Is it, in principle, a problem to eat by a shomer-Shabbos Jew who has good intentions, but only basic knowledge of the laws of kashrus?
His involuntary sins--presumed, not known--are not a problem for him. But are they for you?
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Sign up to join this communityIs it, in principle, a problem to eat by a shomer-Shabbos Jew who has good intentions, but only basic knowledge of the laws of kashrus?
His involuntary sins--presumed, not known--are not a problem for him. But are they for you?
The following is from Mishnah Demai 4:2. The translation is mine, following Bartenura. To keep things straight I’m referring to the people in question as Reuven and Shimon instead of “him” and “him.”
הַמַּדִּיר אֶת חֲבֵרוֹ שֶׁיֹּאכַל אֶצְלוֹ, וְהוּא אֵינוֹ מַאֲמִינוֹ עַל הַמַּעַשְׂרוֹת, אוֹכֵל עִמּוֹ בַּשַּׁבָּת הָרִאשׁוֹנָה, וְאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֵינוֹ מַאֲמִינוֹ עַל הַמַּעַשְׂרוֹת, וּבִלְבַד שֶׁיֹּאמַר לוֹ מְעֻשָּׂרִין הֵן. וּבְשַׁבָּת שְׁנִיָּה, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁנָּדַר מִמֶּנּוּ הֲנָיָה, לֹא יֹאכַל עַד שֶׁיְּעַשֵּׂר:
If Reuven makes a neder that Shimon cannot benefit from him if Shimon does not eat by him, but Shimon doesn’t trust Reuven regarding Ma’aser, Shimon may eat by Reuven for Reuven’s Shabbos Sheva Berachos, even though Shimon doesn’t trust him regarding Ma’aser, as long as Reuven tells him Ma’aser has been taken. If it’s the Shabbos after Sheva Berachos, then even if Reuven made a neder against benefit, Shimon cannot eat by him until he takes off Ma’aser himself.
Drawing the analogy over to “regular” Kashrus, since meat can’t be shechted again once it’s already neveilah, Shimon would be stuck and unable to eat by Reuven.
Now, it’s not an exact comparison: Demai is only Rabbinic, and so it’s much more lenient than other prohibitions against eating; maybe that’s the only reason that they were lenient in a case where he made a neder. By ordinary Kashrus, which is much stricter, certainly Shimon would be unable to eat by him.
It should be noted that some cases people are generally strict not to eat when there’s nothing wrong with it. Take eating on glass plates: glass does not absorb and therefore can be used for both milchigs and fleishigs, provided it’s cleaned and beyond 24 hours from its last use at the strictest (see, ex., here. Some people insist on being stricter, but it’s not necessary. There are many such instances; the line of logic above is only when the food is a concern of being actually treif.
Edit: Somehow it totally slipped my mind before, but ultimately this ends up being a classic case of Safek d’Oraisa l’chumra.