I would like to thank the Yeshiva World News once again for providing me with fodder for yet another post that shows that Charedim are getting way out of hand when it comes to their chumras. Yeshiva World News the following article on their website:(link to article) HaGaon Rav Nissim Karelitz Shlita has released a unique p’sak halacha pertaining to the mitzvah of ‘hashovas aveida’ and non-kosher cellular telephones, Ladaat.net reports. According to the report, if one discovers a non-kosher cell phone and knows who the owner is, and knows for a fact or has a reason to suspect the owner uses the phone for prohibited access, one is not compelled to fulfill the mitzvah of ‘hashovas aveida’. The p’sak in the Rav’s sefer also states if one does not know who the owner is and the cell phone is not the ‘kosher phone’ with rabbinical approval, one is not compelled to try to locate the owner.
I wonder if the Rav paid Yeshiva World News to post this article because that is great marketing. Think about it, this guy makes some crazy BS p’sak up and knows people will get their panties in a bunch about it, even makes me want to get a copy of the sefer to see what other craziness he has proposed.
Here are some other things that can be derived from this p’sak:
If you find someone’s wallet on the ground and know that they use the money for non-kosher activities you should not return it.
If you find someone’s car keys you may not return them if they use the car for bad things.
If you find bags of groceries left in the store you may not return them unless all the hechsherim are mehandrin.
You may not return anything to anyone because their is potential for unkosher activities and therefore we are seeking to ban the mitzvah of returning lost objects.