English translation — תצא א

Sicha 1<pg>123</pg>

A.

On the prohibition "Do not wear shatnez"<sup>1</sup>,

which Chazal explained that "shatnez" means "until it is carded, spun, and woven"<sup>2</sup>,

we find a dispute between Rashi and Rabbeinu Tam:

According to Rashi²

"The matter³

of kilayim is not [prohibited] by Torah law...

unless one mixed the wool and the linen together and carded them together with a card

("shua")

and spun them and wove them

("nuz")

together,

and according to Rabbeinu Tam⁴

it is kilayim by Torah law even if one carded each one separately and spun it separately and twisted it separately

("nuz"⁵)

and afterward joined them together through weaving or the like."

That is,

that according to Rabbeinu Tam the condition "until it is shua, tavi, and nuz" its content is only the definition of such wool and linen that each one of them is

("shatnez" —)

shua, tavi, and nuz,

"And concerning shatnez of wool alone and of linen alone the verse warned that one should not make from them a garment together, and from 'yechadev' it is derived"⁶

; whereas according to Rashi

(that nuz means woven,

as above),

the condition of shatnez,

wool and linen that are in the manner of shua and tavi and nuz together.

And superficially, one must say,

that their dispute depends on the definition of kilayim of garments.

For behold, the prohibition of shatnez comes in the portion following kilayim of the vineyard and kilayim of animals — "You shall not sow your vineyard with mixed seeds etc. You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together"⁷,

and following this "You shall not wear shatnez etc."

And these two types of kilayim — kilayim of the vineyard and kilayim of animals — are different categories: In kilayim of the vineyard,

the action of kilayim is that the different species,

wheat and barley and a grape seed⁸,

mix together in a way that a new reality is created

(in what grows from them)

— "lest the fullness of the seed which you sow and the produce of the vineyard become forbidden"⁹

; whereas kilayim of plowing,

"You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together",

is not a mixture,

both remain as a reality in themselves,

but together they perform an action in the world,

outside themselves.

And based on this, one should consider regarding forbidden mixtures of garments,

in which category it is — whether it is like forbidden mixtures of the vineyard,

whose essence is a mixture of the action of their existence,

or whether it is like forbidden mixtures of plowing,

which is outside of them.

And one can say,

that regarding this Rashi and Rabbeinu Tam disagree: according to Rashi, forbidden mixtures of garments are akin to forbidden mixtures of the vineyard,

whose definition is the creation of an object that is a mixture of two species,

and therefore he holds that the prohibition is when from the beginning of their making they were made together¹⁰,

from their combing until<pg>124</pg>

their weaving¹¹

; and according to Rabbeinu Tam,

mixed fabrics is in the manner of mixed species of plowing,

that their concept is that two different species that remain different from each other are joined together in a specific action,

and this is the definition of wearing the two types of wool and linen together — and therefore he holds that there is no need for them to be combed and spun together,

it is sufficient¹²

that they are woven together.

2.

According to this reasoning it can be said,

that the method of Rabbeinu Tam is in accordance with the meaning of the continuation of the verses,

that "you shall not wear a mixed fabric" is stated in continuation of "you shall not plow etc.",

from which it implies that the prohibition of mixed fabrics is that same definition of mixed species of plowing.

Moreover, that the preceding verse "you shall not sow your vineyard with mixed species",

is stated in a separate paragraph,

and the prohibitions of "you shall not plow etc. you shall not wear etc." are in a separate paragraph,

and since the verse divided them into two paragraphs,

it implies that they are two different types.

And therefore Rabbeinu Tam explained,

that mixed species of the vineyard

(and mixed species of seeds),

"you shall not sow etc.",

their definition is the prohibition to mix species in a way that they become one entity,

but mixed species of plowing and mixed fabrics — "you shall not plow etc. you shall not wear etc." — their definition is only external connection,

that this too the Torah prohibited

(in an animal and a garment).

