Reply To: Toiveling Plastic Utensils????

BS”D

If the connection to recycled plastic is correct then it is a very logical practice even if there may be a flaw in the halachic reasoning. If it leads to toiveling with a brocho which is not the case THEN we have a problem.

The more I look into it the more it makes sense based on comparison to glass; most plastic utensils of the type we toivel are thermoplastics that can be remolded. Add to this the recycling issue that will beome more and more common as the environmental laws get stricter, and you have a very real reason for this practice.

In fact some of the reasoning I found AGAINST toiveling plastic includes that there was no plastic at the time of the gezera to toivel. That bothers me far more than perhaps toiveling without a brocho for no reason which is harmless because that kind of use of the historical precedent can be and is used to excuse all kinds of improper practices. We see it all the time here when people try to excuse lax or non-existent hair covering today because that is what was done in turbulent, economically desperate post WWI Europe. (The other reason I have found which is that plastic is not choshuve is understandable; plastic microwave dishes and cooking utensils seem to have a short lifespan and are rather cheap).

So, I will continue to toivel my plastic. If someone comes along and starts toiveling cardboard THEN I might start to worry.