Kilayim ( Hebrew כלאיים - “hybrids”, “mixtures”) is the fourth of 11 treatises in the section Zraim (Crops), the first of the sections of the Mishnah . Consists of 9 chapters. The Torah contains prohibitions on various types of mixing of plants and animals; these prohibitions are collectively called “kilim”. The Torah distinguishes three types of Kilayim: associated with plants, animals and clothing. The grounds for prohibitions are found in the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy . Jewish thinkers put forward various justifications for the Kilayah ban, usually emphasizing that they mean a violation of the world order originally created by the Almighty [1] .
Content
Contents of the chapters of the treatise
- What plants will be considered different types of the law "Kilayim".
- Distances to be left between crops of different types.
- Other Kilayim laws for crops.
- Ban crops in the vineyard.
- What plantings are called vineyards to ban crops in it.
- The laws of grapes growing in one line.
- Layers of vines, fruits grown in vineyards, and other planting laws in the vineyard.
- The prohibition of crossing different types of animals.
- Prohibition of mixing wool with linen.
In the Jerusalem Talmud, the treatise occupies 39 sheets.
Kilaim plants
Kilayim plants includes three private prohibitions: Kilayim in the vineyard , Kilayim trees and Kilayim crops .
Kilaim in the vineyard
It is forbidden to sow cereals near the vineyard if the distance from them to a single vine bush is less than 6 "tfahim" ("tefah" is the width of the palm, that is, one centimeter is 48 centimeters ). If five grape bushes grow together, forming two parallel lines, then this is a real vineyard, and the crops should be removed by 4 cubits (about 2 meters ) from it. However, if the vineyard is surrounded by a fence with a height of at least 10 tfahim (about 1 meter), then the crops on the other side of the fence do not need to be removed - the fence serves as a sufficient separation between incompatible plants. If this prohibition is violated, everything becomes forbidden (both “the sowing crop that you sow and the fruits of the vineyard”). In the Land of Israel, the ban is violated if at least one plant of a different species is sown near the vineyard, if two species of other plants are sown (for example, two types of cereals or one cereal and one type of vegetables ) [2] .
Kilaim trees
It is forbidden to cross different types of fruit trees . For example, to inoculate a branch of an apple tree to an etrog, or vice versa. Even a branch of a cultivated apple tree to a forest apple tree cannot be grafted either. A Jew , the owner of a tree, is forbidden to hire a non-Jew to plant his tree. If the tree was still grafted, then it is forbidden for a Jew to leave this tree in his possession, but it is allowed to use its fruits, as well as take a branch from this tree and plant it in another place [3] .
Kilayim Crops
It is forbidden to sow nearby various types of cereals and vegetables. The distance that must be left between them depends on many factors: on the method of planting or on the shape of the plots planted with different plants, so the owner of the field or garden should ask the rabbi for instructions. This prohibition is valid only on the territory of the Land of Israel [2] .
Kilaim animals
Kilayim animals includes two private prohibitions: the prohibition of the occurrence of male and female animals and birds of different species and the prohibition of performing any work using simultaneously animals (or birds) of different species.
The prohibition of animals of different species
It is forbidden to happen male and female animals (including domestic) and birds of various species. It is forbidden to create a situation in which their mating is possible, and therefore it is not allowed to bind a number of animals and birds of different species. The mule (the result of crossing a donkey and a mare ) and hinnies (the offspring of a stallion and a donkey) are considered animals of different species and therefore they are forbidden to be tied together. However, it is allowed to put the mule next to the mule and hinny - next to the hinny. Moreover, if nevertheless the mating happened and a new animal was born, its use is not prohibited [4] .
Prohibition of simultaneously working on two animals of different breeds
It is forbidden to perform any work using at the same time animals of different species. So, you cannot plow a bull and a horse at the same time or harness them together in a cart. Even if animals of different species at the same time only voice beckoned, this is considered a violation of the ban. Therefore, if a non-Jew carries goods belonging to a Jew in two animals of different species, the Jew is forbidden to go next to the cart, since it is likely that he will begin to urg the animals so that they go faster. It is forbidden not only to drive, but even just to sit on a wagon pulled by animals of various species. If a wagon carries one animal, it is forbidden to tie an animal of another species nearby, even a dog [4] .