And we must explain the reasoning of Rashi,

who holds that also the definition of shatnez — kilayim of garments — is an internal mixture in a way that a new entity is formed,

even though this prohibition is stated in the Torah in continuation of "You shall not plow etc." — because he holds that this that the Torah prohibited kilayim of plowing

("You shall not plow etc.")

is like a fence to the prohibition of crossbreeding

("Your animal you shall not crossbreed kilayim"¹³),

and as explained in Ramban¹⁴

that the prohibition of kilayim of plowing "is a commandment explained from 'your animal<pg>125</pg>

you shall not crossbreed kilayim,' for the way of every worker of his land is to bring his pair to one stable and mate them"¹⁵.

And accordingly, the prohibition of kilayim of plowing is not a new definition in kilayim,

for the entirety of the prohibition of kilayim is only one definition,

namely an internal mixture in a way that a new entity is formed

(and kilayim of plowing is only a fence to the prohibition of crossbreeding),

therefore also in the prohibition of shatnez Rashi holds that its definition is an internal mixture,

as above.

3.

And behold, the Rambam&lt;sup&gt;16&lt;/sup&gt;

wrote "since the wool was joined with the linen any manner of connection in the world, behold it is kilayim from the Torah,

how so? Wool and linen that he mixed them one with the other and beat them and made from them felts, these are kilayim,

he mixed them and spun them together and wove a garment from this spinning, this is kilayim".

That is,

that the method of the Rambam is like a middle method between Rashi and Rabbeinu Tam,

that on the one hand the Rambam holds that "combed, spun, and woven" is the object of sha'atnez

(and not like the explanation of Rabbeinu Tam that this is only a description of the type of wool and linen upon which the prohibition applies to mix them together,

and the mixture of sha'atnez is only in the weaving)

; but on the other hand,

he does not hold like Rashi that their connection must be in all three things of "combed, spun, and woven",

rather "any manner of connection in the world" suffices,

that even combed alone is kilayim,

and

(according to several opinions)

also spun alone is kilayim

(and as they elaborated in the notes and commentaries&lt;sup&gt;17&lt;/sup&gt;

in explaining the opinion of the Rambam).

And based on the above that the definition of kilayim of garments is learned from kilayim of plowing

(since they are stated in the verse in sequence one after the other),

it can be said,

that the approach of the Rambam regarding the definition of kilayim of garments is in accordance with his approach regarding the definition of the prohibition of "You shall not plow with a mixed pair."

For behold, the Rambam in the Guide for the Perplexed&lt;sup&gt;18&lt;/sup&gt;

wrote that the reason for kilayim of plowing is "because if one brings together both of them,

sometimes one will mount the other",

and at first glance it seems that this is in the manner of the words of the Ramban above that the prohibition of kilayim of plowing is only a safeguard for kilayim of crossbreeding,

but it can be said,

that according to the Rambam,

the prohibition of "You shall not plow with a mixed pair" is a safeguard for the prohibition of crossbreeding,

not only because in practice the act of plowing together can lead to crossbreeding,

but also from the aspect of the similarity in content that exists in the two actions of crossbreeding and plowing together

(and therefore plowing together was prohibited as an adjunct to crossbreeding).

Behold, the prohibition of crossbreeding itself,

can be explained in two ways:

a)

The essence of the prohibition is because of the result from this — the birth of a new, different species,

which is made from the grafting of the two species,

and according to this,

kilayim of crossbreeding are in the example and type¹⁹

kilayim of the vineyard

(kilayim of sowing),

whose essence is from the aspect of the mixture — a new, different species that sprouts from this,

and as the Ramban elaborated in his commentary on the Torah²⁰.

And according to this way,

kilayim of plowing is in a different type and category,

since there is in this no act of mixture, only in the action of the two species together

(And according to this,

this that the prohibition of plowing is a fence&lt;pg&gt;126&lt;/pg&gt;

to the prohibition of bestiality,

is only from the aspect that in practice plowing can lead to bestiality).

b)

Also the prohibition of kilayim of crossbreeding is not because of the mixture in the new species created then,

but the matter of crossbreeding is because of the action of mixing two species.

