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From: meth@csd2.UUCP (Asher Meth)
Newsgroups: net.religion.jewish
Subject: Re: A Humanistic Jew's view on Shatnes
Message-ID: <3780022@csd2.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 18-Mar-85 19:11:00 EST
Article-I.D.: csd2.3780022
Posted: Mon Mar 18 19:11:00 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 22-Mar-85 01:02:33 EST
References: <240@npois.UUCP>
Organization: New York University
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Adam Reed has responded to Eliyahu Teitz's question on the Humanistic
explanation of the mitzvah of Sha-atnez.
I think that his response was inadequate.

I would like to ask Adam for a further explanation on this and on other Chukim.

Sha-atnez - Why is it defined to be the mixture of WOOL and LINEN ?
What is special about these two materials, such that they are kosher when
they are separate, they are kosher when they are mixed with OTHER materials,
and are 'treif' when mixed with each other ???  
Why is there no other prohibition on mixing of materials in garments ??
Why is the prohibition limited to WEARING the garment of such a mixture and
deriving pleasure (hana-ah) from this wearing ?? Why am i permitted to OWN 
a garment of Sha-atnez and, say, hang it on the wall (as a Persian rug) ? 

What about 'basar-bechalav' - mixing of meat and milk ?
What is your explanation for that one ? Again, in the light of the above
mentioned characteristics of wool and linen - separately they are OK, together
they are 'treif' - what CAN you say ??

Please recall my original response to your original posting concerning
Humanisism - what about your SOUL and how it (and the cosmos) are affected by
your every action ? 
(This, by the way, is an explanation brought down by the
commentaries on the definition of 'chok' - the Torah classified certain laws as
'chok', which we generally define as "we do not understand the reason for them,
and accept these laws - in toto - as decrees from heaven". For instance, the
RAMBAN and the CHINUCH (and Rabbi S. R. HIRSCH, if I'm not mistaken) explain
that the prohibition of Sha-atnez and other such illegal mixings - 'kilayim' -
is due to the metaphysical changes that are wreaked (as in to wreak havoc) upon
the cosmos and upon the natural order that HaShem set in the universe.)

What is wrong with cross-breeding animals (another 'chok') ? Or fruit trees, or
vegetables ? Sometimes, such cross-breedings and grafts have produced very fine
specimens that are useful (animals), tasty (fruits & vegetables), and that have
the good qualities of the two parent breeds and eliminate some of the 'bad'
(what we THINK are bad) qualities ?
Examples of cross-breeds : beefalo (eats all kinds of junk, including cement -
dry, has less fat and carbohydrates, i think), tangelo (peels like a
tangerine).

Back to Humanism and my original questions to Adam Reed (did you ever answer
any of them ??) - Do you not believe in the concept of a SOUL ? and an
AFTER-LIFE ? and a CREATOR ? and the ideas and ideals HE had in mind for
mankind ? according to HIS interpretation ?? (This is for J. Abeles, too.
I will try to deal with your question of 'who has the corect interpretation'
in another posting.) How do you 'jive' all these ideas with your definition of
Judaism ??

        asher meth