Question:
B”H
Kavod haRav,
Regarding not reading ads on Shabbat- would this include ads on food items, like the wine bottle description, a water bottle with the label on it, etc…Would I be required to remove/ cover food labels for Shabbat so as not to “read the ad” or is the prohibition of not reading ads referring to something else? Thank you sincerely.
Answer:
If there are ads on the bottle you should not read them on Shabbos. However, it is also important to remember that the issue with reading these things is not to see them. If your eye catches it, that is not a problem, the issue is stopping to actually read it. Therefore, there is no need to remove the labels from the bottles, just don’t read the advertisements.
As a side point, the ingredients and health information in the label are permitted to read as they are not considered business information rather health information.
Sources:
Ayil Meshulash (Shtarei Hedyotos) page 240 in the name of R’Nissim Karelitz zt”l, 9-23.
