Halacha on the Go
AskLibrary

Chapter 4

Seed Kilayim and Vineyard Kilayim

כלאי זרעים · כלאי הכרם

In this chapter (8)
  1. 1. The Prohibition Against Seed Kilayim
  2. 2. The Concern Of Marit Ayin In Seed Kilayim
  3. 3. The Required Separations For Seed Kilayim
  4. 4. Vineyard Kilayim: A Distinct And Stricter Prohibition
  5. 5. When The Produce Becomes Forbidden
  6. 6. Required Distances For Vineyard Kilayim
  7. 7. The Diaspora And Kilayim Of Non-Jews
  8. 8. THE REASON FOR THE MITZVAThe Reason for the Mitzva
4:1

The Prohibition Against Seed Kilayim

כלאי זרעים

The Torah prohibits sowing two types of seed together in a field in Eretz Yisrael. Each type must be sown on its own, as it says: “You shall keep My statutes… You shall not sow your field with kilayim” (Vayikra 19:19). The word kilayim means “mixture.” This prohibition includes edible grains, legumes, and vegetables. Plant species grown for ornamentation or medicine, however, are not included.

The prohibition against seed kilayim applies to annual crops: grain, legumes, and vegetables. There is no prohibition against planting different species of trees together, nor against planting trees together with an annual crop. Even when trees are intermingled, their size makes it clear that each tree has its own distinct place. The annual crops planted among them likewise have their own place, since trees grow upward and their roots spread far outward, leaving room for the annual crop to grow among them.

One who waters, fertilizes, weeds, or otherwise assists the growth of kilayim violates a Torah prohibition punishable by lashes. Even when kilayim grew on its own in his field, as long as he wants them there – or it appears as though he wants them there – he must uproot them, for one may not maintain kilayim in one’s field (MT, Laws of Kilayim 1:1–3).

If one deliberately sowed kilayim, the produce may nevertheless be eaten. The prohibition is against sowing and cultivating kilayim; eating what grows from them is not prohibited (MT, Laws of Kilayim 1:7). Only with vineyard kilayim does the resulting produce become forbidden to eat.

The prohibition against seed kilayim applies in Eretz Yisrael. Even on land owned by a gentile, a Jew may not sow kilayim. In the Diaspora, however, a Jew may sow seed kilayim, because the verse speaks of “your field,” and only Eretz Yisrael is considered “your field” for this purpose. The Sages did not prohibit seed kilayim there either; they prohibited only vineyard kilayim in the Diaspora, because it is more severe: one may neither eat its produce nor derive benefit from it (see below, section 7).

In Eretz Yisrael, it is also prohibited to sow two species together in a pot. If the pot is perforated, it is considered connected to the ground, and the prohibition applies by Torah law. If it is not perforated, it is detached from the ground, and the prohibition is rabbinic.¹

1 of 8