What Is Shatnez? The Torah forbids us to cover ourselves with any type of garment or fabric that contains both wool and linen. This would include a fabric, which is woven with both wool and linen or a garment, which is made of different materials and contain in them wool and linen that are permanently connected, (i.e. sewn or pasted). We are forbidden to wear such a mixture. The Torah teaches us about the Mitzvah (commandment) of shatnez in two pusukim (verses) in the torah. "Do not wear Shatnez - wool and linen together" (Deut. 22:11) "A Shatnez garment should not cover you" (Lev. 19:19) These two verses prohibit a Jew from wearing and garment which contains shatnez or covering oneself with such a garment. Shatnez is an acronym described by the sages for combed, spun and woven. This means that if any of these processes done with wool and linen together the garment would be prohibited according to the Torah. | A Shatnez Lab is where trained testers take appropriate samples from a garment (without ruining the garment) and examine them under a microscope to identify the fibers. Most major Jewish communities will have such a lab. They also will receive and return garments by mail. Your rabbi can direct you to the closest laboratory. Important To Know! When we speak of wool, we are only referring to wool obtained from sheep or lambs. Other materials, such as camel's hair, mohair, angora, cashmere or alpaca wool, present no shatnez problems. Similarly, linen refers only to fibers derived from the flax plant, whereas other bast fibers, such as ramie, hemp or jute, may be combined with wool. In most cases, a garment that contains shatnez can be fixed in the laboratory for a minimal cost. It's a minor tailoring job. There is the rare case, however, when the operation just can't be done. So hold on to your sales receipt! |
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