And as explained elsewhere²¹,

that the halacha was decided — as the Rambam wrote — "It is permitted to bring two species into one pen, and if he sees them mating with each other he is not required to separate them"²²,

"One who transgressed and mated his animal, the offspring from them is permitted for benefit"²³,

and he is lashed from the Torah only when he brought in by hand etc.²⁴,

it implies,

that the definition of the prohibition of kilayim of crossbreeding according to the halacha,

is not because of the offspring that are born from them,

but because of the very act of grafting and crossbreeding.

And according to this approach it can be said,

that kilayim of plowing is in the same category and similar to the definition of kilayim of crossbreeding,

because that which plowing together is prohibited is because this is like a beginning of the act of joining the two species

(because gathering two species leads to the situation that "sometimes one will mate one of them with its fellow").

That is,

according to the Rambam,

that which the Torah forbade kilayim of plowing is because the prohibition is in the act of joining.

But on the other hand,

this is not because the Torah forbade this joining in and of itself,

but rather because they are in the category of kilayim of crossbreeding,

and this is the essence of the prohibition,

when the act of joining involves hybridization — crossbreeding of two species.

D.

And based on this, it can be said,

that according to his view, it also applies to kilayim of garments

(which is in the category and type of this),

that there are in this two extremes:

The definition of the prohibition is not merely a mixture

(according to the opinion of Rabbeinu Tam)

but rather there must be a connection of the two species in their making; but on the other hand, the connection does not have to be in a way that both become one object from the beginning of their existence, of wool and linen,

until they become one garment in which their division is not recognizable

(according to the opinion of Rashi),

rather it is sufficient that there be some "manner of connection" between them

(in the manner that the Torah prohibited the act of plowing together,

even though there is no actual grafting here,

because this is like a beginning of hybridization,

as above).

And this is precise in the words of the Rambam,

that although he wrote at the beginning&lt;sup&gt;16&lt;/sup&gt;

"since the wool has been connected with the linen in any manner of connection in the world, behold this is kilayim from the Torah",

nevertheless he continues&lt;sup&gt;16&lt;/sup&gt;

"How so? Wool and linen that he mixed them with each other and carded them and made from them felts, these are kilayim,

he mixed them and spun them together and wove a garment from this spun material, this is kilayim",

and at first glance,

since from the Torah it is prohibited in any manner of connection in the world

[and as he elaborated in the law that follows&lt;sup&gt;25&lt;/sup&gt;

"He sewed a wool garment to a linen garment, and even if he sewed them with silk, or he sewed a wool garment with linen threads or a linen garment with wool threads, or he tied wool threads with linen threads, or he braided them, even if he put wool and linen in a sack or a basket and rolled them, these are kilayim,

and even if he tied a braid of wool to a braid of linen, even though the strap is in between,

and likewise if he folded wool and linen garments and tied them, these are kilayim, as it is said 'wool and linen together' in any case, since they have become united, it is prohibited"]

— why is it emphasized in the verse "carded, spun, and woven",

and the first example in the manner of connection that the Rambam seized upon there "he mixed them with each other and carded them&lt;sup&gt;26&lt;/sup&gt;

and made from them felts"&lt;sup&gt;27&lt;/sup&gt;

(that in &lt;pg&gt;127&lt;/pg&gt;

This example,

the entirety of making the garment from its beginning was through a mixture of the two kinds).

Rather, according to the Rambam, forbidden mixtures of garments are analogous to forbidden mixtures of animals,

And as with forbidden mixtures of animals,

even though the prohibition is also regarding forbidden mixtures in plowing,

where there is no internal connection,

nevertheless, its primary definition is forbidden mixtures of breeding as above,

similar to this is regarding forbidden mixtures of garments,

for even though the prohibition of forbidden mixtures from the Torah is when they are connected in any manner of connection in the world,

nevertheless,

its primary aspect is when there is an internal connection,

which is when he mixed them with each other and combed them and made from them felt²⁶.

H.

And we must explain the dispute of Rashi and Rabbeinu Tam above regarding the investigation and the inquiry — and with an introduction,

that we find a fundamental difference between kilayim of garments and kilayim of seeds and kilayim of animals,

that in them the very making of the mixture was prohibited,

sowing the mixture in the ground,

and likewise the mating of two species

(in addition to the prohibition of plowing with an ox and a donkey together),

but not so in kilayim of garments: only the wearing of shatnez was prohibited, not the very making of a garment of wool and linen together.

