{"id":11972,"date":"2026-07-04T00:07:51","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T21:07:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/?p=11972"},"modified":"2026-08-03T13:40:54","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T10:40:54","slug":"17-04-08","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/17-04-08\/","title":{"rendered":"08. The Reason for the Mitzva"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"direction: ltr\">The prohibition of vineyard <em>kilayim<\/em> is unique. In addition to the prohibition against mixing grain or vegetables with a grapevine, the produce that grows from such a mixture is itself forbidden, both to eat and to derive benefit from, as it says: \u201cYou shall not sow your vineyard with <em>kilayim<\/em>, lest the full yield \u2013 the seed you sow and the produce of the vineyard \u2013 become consecrated\u201d (Devarim 22:9). Here, \u201cbecome consecrated\u201d does not refer to positive holiness. It means that the produce has been designated and set aside for a particular purpose. Usually, such designation is holy and exalted; at times, however, people dedicate themselves to sin, as in the case of a prostitute, who is called a <em>kedesha<\/em> (Bereishit 38:21). So too, the fruit of vineyard <em>kilayim<\/em>, having been set apart through sin, becomes consecrated to impurity and is forbidden to the entire Jewish people.<\/p>\n<p style=\"direction: ltr\">Vineyard <em>kilayim<\/em> may be treated so severely because it involves the vineyard, and wine has extraordinary power \u2013 for good and for harm. On the one hand, song and blessing are recited over wine. On the other hand, it can degrade a person and cast him into the depths of sin. For this reason, a special mitzva of <em>nezirut<\/em> was established in relation to wine: one who fears that wine may pull his heart toward evil, or hinder his growth in holiness, takes a vow to abstain from it. Indeed, an entire tractate of the Talmud is devoted to this subject: <em>Nazir<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"direction: ltr\">Since wine can sway a person\u2019s judgment, the Torah forbids kohanim to drink wine while serving in the Temple. Similarly, one who has drunk wine may not pray (<em>Peninei Halakha: Prayer<\/em> 5:11). This same concern helps explain why the Torah treated vineyard <em>kilayim<\/em> more severely than other forms of <em>kilayim<\/em>: anything connected to wine requires special care. Wine should be used for the joy of a mitzva, not for unrestrained indulgence or escape from responsibility (see <em>Peninei Halakha: Berakhot<\/em> 7:1\u20132).<\/p>\n<p style=\"direction: ltr\">There is another dimension as well: grain, legumes, and vegetables are essential to human survival. Although eating them does not involve especially intense desire, a person cannot live without them. Therefore, one must work diligently to cultivate them and eat them regularly. Wine, by contrast, is not necessary for survival, but it brings great joy and is meant to serve the joy of a mitzva. This helps explain why blurring the boundary between these two categories is dangerous. If a person treats wine like grain, drinking it as a regular staple, he may become enslaved to his desire and fall into alcoholism. Even if he does not become addicted, excessive daily drinking causes wine to lose its special role in the joy of a mitzva. Conversely, if a person treats grain like a vine, as though it were not essential, he will become lazy, and thorns will grow in his field instead of grain (see <em>Shemen Ra\u2019anan<\/em>, p. 333, citing Maran Rav Kook).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The prohibition of vineyard kilayim is unique. In addition to the prohibition against mixing grain or vegetables with a grapevine, the produce that grows from such a mixture is itself forbidden, both to eat and to derive benefit from, as it says: \u201cYou shall not sow your vineyard with kilayim, lest the full yield \u2013 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[225],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11972","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-17-04"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>08. 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In addition to the prohibition against mixing grain or vegetables with a grapevine, the produce that grows from such a mixture is itself forbidden, both to eat and to derive benefit from, as it says: \u201cYou shall not sow your vineyard with kilayim, lest the full yield \u2013 [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/17-04-08\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Peninei Halakha\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-03T21:07:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-03T10:40:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"\u05e6\u05d5\u05d5\u05ea \u05d4\u05d0\u05ea\u05e8\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"\u05e6\u05d5\u05d5\u05ea \u05d4\u05d0\u05ea\u05e8\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ph.yhb.org.il\\\/en\\\/17-04-08\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ph.yhb.org.il\\\/en\\\/17-04-08\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"\u05e6\u05d5\u05d5\u05ea \u05d4\u05d0\u05ea\u05e8\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ph.yhb.org.il\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7866b763cf3f205e4ae075eebce0d674\"},\"headline\":\"08. 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