Kommentar zu Kilayim 9:11

Introduction The final chapter of Kilayim deals with kilayim of clothes, or shatnez, as it is called by both Leviticus and Deuteronomy. Our mishnah also mentions several other halakhot which apply only to wool or linen, the two materials subject to the laws of kilayim.

Nothing is forbidden on account of kilayim except [a mixture of] wool and linen. Deuteronomy 22:11 defines “shatnez” as being wool and linen. Hence only a mixture of wool and linen is prohibited. Wool and cotton, for instance, is not prohibited.

No [clothing material] is subject to uncleanness by scale disease except wool or linen. The only types of clothes subject to impurity through “scale disease” (sometimes called leprosy) are wool and linen (see Leviticus 13:47).

Priests do not wear any materials to serve in the Temple except for wool and linen. The priestly clothing was made only of linen and wool (see Exodus 39:27-29). It is interesting that while such a mixture was generally prohibited, while the priests were serving in the Temple, this is precisely the clothing that they would wear.

Camel’s wool with sheep’s wool, that have been mixed together: if the greater part is camel’s wool, it is permitted [to mix it with linen], but if the greater part is sheep’s wool, it is forbidden; if it is half and half, it is forbidden. Camel’s wool is not prohibited in kilayim, only sheep’s wool is prohibited. Therefore, if camel’s wool is mixed up with sheep’s wool such that it becomes impossible to separate them, it is permitted to use the mixture with linen if the quantity of camel’s wools is more than the quantity of sheep’s wool. If the quantity of sheep’s wool is greater than it is prohibited. If they are equal the mixture is still prohibited, because we always tend to be strict in cases of doubt when the prohibition is from the Torah, as is the prohibition of kilayim.

The same applies to hemp and linen mixed together. Hemp can be mixed with wool, whereas linen cannot. So if hemp and linen are mixed together, the mixture can be mixed with wool if the hemp is the majority, but if the linen is the majority or equal to the hemp, it is forbidden.

Silk and floss-silk do not come under the prohibition of kilayim, but are prohibited on account of appearance. Silk is not prohibited under the category of kilayim, meaning that one who wears a garment in which silk and wool or silk and linen are mixed together has not transgressed the biblical prohibition. Nevertheless, because such mixtures look like kilayim, they are prohibited “derabanan”, a prohibition of rabbinic origin.

Mattresses and pillows do not come under the prohibition of kilayim, as long as his flesh does not come into [immediate] contact with them. The Torah only prohibits wearing kilayim and not using kilayim for other purposes. Hence, mattresses and pillows which one lies on and doesn’t wear can have in them mixtures of wool and linen. However, if the mattress or pillow comes in direct contact with his skin, then it is prohibited because this is too close to “wearing.”

There is no [permissibility for the] temporary [wearing] of kilayim. It is prohibited to even temporarily put on kilayim as clothing. We might have thought, perhaps, that unless someone really goes out with such clothing on, that it would be permitted, or at least not forbidden, and therefore the mishnah teaches that one who puts on a kilayim garment has immediately transgressed the prohibition.

Neither may one wear kilayim even on top of ten [garments], even for the purpose of evading taxes. If the garment is being used as clothing, it is prohibited even if it doesn’t come into contact with his skin, for instance, it is an outer piece of clothing and he has other clothing underneath it. This prohibition holds true even if his sole intent in wearing the clothing was to hide it from tax collectors who are coming to assess his property. In such a case he isn’t wearing the garment in order to derive benefit from it as clothing. He is only wearing it in order to smuggle it away from the tax collectors. Nevertheless, because he is wearing it, it is forbidden.

Introduction The next five mishnayot begin to catalogue what items made of cloth are subject to the kilayim prohibition. The basic rule is that anything used to cover a person’s body, even temporarily, may be subject to the laws of kilayim. The reason is that the Torah phrases the prohibition as “One may not wear shatnez” (Deuteronomy 22:11). From here the rabbis derive that only “wearing” or anything close to wearing is prohibited.

Hand towels, scroll covers, and bath towels do not come under the prohibition of kilayim. Rabbi Eliezer prohibits. All of these items are not used to cover a person’s body. They are not “worn.” Therefore they are not subject to the laws of kilayim.

Barbers’ covers are subject to the prohibition of kilayim. The cloths that the barber puts on the person getting his/her hair cut are in actuality temporary clothing. Since they are in a sense clothing, they are subject to the laws of kilayim.

