SHA’ATNEZ WITH REGARD TO TZITZIS

QUESTION:

What is the reason that tzitzis are free from the laws of sha’atnez, thus, why one is permitted to have woolen fringes on a garment of linen? (Asked by Rabbi Mark Staitman, Pittsburgh.)

ANSWER:

FIRST OF ALL, it must be stated that it is not always possible to find a logical explanation for all the laws involved in the prohibition of mixed breeds, namely, the mixing of seeds in the vineyard, of cross-breeding animals, of grafting trees of different species. Rashi to the text in Leviticus 19:19, where the prohibition of mixing seeds is given, says that these laws must be obeyed simply as a decree of the King since we have no logical reason for them. Thus, while we might wonder at the permissibility of mixed textiles in the talit (or the talit koton), we notice that this is not the only commandment with regard to sha’atnez that seems to need explanation. Thus, for example, the shrouds made for the dead are free also from the prohibition of sha’atnez. So, too, and strangely enough, the garments which the priests wore in the Temple at the Temple Service were a mixture of linen and wool (see m. Kelaim 9: 1) .

Of these three exceptions, perhaps the one easiest to explain is the permissibility of the shrouds to be of sha’atnez. The verse in Psalms 88:6, “Free among the dead,” is explained in the Talmud (Shabbas 30a) to mean that the dead are free from the mandate to obey the commandments. Therefore, the commandment against sha’atnez (in their shrouds) does not apply to them any more than do the other commandments. See the statement of the Rambam to his commentary to Kelaim 9:4, in which he says that the freedom of the dead with regard to sha’atnez in their shrouds applies also to freedom from tefillin, mezuzos, etc.

As for the reason that the priests in the Temple wore sha’atnez, this permissibility is analogous to that which we will see is the reason given for the permissibility of sha’atnez in the tzitzis, namely, that the makeup of the priestly garments is specifically described in Scripture and so constitutes a definite commandment independent of the commandment of sha’atnez. Furthermore, it is to be observed that the Rambam specifically forbids priests to wear these garments outside the Temple service, since the specific permission of Scripture describing the precise makeup of the priestly garments applies only to the specific purpose of the Temple service (Yad, Hilchos Kelaim 10:32). In other words, outside the Temple the priest wearing the sacred garments would be wearing them for his own benefit, for example, for warmth; and actually the specific prohibition of sha’atnez applies to the wearing of the garments for warmth, etc. It is not forbidden, for example, to manufacture such garments for sale to non-Jews. It is only forbidden to a Jew to wear them for warmth, etc. Even for the use by Jews, sha’atnez cloths that are not worn on the body, as, for example, a tent cover or even a bed cover, are not forbidden by Torah law, although some scholars forbid it by rabbinical restriction.

Now specifically as to the question asked, namely, the permission to have the tzitzis of sha’atnez, Rashi states (to Deuteronomy 22:12) that the permission to have the tzitzis of sha’atnez is due to the fact that the verse prohibiting sha’atnez and the verse commanding tzitzis follow directly upon each other in Scripture (i.e., Deuteronomy 22:11 and 22:12). Rashi’s brief remark as it stands is somewhat cryptic; but it becomes quite clear when we look at the source from which Rashi cites his comment. Rashi’s statement as to the juxtaposition of the two verses comes from the words of Rabba in the Talmud, Menachos 39a. There the discussion involves the permissibility of “the woolen fringe in a linen garment” (s’din b’tzitzes). Rabba explains that Scripture mentions the prohibition of sha’at-nez and then immediately follows it with the commandment to make the tzitzis, which indicates that the commandment to make the tzitzis is a separate law, i.e., is independent of the prohibition of sha’atnez- See especially Rashi’s fuller comment to this Talmudic passage.

To sum up: As Rashi indicates, the laws against mixed breeds, etc., cannot be explained by human logic, but must be obeyed as God’s decree. Therefore, we should not be too surprised that there are exceptions to the law of sha’atnez, as in the case of shrouds, priestly garments, tzitzis, etc. The shrouds may be sha’atnez because the dead are free from all commandments. The priestly garments and the tzitzis are given specifically in Scripture as independent commands and so are not subject to the laws of sha’atnez. This is clear from the fact that the law of tzitzis is mentioned as a specific duty immediately after the law of sha’atnez. This explanation is quoted by Rashi from the Talmud in Menachos 39a, where his comment is fuller and clearer than his brief comment to Deuteronomy 22:12.