Leviticus 19:19 reads, “You are to keep My statutes. You shall not breed together two kinds of your cattle; you shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed, nor wear a garment upon you of two kinds of material mixed together.”
That is talking specifically about wool and linen. Other mixtures of fibres are acceptable. It may interest you to know that orthodox Jews to this day do not wear clothing that contains both wool and linen.
It is interesting how we follow some verses in the bible but not others.
a) When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord (Lev 1:9). The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?
b) I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?
c) I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness (Lev 15:19-24). The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.
d) Lev. 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. Where can I buy a New Zealander?
e) I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself?
f) A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an Abomination (Lev 11:10), it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this?
g) Lev 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here?
h) Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev 19:27. How should they die?
i) I know from Lev 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?
j) My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? (Lev 24:10-16) Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)
Taken from my fb tho I can't remember where I found it.
However, someone told me that the NT makes a lot of these laws void (though I believe Judaism follows the OT, no?)
a) Bulls may only be sacrificed at the altar in the Temple. As such, it should pose no problem for your neighbour. (Additionally, you're not going to be doing any sacrificing, as a woman.)
b) In a case whereby a father simply cannot provide his daughter, he may 'sell' her to another, for that person to take care of her until she is old enough to care for herself. Nowadays, we call that 'adoption'.
c) It may interest you to know that even today, orthodox Jews do not have any relations when the wife is menstruating. It's called
Taharat Hamishpacha, and is one of the most important facets of Judaism.
d) In the New Zealand slave market.
e) No, you are morally obligated to take him to the Beth Din (Court of Law). There, the case would be judged (although you would not count as a witness) and, if all the criteria were filled, the Beth Din would put him to death. Nowadays, in the absence of the Sanhedrin, there are no courts with the power to impose the death sentence. When the Sanhedrin returns, so will the death sentence.
f) No, I can't. G-d calls them both abominations, so we would have to assume that they are equal.
g) As you are both a women and not a Kohen, this doesn't matter to you. But the list of blemishes which invalidate a person from the priesthood is clearly set out in the commentaries. If you are really interested, look it up.
h) Again, it may interest you to know that orthodox Jews do not ever completely remove their sideburns, as per this commandment. Many never cut them at all. As for your friends, I'm assuming they're not Jewish, so the commandment does not apply to them. If they are Jewish, you should take them to a Beth Din.
i) Footballs are no longer made of pig skin. Problem solved.
j) The commandment to burn an entire town is not for towns which commit those sins. It's specifically for idol worship. According to the Talmud, such an event (the razing of an entire town) never too place in history.
Also, it may interest you to know that orthodox Jews to this day do not plant multiple crops in one field (although the rules for that are exceedingly complex), nor do they wear wool/linen blends.
I hope I've answered all your questions. Hit me back if you've got more.
It really bugs me when people say that all religions change over time, because it's so factually incorrect. Orthodox Judaism remains
exactly the same religion that it was 3000+ years ago. We still follow everyone of the exact same laws, and I challenge any of you to prove otherwise. The only difference right now is that in the absence of a Temple and a Sanhedrin, many of the commandments simply cannot be carried out. Tomorrow, when the Temple is rebuilt and the Sanhedrin reestablished, these laws will come bac into force exactly as stated in the Torah.
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