Forbidden Mixtures (Kilayim)
The limits of kilayim keep:
- Individual creations true to themselves, in the way they were created by God, and
- Different, or opposing, spiritual forces governing creation in their own places and within their own bounds.
Note The Shulchan Aruch lists over 120 halachot pertaining to kilayim in planting!
Kilayim-type laws apply today to:- Animals (not yoking an ox and donkey together; not interbreeding, say, a horse and a donkey to produce a mule),
- Food (not eating milk with meat),
- Clothing - not wearing a garment made of a mixture of linen and wool (sha'atnez), and
-
Plants (interplanting, interbreeding, and grafting different species).
Note Vineyards in Eretz Yisrael may only be near fruit trees if:
- A wall divides fruit tree and vineyard, OR
- The vineyard is not a bona fide vineyard. A bona fide vineyard has at least 5 grapevines in at least two rows, with at least two vines in one row and three in the other.