Shrouds for the dead, and the packsaddle of a donkey are not subject to the law of kilayim. Shrouds for a dead person can be made out of kilayim, because a dead person does not have to observe the laws of the Torah. A packsaddle is made to sit on and not to put it on oneself. Leviticus 19:19 says that one should not “put upon oneself kilayim” and therefore the packsaddle is not subject to the laws of kilayim.

One may not [however] place a packsaddle [made of kilayim] on one’s shoulder even for the purpose of carrying dung out on it. However, since the Torah states that the prohibition is to “put upon oneself,” putting the packsaddle on one’s shoulder is prohibited, even though this would not normally be considered “wearing.” We see here that the rabbis seem to be mediating between Deuteronomy states, “Do not wear” and Leviticus which states “Do not put upon oneself.”

Introduction This mishnah deals with a mechant who may be selling kilayim garments and in the process of selling them may end up wearing them as well.

Sellers of clothes may sell [clothes made of kilayim] in accordance with their custom, as long as they do have not the intention in the sun, [to protect themselves] from the sun, or in the rain [to protect themselves] from the rain. Evidently, while clothes-sellers were traveling, they would sometimes wear the clothes that they intended to sell. They would do this either to transport the clothes from place to place (they were peddlers) or to show people how the clothes looked, or both. The mishnah rules that the traveling clothes salesman may wear kilayim, as long as his intention in wearing them is not to use them as covering, either in the summer because of the sun or in the winter because of the rain. The discerning reader will note that this mishnah seems to disagree with mishnah two, where we learned that one cannot wear kilayim in order to smuggle them away from the tax collectors. In both cases a person wears a garment not because he wants to wear it as clothing but for some other reason. While mishnah two prohibited this, our mishnah permits it, as long as he doesn’t intend to also use it as clothing.

The scrupulous hang [such materials or garments] on a stick over their backs. Those merchants who didn’t want to take advantage of the leniency in the above section, would not wear the kilayim clothes. Rather they would hang the clothes behind them on a stick.

Introduction This mishnah discusses a tailor who may have materials made of wool and linen sitting on his lap waiting to be sewn.

Tailors may sew [materials which are kilayim] in their usual way, as long as they do have not the intention in the sun, [to protect themselves] from the sun, or in the rain [to protect themselves] from the rain. As in yesterday’s mishnah concerning the clothes salesman, the rules of kilayim also do not apply to a tailor who has various types of material resting on his lap waiting to be sewn. Again, this is prohibited if he intends to use the material as protection from sun or rain.

The scrupulous sew [such materials as they are laid] on the ground. Again, similar to yesterday’s mishnah, those who are more religiously scrupulous would not take advantage of such a leniency. Rather, they would lay the materials on the ground while they were waiting to be sewn.

Introduction This mishnah teaches that there are certain items that are assumed to have mixtures of wool and linen and therefore they need to be checked before they can be worn.

The Birrus blanket or Brindisian blanket, or Dalmatian cloth, or felt shoes, may not be worn until one has examined them. Evidently, it was typical that these wool garments or shoes would be sewn using linen thread. Hence, before one wears one of these types of clothing, he must first check them to make sure they do not consist of kilayim.

Rabbi Yose says: ones that come from the coast or from lands beyond the sea, do not require examination, since the presumption with regard to them is [that they are sewn] with hemp. Rabbi Yose says that the above law does not apply to such objects if they come from the coast of Israel or from “the lands beyond the sea” a term which refers to the lands lying to the west of Israel (Greece, Rome etc.). In those lands, such items are sewn with hemp thread, to which the laws of kilayim do not apply, as we learned above in mishnah one. The suspicion is only with regard to such items that come from Israel, or from the east of Israel (Syria and Persia) or perhaps from the South (Egypt).

Felt-lined shoes are not subject to the laws of kilayim. There are two explanations for this clause. The first is that we are not concerned lest felt-lined shoes have linen mixed in with them. In other words, only if one knows that they have linen are these shoes prohibited. The second interpretation is that this shoe does have both wool and linen in it, but it doesn’t have a heel. Since it doesn’t have a heel it is not subject to the laws of kilayim.

