8-9 pm Torah Studies Class at Chabad of Uptown is on schedule! (for those still in town like me :)).... Somone has to protect this place with Torah!
The Class:
Ki Teizei: You are What you Wear
The spiritual and physical worlds constitute a single, unified whole. As G-d's guide to life in these worlds, the Torah necessarily takes a special interest in every part of our being - from our spiritual behavior to our social interactions to the way we conduct our mundane daily lives. This is notably demonstrated by the Torah's being acutely attuned to the slightest details regarding the foods we eat, and, as we will be discussing in this week's lesson, even to the garments that we wear. Of all our laws and customs, one of the least known is the Torah law that forbids the wearing of shatnez, which generally speaking is any garment containing both wool and linen. Many students probably have never heard of shatnez. Some may have heard of it but do not know what it is. Even those who may be scrupulous in following the kosher dietary laws may not concern themselves with shatnez, since they may believe that it is a local custom or an optional stringency, rather than a firm Torah law. But the fact is that both shatnez and kashrut are of equal standing in the Torah's 613 commandments. In other words, wearing shatnez is as much of a violation of G-d's will for us as eating a ham sandwich. In this class we will learn about this Biblical prohibition and see how the laws against shatnez teach us a unique spiritual lesson with regards to how a fundamental aspect of a G-dly life lies in our ability to limit our choices in life, while simultaneously ensuring that our individual personalities are not limited to one style or manner of living.
Kesiva Vachasima Tova,
May you be you inscribed and sealed for a happy, sweet new year,
Rabbi Chaim
