Used Clothing as a Gift – Deception?
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Question
I found in the book "Maadanei Yom Tov" by Rabbi Yom Tov Zanger this case:
Sometimes a person feels the need to bring a gift to a mitzvah meal, such as a brit or wedding meal, but since he has nothing impressive at home, he takes used clothing that looks new and places it in packaging from a prestigious store in the city. This involves the prohibition of deception, and it should not be done.
Is the issue of deception in the very act of giving the gift as if it were new, or is it in wrapping it in prestigious packaging?
In other words, is it deception to give used clothing as a gift?
Answer
Hello Rabbi
It is forbidden to cause a person to think that you have given him something worth more than what you actually invested in it.
Therefore, it is forbidden to give used clothing in a way that would make him think it is new clothing.
In any manner that would lead to this, it is forbidden. Whether by using new packaging or any other method.
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