QUESTION:
I don’t use Internet at all but my siblings all have Internet. Can I ask them to order online for me? I asked my local rabbi if this is a question of Lifnei Iver (placing a stumbling block before the blind) because I’m causing them to go on the internet, and my rabbi answered me that it’s not Lifnei Iver because they’re on the Internet anyhow and I’m not making them go on to it. But I want to know what the Rav says about this.
ANSWER:
It’s not possible to cover all the details of every situation, but generally, as a rule, you should try to keep your distance from this as much as possible.
This isn’t a problem of Lifnei Iver, though, because nobody is “blind” to the dangers of the Internet, so it’s not as if you’re making others stumble blindly (through not everyone understands the seriousness of the time period we are in). Also, you are not giving him advice to sin, you are just asking him for a favor, so that is not Lifnei Iver. However, it does bear somewhat of a resemblance to Lifnei Iver because you are indirectly causing him to stumble. It depends on what your sibling does afterwards on the Internet after he orders for you.
This isn’t a problem of Lifnei Iver, though, because nobody is “blind” to the dangers of the Internet, so it’s not as if you’re making others stumble blindly (through not everyone understands the seriousness of the time period we are in). Also, you are not giving him advice to sin, you are just asking him for a favor, so that is not Lifnei Iver. However, it does bear somewhat of a resemblance to Lifnei Iver because you are indirectly causing him to stumble. It depends on what your sibling does afterwards on the Internet after he orders for you.
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