Maris Ayin - Lawn Service

QUESTION: I hired a lawn service to care for the lawn in front of my office. I don’t tell them when to come, and they come when it is convenient for them. Must I tell them not to come on Shabbos?

ANSWER: If the office is within the Techum (walking distance on Shabbos) of a Jewish neighborhood, you must tell them not to come on Shabbos (Shulchan Aruch OC 244:1). Even if a non-Jewish neighbor would come on his own to mow your lawn without having been asked, you would be obligated to send him away. There is a concern that Jews might see your lawn being mowed on Shabbos and assume that you asked him to do this. This is forbidden due to Maris Ayin (giving the impression that one is violating Halacha). Therefore, you must tell them in advance that they may not come on Shabbos.

However, if the office is located outside the Techum, this would be permitted (Shulchan Aruch OC 244:1). Although one may not hire workers to do melacha on Shabbos, in this case, since they are hired by the job and are not hourly workers, and they can come whenever they want, it is not considered as if you hired them to do melacha on Shabbos. Maris ayin does not apply in this case since the office is outside the Techum, and, therefore, there are no Jews in the vicinity on Shabbos who will see the melacha taking place. 

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The Gerald & Karin Feldhamer OU Kosher Halacha Yomis is dedicated to the memory of Rav Yisroel Belsky, zt"l, who served as halachic consultant for OU Kosher for more than 28 years; many of the responses in Halacha Yomis are based on the rulings of Rabbi Belsky. Subscribe to the Halacha Yomis daily email here.