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Post by Mark on Sept 11, 2008 3:49:01 GMT -8
Thou shalt not wear a garment of divers sorts, as of woolen and linen together.
(Deuteronomy 22:11)
Most interpret this passage to mean only that we should not wear wool fabric mixed with linen... which would be stupid anyway- as stupid as trying to plow with an ox bound to an donkey. You'd go in circles, and the fabric, which shrinks and wears differently would become contorted.
Does this mean we should only wear fabric that is of one type, or is this an idiom making to remind us of our holiness (as some churches have taught)?
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Post by Eliora on Sept 13, 2008 4:51:55 GMT -8
There are two verses about this:
Deu 22:11 Thou shalt not wear a mingled stuff, wool and linen together.
Lev 19:19 Ye shall keep My statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle
gender with a diverse kind; thou shalt not sow thy field with two
kinds of seed; neither shall there come upon thee a garment of two
kinds of stuff mingled together. (JPS translation)
So in Deuteronomy, it specifically says wool and linen, but in Leviticus, it just says not to wear mixed fabric. So did the verse in Leviticus just use wool and linen as an example of a mixture? Or did it define a mixture as only being wool and linen, so that this definition would carry over to Leviticus? Personally I think it's an example... but it was probably an all-encompassing example in those days - back then, wool and linen may have been all that was commonly worn.
I've gotten rid of all of my mixed fabrics, not just wool and linen. I would really love to hear more insight into this topic though.
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Post by rlrmcb on Dec 8, 2008 4:03:31 GMT -8
I am not so sure that natural fabrics reinforced with plastic is a hurt, (polyester). But, the other stuff mixed, didn't that wear apart quicker. I am beginning to find that G-d had a reason for everything that He had written.
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Post by lawrenceofisrael on Dec 15, 2008 2:19:37 GMT -8
I think in a lot of commandments there are two messages. The one message is what it says. it is not for the believer to wear clothes of mixed material.
The other messages in some of these words are what is sometimes called the mysterium of faith.We are not two be mingled as well meaning we cannot have other Gods beside God or we cant believe in other salvation different from Yeshuas.
Peace and blessings be upon all of you who follow the true path.
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Post by Mark on Dec 15, 2008 5:47:01 GMT -8
We have to be careful when assigning our own ideas as an interpretation of Scripture because we seem to be able to connect the dots; but there is some merit to what you are saying.
The verse were are discussing is found in a poetic compound:
Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds: lest the fruit of thy seed which thou hast sown, and the fruit of thy vineyard, be defiled. Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together. Thou shalt not wear a garment of divers sorts, as of woolen and linen together. Thou shalt make thee fringes upon the four quarters of thy vesture, wherewith thou coverest thyself.
(Deuteronomy 22:9-12 KJV)
Paul draws from this in his epistle:
Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
(2 Corinthians 6:14-16 KJV)
It is argued, then, that this passage in Deuteronomy 22 is symbolic, not really expecting that we should obey it literally. Then are we guilty of interpretting Scripture in such a way that we illegitimize it?
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Post by Mark on Dec 15, 2008 5:50:03 GMT -8
HI Eliora,
In Hebrew the phrases are the same. It's actually one word "sha-hot-naze" which refers to a known practice of the day that combined wool and linen in the same fabric.
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Post by Prodigal Girl on Dec 15, 2008 19:25:42 GMT -8
Linsey-woolsey was typically worn by the poor, in the British Isles and Colonial America. In the past I have had no clue why it would be a commandment not to wear it. The only thing I am wondering, is if our aim clothing-wise should be to dress very nicely in the best quality material. We are to spend money to buy the very best. This would go along with the description in Proverbs about how a good wife is supposed to dress. Maybe we are given a nudge that is similar to Shabbat; not just permission to rest and dress nicely, but actual commandments to do so! We are to dress like royalty. And royalty does not wear linsey-woolsey. How wonderful that we are thought of so personally and kindly by our Creator that He cares what we eat, how we dress, and how we spend our time! His desire is for us to spend the money that it takes to buy really nice stuff, to look good. The more I think about it, I wonder why we think that is so strange, when we accept ridiculous dress rules put on us by society, like ties and high heels, that are downright uncomfortable, but balk at a commandment to wear 100% cotton!
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Post by Mark on Dec 16, 2008 4:28:45 GMT -8
Remember that the blending of materials for clothing is part of a poetic set that includes cross-germinating seed, and plowing incompatible animals. The interpretation should be consistent.
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Post by Prodigal Girl on Dec 16, 2008 18:24:27 GMT -8
Remember that the blending of materials for clothing is part of a poetic set that includes cross-germinating seed, and plowing incompatible animals. The interpretation should be consistent. You have a good point. |
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Post by Eliora on Dec 20, 2008 6:03:29 GMT -8
I know the word "sha'atnez" is used in both places. What I'm saying is, in one place that's all it says. In the other place, it goes on to say "woollen and linen together." The question is, is "woollen and linen together" the definition of "sha'atnez" or only an example?
The origin of "sha'atnez" itself is unknown, but probably doesn't mean specifically linen and woollen... the only thing known for certain is that it's not a Hebrew word. The Mishnah claims that "sha'atnez" is an acrostic for "carded, woven, and twisted." There is a term in the Coptic language which could be a cognate to sha'atnez - it's sasht nouz, and it means "false weave." The Septuagint seems to go along with that translation, since it uses a word meaning false, adulterated, or drossy. In some other old translations of Leviticus, it's translated "motley" and "spotted like a leopard."
Anyway, I feel more comfortable taking the conservative approach.
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Post by bryce on Jul 11, 2009 8:53:14 GMT -8
I've gotten rid of all of my mixed fabrics, not just wool and linen. I would really love to hear more insight into this topic though. I try to approach this commandment in a similar manner to the way Jews have interpreted it for millennia. I don't believe it is prohibited to mix any two different fibres together, but linen and wool. |
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