Is there any halachic problem with paying for a religuous article such as tzitzis or tefillin for example with a check made to cash–when this is requested by the seller. What if a Jew wants to do everything right, for example he wants to buy the most mehudar tallis possible, made lishmah, with no stone left unturned so to speak, he wants to do the mitzvah perfect and clean in every way.
I understand cash is a valid form of payment. A check, however, could just as easily be made out to the business name, yet the seller has requested that the check specifically be made to cash. Is it okay to pay in this way, if they so request, or must one be concerned for the seller’s potential tax evasion?
Answer:
There is no problem with paying with a check made to cash. As long as the payment for the item is made, the mitzvah is certainly not flawed in any way.
The question of a seller’s declaring his income to the tax authorities is not something a buyer (or religioius items or any other items) has to be concerned about, in particular because it is possible he will declare the income, and he wishes the check made out to cash for the sake of convenience.
[As an aside, in terms of the actual kinyan (the transfer of property) made on a tallis, a check to cash has a certain advantage over a regular check–though we will not expound on this subject here.]
