John D. Brey
Well-Known Member
Although shatnez is generally speaking a biblical prohibition against mixing wool and linen, Rabbi Samson R. Hirsch explains that it represents, or symbolizes, any, and all, mixing of unlike things that shant be mixed without transgressing God's plan and design. Wool and linen can be worn together, unified in one's clothing, so long as the two are not mixed. The prohibition is about "mixing" unlike things, and not about unifying them or having them in close proximity. As Rabbi Hirsch points out, shatnez forbids breeding unlike species since that's the quintessential "mixing" of unlike things.
Which brings us to ha-adam in the garden.
The first human is a unique, genderless, species. Originally, as originally designed, ha-adam can't mix, or breed, with an unlike species, since, as the sole genderless species, God's original design made that impossible. The rabbis imply that when ha-adam was seeking a "help-mate" or partner among the other creatures in the garden he was looking for a creature to mix with. But by God's design he found that impossible.
Which leads from the original design and plan, to Genesis 2:21, the darkest verse in the Tanakh, and forthwith and with haste, to the original sin that's the original transgressing of God's original design.
John
Which brings us to ha-adam in the garden.
The first human is a unique, genderless, species. Originally, as originally designed, ha-adam can't mix, or breed, with an unlike species, since, as the sole genderless species, God's original design made that impossible. The rabbis imply that when ha-adam was seeking a "help-mate" or partner among the other creatures in the garden he was looking for a creature to mix with. But by God's design he found that impossible.
Which leads from the original design and plan, to Genesis 2:21, the darkest verse in the Tanakh, and forthwith and with haste, to the original sin that's the original transgressing of God's original design.
John
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