Only that which is spun or woven is forbidden under the law of kilayim, as it says, “You shall not wear shatnez” (Deuteronomy 22:1, that which is shua (combed) tavui (spun) and nuz (woven).
Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar says: [the word shaatnez means that] he [the transgressor] is perverted (and causes his father in heaven to avert himself [from him].
When referring to kilayim, the Torah uses the word “shatnez.” Our mishnah understands this word as an acronym and derives halakhah from the word.
Section two: "Naloz" means to "pervert" or "corrupt" and it is a pun on the end of the word shaatnez. The transgressor has perverted God's laws, and by doing thus he causes God to pervert His path from him (meliz, another form of naloz).

Introduction This mishnah teaches various cases in which the kilayim prohibition applies despite the fact that the wool and linen may not seem to actually be woven together. According to some commentators, some of these prohibitions are only “derabanan,” of rabbinic status and not of toraitic status.

Felted materials [can be] prohibited because of kilayim, since they are combed. Felt is made from wool that is beat and not spun. It is prohibited to attach it to linen even without weaving them together because the wool and linen are combed together. According to one opinion in the Talmud, this prohibition is only derabanan from the Torah the garment is prohibited only if it is combed, spun and ten woven. However, the rabbis added that even if only one of these processes has taken place, the garment is prohibited because of kilayim.

It is prohibited to attach a string of wool (to linen material, since this resembles weaving. A pif (or piv) is a string that falls from a garment when it is being woven and that the weavers stick into the sides of the garment when giving it to the purchaser. If the woven material is of linen, one cannot put a pif of wool on it and vice versa. This looks too much as if they had been woven together.

Rabbi Yose says: it is forbidden to use cords of purple [wool to tie round a loose linen garment], since before he ties it, he stitches it on. Since this wool belt is stitched to the linen garment and not just tied around the garment, it does violate the laws of kilayim.

One may not tie a strip of woolen material with one of linen material for the purpose of girdling one’s loins, even if there is a leather strap between the two. Tying a belt made of woolen material together with one of linen material is prohibited even if a leather strap is sewn between the wool and the linen in order to separate them. The reason that this is still prohibited is that when he will eventually tie the ends of the belt together when he ties it around his waste.

Weaver’s mark’s or launderer’s marks [can be] prohibited because of kilayim. In mishnaic times weavers and launderers would put strings on the sides of clothing to help identify to whom it belonged. If these strings were of linen and the garment was of wool, or vice versa, then they are prohibited because of kilayim.

One who sticks one thread [through material], this does not constitute a connection, nor does [the prohibition of] kilayim apply and one who unties [such a connection] on Shabbat is exempt. The next three sections deal with the question of how many stitches are needed for two garments to be considered sewn together. If one sticks a needle once into two garments and brings the string out on the other side, the two garments are not yet considered to be sewn together. There are three ramifications to this: 1) if one garment is impure the other has not yet become impure; 2) if one is wool and one is linen they are still not considered kilayim; 3) one who undoes this string on Shabbat is not liable for the prohibited act of “untying” (see Shabbat 7:2).

If one made its two ends come out on the same side [of the material], this constitutes a connection, and it comes under the prohibition of kilayim, and one who unties such a connection on Shabbat is liable. In this case one pulled the needle through and then brought it back up again, so that the two heads of the string are sticking out from the same side. Now the two garments are considered tied together. If one becomes impure, the other is impure as well. If one is wool and one is linen then they are prohibited because of kilayim. And if one undoes such a string on Shabbat, he has transgressed the prohibition of “untying.”

Rabbi Judah said: [the prohibition does not apply] until one has made three stitches. Rabbi Judah says that the two garments are not considered connected until he brings the string across three times.

A sack and a basket [one having a strip of woolen material attached to it, and the other a strip of linen] combine to form kilayim. If there is a piece of wool attached to a sack and a piece of linen attached to a large basket and then one attaches the sack to the basket, the wool and linen join to become kilayim. Congratulations! We have finished Kilayim! It is a tradition at this point to thank God for helping us finish learning the tractate and to commit ourselves to going back and relearning it, so that we may not forget it and so that its lessons will stay with us for all of our lives. Kilayim overall was about preserving God’s world as it was created. There are many lessons that we could draw from this fascinating prohibition, but I think that the most important one is that we must have respect for creation and while we can intervene and add our own hand to the act of creation, we must have limits as well. Some of the massive environmental damage that we are only now beginning to be aware of is a result of our not respecting any limits to our own power. I hope that the through all the myriads of details in this tractate, a larger message is allowed to shine through. Tomorrow we begin Tractate Sheviit.