AboutRabbi Barry Dov Lerner Expertise Write to me with questions about Jewish customs and law, history,
philosophy and tradition for answers from a Conservative perspective or conversion. I am a graduate of The Jewish Theological Seminary and a member of the Conservative Rabbinical Assembly. Having served in congregational pulpits since 1970, I now am President of the Foundation For Family Education, Inc. a non-profit educational endeavor. I established it to create new formats of hands-on programs and provide free educational downloads at www.jewishfreeware.org. In addition to general informational questions I welcome your questions about programs for social action, outreach to dual-faith families, inter-faith clergy projects, healing services, education for conversion, adult education for the congregation and the community. If you have questions about Informal and Formal Education I am ready to share my extensive experience with Youth Activities, Camping and Religious School/Hebrew High School on a congregational, community and national/international level.
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Question in my version of the Old testament, the law says you cannot wear clothing made
of wool and linen mixed together, but i've heard the law actually says you
cannot wear clothes of any two materials mixed together. Which one is the right
one, according the the Law?
Answer Dear Peter,
Thank you for writing.
Hebrew Scriptures - Jews don't use the term "Old Testament" implying that there is a supercession of a "New" one - does include a prohibition of mixing wool and linen in weaving. Rabbinic Judaism extended that ruling.
No one reason has emerged as the ultimate explanation by any Jewish commentator on Bible and Rabbinics, although I prefer that by Maimonides of the 11th century that this was an extension of a prohibition of ordinary Jews wearing clothes fashioned initially for only the priests=kohanim.
Yes, today there are Orthodox groups who continue to monitor the material used in their clothing to avoid the forbidden mixtures.
The prohibition is against the mixing of wool and linen, linen=products of the ground and an agricultural society and wool=products of sheep and herding.
I'm attaching the text of the new Encyclopedia Judaica for your information and more is available inyour library or the reference desk of the Library of The Jewish Theological Seminary of America, www.jtsa.edu.
Best wishes
Rabbi Dov
" SHA'ATNEZ (Heb. שַׁעַטְנֵז; Gr. κίβδηλος, "counterfeit"), cloth combining wool and linen. Leviticus 19:19 and Deuteronomy 22:11 prohibit the wearing of sha'atnez, in the former passage explained as beged kil’ayim, "cloth made from a mixture of two kinds of material," in the latter passage explained as "wool and linen together." While the meaning of the term is therefore clear, its etymology is obscure, modern speculation ranging from unlikely Hebrew combinations (e.g., sa‘arat-a’nez supposedly meaning "[sheep's] hair-[flax] stalk") to the no more likely Coptic (saht, "woven," nudj, "false" [cf. the LXX]), and vulgar Arabic (shash, "black gauze," ‘atmuz, "strong") derivations. The word looks foreign.
The clothing of the priests was notably exempt from the prohibition of sha'atnez. Exodus 28:6, 8, 15, and 39:29 prescribe that various pieces be made of linen and colored wool interwoven (cf. Kil. 9:1: "Priests wear only wool and linen [i.e. sha'atnez] when they serve in the temple"). This suggests that the general prohibition was grounded on the taboo character of such a mixture, pertaining exclusively to the realm of the sacred (cf. Maimonides' view, below).
The rabbis interpret the word sha'atnez as being a compound standing for shu'a (שׁוּעַ; each thread smoothed out by the process of carding); tavui (טָווּי; each strand spun); and nuz (נוּז; woven or twisted together). The Torah's prohibition against sha'atnez therefore only applies when a strand of wool and one of linen, each carded, spun, and twisted, have been joined together by weaving, sewing, or tying (Kil. 9:8). The rabbis, however, prohibited the wearing of wool and linen even when their threads are simply sewn, tied, or pasted together (Nid. 61b; Rashi to Hor. 11a). The prohibition was extended to include sitting on sha'atnez fabrics although the Torah originally only forbade the wearing of mixed garments (Ta'an. 27b). It is, however, permitted to utilize sha'atnez shrouds for a corpse (Nid. 61b).
In accordance with the general principle that a positive precept overrides a negative one, it is permitted to attach blue woolen zizit to a linen garment (Men. 40a). It was likewise permitted for priests to wear garments of mixed texture prescribed by the Torah when performing priestly service in the Sanctuary (Yoma 69a).
Although the prohibition is considered a prime example of a divine statute which has no rational explanation (חוֹק), Jewish thinkers throughout the ages have attempted to rationalize its intent. Maimonides explained that the wearing of mixed garments was forbidden since heathen priests wore such garments (Guide of the Perplexed 3:37). Nahmanides suggested that the person mixing diverse kinds was guilty of displaying that he was improving upon the species createdPage 337 | Top of Article by God (Commentary to Lev. 19:19) while S.R. Hirsch saw in this commandment a reminder to man that he must guard his assigned purpose and place in the world just as the species must be distinctly preserved (Commentary to Lev. 19:19, tr. by I. Levy (1958), 534f.)."
