[Avodah] Kilayim - Holy or Evil?

[Elazar M. Teitz]

RMicha Berger writes:
> I think most of us have the impression, perhaps correctly, that kelayim
> are evil, which is why it's assur to make or use them.
> To justify this opinion, R' Shimon ben Elazaqr defines shaatnez as
> "naluz umeiliz es Aviv shebashayim alav." (Mishnah Kelayim 9:8, 9:5
> in the Vilna ed Y-mi)
(snip)
>OTOH, all through Mes' Kelayim, the prohibition is "maqdish" the
>resulting combination. The lashon implies that the problem is that
>mixtures of species or of shaatnez is too much for this world.

>And the avneit is made from shaatnez (sheish and techeiles) as was the
>kohein gadol's kusones tashbeitz.

>So, what is it -- is kelayim a negative, or is it altogether the reverse:
>too positive for daily use? And what does that say about the Torah's
>attitude WRT "tampering" with the order of nature?

Although the avneit is germane to the question, the use of the verb
kuf-daled-shin is not. It is never used in conjunction with shatnez,
nor for that matter with harba'a, kilei z'ra'im or harkava. It is
used exclusively regarding kilei hakerem, and means exclusively that
the resulting crops are asur b'hana'a. Thus, RZev Sero is correct in
his statement that "the translation of the word in that context is
'separated,' i.e. you are separated from it and must not have anything
to do with it."

EMT