And we must explain the reason for the difference — for kilayim of garments are different from kilayim of seeds and kilayim of animals in this,

that in kilayim of garments the connection is of two different types,

the type of the living and the type of the growing

[for wool is from a living creature and flax from a plant]²⁸,

and because of this a mixture between them in their very existence cannot be conceived,

but rather the connection between them is only an external connection of theirs; but not so in kilayim of seeds and kilayim of animals, where the mixture is in the same type

(two species of plant or two species of living creature),

behold there the mixture is in their existence,

in the power of growth and the power of their procreation.

And therefore only in kil'ayim of seeds and kil'ayim of animals was prohibited

(also)

the very making of the mixture,

since the mixture is in their reality; but in kil'ayim of garments

(of wool and linen)

that it is impossible to mix them in their very reality,

the making of the mixture was not prohibited, only the wearing of a garment made from this mixture.

And it may be said,

that this is the reasoning of Rabbeinu Tam that the prohibition of shatnez is also when there is no complete mixture in "combed, spun, and woven",

for since the prohibition of shatnez is only on wearing the shatnez,

and not on the making of the mixture of wool and linen together

(that a true mixture in wool and linen does not apply as above),

it is logical to say,

that an external connection suffices

(the weaving of the wool and linen)

to prohibit wearing in this garment²⁹.

<pg>128</pg>

And in Rashi's reasoning, it can be said,

that even though in kilayim of garments there is no mixture in the actual reality,

nevertheless,

when from the beginning of their making they were made together,

from their combing until their weaving,

there is at least a similarity to the mixture of kilayim of seeds and kilayim of animals,

and therefore these kilayim were also prohibited,

and it is like a fence for the other types of kilayim

(and as the Ramban wrote&lt;sup&gt;30&lt;/sup&gt;

that the prohibition of kilayim of garments is only as a distancing measure).

[And nevertheless,

since in practice there is in the making of shatnez no mixture in the actual reality,

the making of shatnez was not prohibited,

but only the wearing of it].

6.

And according to what the Rambam wrote³¹

that all commandments of the Torah were given to rectify the opinions etc.,

it can be said that there is a hint and lesson in the service of man in this, that specifically regarding forbidden mixtures of garments only wearing was prohibited:

It is known that the powers of the soul in man are divided into four types,

corresponding to inanimate, vegetative, animal, and speaking,

the "vegetative" in the soul are the emotions,

and "animal" is the intellect

(as explained in several places³²).

And this is the hint in that the making of a garment of mixed wool and linen was not prohibited,

for on the contrary,

this is from the perfection of man³³,

that his powers are interincluded one with the other,

that the intellect influences the emotions and the emotions are according to the measure of the intellect

[and what the Torah prohibited, a mixture of two kinds, is only when through this mixture the boundaries and unique characteristics of each power are nullified

(in the manner of mixed seeds and mixed species of animals,

that a new species is created)³⁴].

But nevertheless it is forbidden to wear shatnez,

because a garment is a matter of makif,

i.e., service that comes from the encompassing powers of the soul&lt;sup&gt;35&lt;/sup&gt;,

the power of will and pleasure,

which this service is in a manner that all of a person's matters are "encompassed" and permeated by this will or pleasure

(like a person's garment,

which encompasses the person,

to the extent that there is a garment that encompasses most of him all at once).

And when the service is in such a manner,

it is impossible that there be a "mixture" of two kinds of powers,

because when a person in his entirety is occupied and caught in one manner of serving G-d to the extent that it encompasses him entirely,

it is impossible that he be occupied at the time of action

(and also in a manner of "makif" that grasps him entirely)

with a second thing.

And therefore the verse warns "Do not wear shatnez",

that regarding the level of the encompassing aspects of the soul,

the occupation with each type of service must be by itself,

and one may not mix "wool and linen together".

(From sichos of Shabbos Parshas Ki Seitzei 5741,

1st day of Rosh Chodesh Elul 5744)