📜 The Commandment
"Thou shalt not wear a garment of divers sorts, as of woollen and linen together."
— Deuteronomy 22:11
This simple yet curious command has puzzled and intrigued readers for millennia. Why would God prohibit wearing clothes made of wool and linen mixed together? What deeper meaning lies behind this commandment?
🧵 What Is Shatnez?
Shatnez (שַׁעַטְנֵז) is the Hebrew term for the forbidden mixture of wool (sheep’s hair) and linen (flax fibers) in a single garment.
🤔 Possible Reasons and Interpretations
1. Spiritual Separation
The Torah often emphasizes separation and distinction — between clean and unclean, holy and profane, Sabbath and workdays. Shatnez may symbolize God's desire for order and separation in creation.
2. Pagan Practices
Some scholars suggest this was a prohibition against pagan priestly garments. Ancient Canaanite and Egyptian priests may have worn mixed garments as part of their rituals.
3. Priestly Garments Exception
Interestingly, the High Priest’s ephod and breastplate in the Tabernacle did combine wool and linen (Exodus 28). This suggests:
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The combination was reserved for sacred service only.
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Common people were not to imitate the priesthood or treat the holy as common.
4. Symbol of Obedience
Even if we don’t fully understand the reason, it serves as a test of submission to God's commandments. Obedience sometimes means following instructions simply because they came from the King.
🧪 How It’s Still Followed Today
In Orthodox Judaism and Messianic Jew Christians today, garments — especially suits and coats — are often tested for shatnez using microscopes and lab equipment. If a garment is found to contain both wool and linen, a specialist must remove the forbidden material or the garment is not worn.
✝️ Messianic and Christian View
While many Apostate Christians believe the ceremonial laws are no longer binding under the New Covenant, Messianic believers often continue to observe this and other Torah commands out of love for Yeshua and a desire to walk as He walked (1 John 2:6).
🪡 Final Thoughts: A Call to Holiness
The command against mixing wool and linen reminds us that God cares about the details — even what we wear. It also points to a deeper spiritual truth: the importance of distinction — between holy and profane, between God's ways and the world’s ways. Do you want to obey all of God's commands? DO NOT MIX any different types of material together! Wear 100% Linen or 100% Wool or 100% Cotton, do not be like the pagans who do not care what God thinks. You are different because you obey the commands of God!
"Be ye holy, for I am holy." — Leviticus 11:44, 1 Peter 1:16
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