Avodah Zarah (12a), and see Yoreh De’ah 118:10.

Best wishes.

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