Suit for Dry Cleaner
QUESTION 51: SUIT FOR DRY CLEANER
A few months ago I gave my dry cleaner dark blue pants
and a black jacket, and he said he would charge me for
$3 for each item, rather than $5 for a suit. Last week
I brought in black pants and a black jacket that weren't
from the same suit, but looked as if they were. If the
dry cleaner charges me the $5 price for a suit, should
I tell him they are not from one suit, since I know that
he is strict in this regard, or can I just put the items
on the counter and not say anything, and let him make
his own determination?
RABBI BELSKY
The truth is that a black jacket and black pants can be
considered a suit if they look alike and can be used
as a suit.
QUESTIONER
But perhaps that's not called a suit. He charges
separately for different slacks and jacket. That's
$6. A suit is $5 because it's all one thing. And he's
very strict about it.
RABBI BELSKY
What do you think is his reason for it?
QUESTIONER
It's a package deal, I guess.
RABBI BELSKY
Then why should our case not be considered a package deal?
If the two pieces match, and they can be used together, and
it looks like a suit, so it's a suit. What does a suit mean?
If a child rips the pants of his Shabbos suit, his parents
may get him another pair of pants to match the jacket.
Then that becomes his Shabbos suit until he grows another
couple of inches. Wouldn't that be called a suit?
QUESTIONER
It depends on how strictly you want to define the word 'suit'.
RABBI BELSKY
What's the difference? Does it depend on the intention of
the manufacturer? It becomes a suit because it is used as
a suit. The two items fit together, so they're called a suit.
The history of how it became a suit is of no relevance here.
If you try to explain to the cleaner that your boy's suit
wasn't originally a suit, but you only put it together because the
pants on the original suit ripped, he will laugh, because of
course he'll understand it's one suit - the boy wears it as his
Shabbos suit.
NEXT WEEK'S QUESTION 52: MUSIC STORE WITH KIDS
The Barnes and Noble bookstore has a music section where you
can listen to CD's with earphones. Can I take the family
there (including little kids) to listen, if I have no
intention of buying anything, and if I'm not sure I can
control the kids from making a ruckus and pulling down
CD's from the shelves. Is there a problem of chillul
Hashem (profaning G-d's name), and of gezela (theft)?
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