Kilayim in clothing ( Sha'atnese )
It is forbidden to wear clothes woven from linen and wool . The ban applies only to sheep’s wool and does not apply to other types of wool. Violation of this prohibition is considered not only the combination of linen and wool in the manufacturing process of the fabric, but also stitching together pieces of linen and wool fabric, even if the threads are cotton, silk or synthetic. Sewing linen and woolen threads together or pressing them together in the manufacture of felt is also prohibited. It is forbidden to combine linen and woolen clothes with a clasp or just a needle without a thread, as well as donning linen and woolen socks one on top of the other. Moshe ben Maimon RAMBAM believed that even if a different kind of fabric (or, for example, leather) is sewn between the linen and wool parts of the clothes, then, according to the letter of the law, this is considered a violation of the ban. Clothing in which there is shaatnese is forbidden to wear at all. This applies even to the case when they want to cover themselves with that part of clothing in which there is no shaatnese. A Jewish tailor is allowed to sew clothing from a shaatnese for a non-Jew, but it is forbidden to use a shaatnese for himself during the sewing process - for example, put it on his knees to warm them. Clothing sellers, in principle, have the right to wear clothing that has shaatnese in order to demonstrate it to the buyer or simply deliver it to the right place in this way. However, they should not be of any use, for example, to protect themselves from rain or cold. It is forbidden to sit on the shaatnese. Therefore, soft seats padded with felt, sofa cushions, etc., must be checked for the presence of shaatnese in them. Even if ten litter sheets are laid one on top of the other, and there is a schaatnosis in the lowest of them, it is forbidden to sit on them [5] .
Sources of the Kilayah Prohibition
Observe My Establishments; do not reduce your cattle with another breed; Do not sow your fields with heterogeneous grain, and clothing made of mixed fabric — wool and linen — may not cover you. ( Vaikra , 19:19) [6] .
Do not sow your vineyard with heterogeneous seeds, so that the sowing that you sow and the fruits of the vineyard become forbidden. Do not plow on a bull and a donkey together. Do not wear clothing made of mixed fabric - wool and linen together. ( Dvarim , 22: 9-11]) [7] .
According to Israel Lau (the chief rabbi of Tel Aviv , in 1993-2003 - the chief Ashkenazi rabbi of Israel ), in the general sense, the Kilayim ban protects the natural borders created during the Creation of the world from violation. The Creator warns with this prohibition against mixing various species. The story of the Creation repeatedly emphasizes that different creations are limited by each species: “fruit trees by their species”, “grass producing seeds of their species”, “living creatures by their species”, “animals by their species”, and then it is said: "And God saw that it was good." This makes it clear that in the eyes of the Almighty, the preservation by plants and animals of their species is a blessing.
The prohibition to work simultaneously on two animals of different breeds is based on the fact that this causes suffering to these animals, which is also prohibited by the Torah . A bull, for example, works best on the plain, while a donkey is easier to work on the side of the mountains. Therefore, if they plow on a bull and a donkey together, this leads to an imbalance in the forces of working animals, exhausts them and gives them unnecessary torment.
The prohibition of shaatnese dates back to the first struggle between Cain and Abel in the history of mankind - the struggle that set a precedent for numerous wars that brought terrible misfortunes to mankind. Cain, as you know, was a farmer, and Abel was a shepherd. And so, forbidding to wear clothes woven from wool and linen together, the Torah warns against hostility between shepherds and farmers, which can cause fratricidal wars. However, any rational explanations for the Kilai ban are incomplete, and therefore one cannot limit oneself to them [8] .
Notes
- ↑ Kila'im . Date of treatment March 28, 2015.
- ↑ 1 2 Shulchan Aruch . - Kilaim. Date of treatment March 28, 2015.
- ↑ KITSUR SHULKHAN ARUH . - LAWS FOR THE FORBIDDEN VACCINES OF TREES (KILAIM TREES). Date of treatment March 28, 2015.
- ↑ 1 2 KITSUR SHULKHAN ARUH . - LAWS OF THE FORBIDDEN ASSOCIATION OF ANIMALS (KILYA BHEMA). Date of treatment March 28, 2015.
- ↑ KITSUR SHULKHAN ARUH . - LAWS OF FORBIDDEN FABRIC MIXTURES (KILYA BGADIM). Date of treatment March 28, 2015.
- ↑ Books of the Torah . - Vaikra, 19:19. Date of treatment March 28, 2015.
- ↑ Books of the Torah . - Dvarim, 22: 9-11. Date of treatment March 28, 2015.
- ↑ Rabbi Israel-Meir Lau. What is the source of the Kilayim ban . Date of treatment March 28, 2015.