וטעם להזכיר אחר אלה המצות בהמתך לא תרביע כלאים. להזהיר אחר היותך קדוש שלא תעשה חמס לבן אדם כמוך גם לא תעשה לבהמה לשנות מעשה השם על כן כתוב את חקתי תשמרו לשמור כל מין שלא יתערב מין עם מין: [THOU SHALT NOT LET THY CATTLE GENDER WITH A DIVERSE KIND.] The reason Scripture states Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind is to warn us. Since you are holy, in that you do not act violently towards your fellow human being, you must also not do anything to an animal which entails changing God’s work. Scripture therefore reads, Ye shall keep My statutes; that is, each species is to be preserved. A kind is not to interbreed with another kind.
כלאים. שני מינים ועוד אפרש מלת כלאים. וטעם השדה והבגד להיות לזכרון כי יש מצות רבות לזכר כחג המצות וסוכות וציצית ושופר ומזוזה ותפילין. ופה ארמוז לך סוד דע כי השלם שלם מאד על כן כתוב באברהם וישמור משמרתי מצותי חקותי ותורותי: WITH A DIVERSE KIND. Kilayim (a diverse kind) means two kinds. I will yet explain the meaning of kilayim.71I.E. apparently never got around to this (Weiser). The reason for the law regarding a field and a garment is that they serve as reminders,72They remind us not to alter the species, which God has created, by crossbreeding or cross-planting. for many commandments serve as reminders. Examples of the latter are: the festival of unleavened bread,73The unleavened bread serves as a reminder of Exodus. See Deut. 16:3. Sukkot,74The sukkot serve as a reminder of booths in which the Israelites dwelled during their sojourn in the desert (Lev. 23:43). tzitzit,75The tzitzit serve as a reminder of God’s commandments (Num. 15:39). shofar,76Scripture speaks of Rosh Ha-Shanah as being a memorial proclaimed with the blast of the horn. The commentaries offer various interpretations of what the sounding of the shofar is to serve as a reminder, among them, God’s revelation, to repent. mezuzah,77To study and to teach Torah to one’s children. See Deut. 6:4-9; 13-21. and tefilin.78The tefilin serves a reminder of the Exodus (Ex. 13:9) and of our obligation to study and to teach Torah to our children (Deut: 6:4-9; 13-21). See Yesod Mora, Chapter 5. I will hint to you here at a secret. Know that “the complete is very complete.”79A person who is spiritually perfect does not need any reminder of what God desires of him, for on his own he knows God’s will. Scripture therefore says with regard to Abraham,80Who was complete. and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws (Gen. 26:5).81Abraham on his own knew and kept God’s charge, commandments, statutes, and laws
שעטנז. המעתיקים אמרו שהיא שלש מלות או מחומשת ופירושה מעורב והוא שם לבדו במקרא: OF TWO KINDS. The transmitters of tradition said that the word shatnez (two kinds) is made up of three words.82According to the rabbis the term shatnez is a combination of shu’a (hackled), tavuy (spun), and nuz (twined). It may come from a five-letter root.83It comes from the root shin, ayin, tet, nun, zayin. The meaning of shatnez is “mixed.”84It refers to a garment made out of a mixture of linen and wool. See Deut. 22:11. It is a noun which stands alone in Scripture.85It is not found in the construct, and no word is found to be in the construct with it (Weiser).