CLOTHING

MALE AND FEMALE CLOTHING

1. Deut.22:5 The woman shall not wear that which pertains to a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment, for all that do so are an abomination to YHWH your Elohim.

One should distinguish between what is women’s clothing (tailored for women) and men’s clothing (tailored for men). Accordingly, there are women’s pants and men’s pants. The same can be said about scarves, gloves, hats, and underwear, which are tailored for both men and women.

FRINGES (TZITZIT)

2. Num.15:38 Speak to the children of Israel: Tell them to make fringes* (tassels) on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a blue thread in the tassels of the corners. And you shall have the tassel, that you may look upon it and remember all the commandments of YHWH and do them, and that you may not follow the harlotry to which your own heart and your own eyes are inclined, and that you may remember and do all My commandments, and be holy for your Elohim. 

* ‘tassels or fringes’ – in Hebrew: צִיצִת ‘tzitzit’.

In Judaism white tassels (without blue threads in them) became very common. Spiritual leaders explain that this happened due to the lost tradition of dyeing threads into blue color ‘tkhelet’ with the use of ‘hilason’ or a special dye made out of mussels; they don’t agree to use any other dyes. This tradition is set above the words of  YHWH even though the Torah clearly speaks about the blue thread and it does not give any specific instructions on which method of dyeing should be used.

COVERING (TALLIT)

3. Deut.22:12 You shall make twisted cords* on the four corners of the garment** (covering) you wrap around yourself.

* ‘twisted cords’ – in Hebrew גדל  (gedil) – ‘twisted threads’, ‘twisted cords’, ‘tassels’, ‘festoons’.

** ‘garment covering’ – in Hebrew כסות (kesut) is translated as covering, which also means ‘clothing’ or ‘covering for head’ or ‘tallit’ which is used during prayer. The four sides of this head covering, which ancient Hebrews (same as modern Arabic people) wore on top of their garments, had tassels with blue thread sown into them – as constant reminder of ‘heavenly’ among the ‘earthly’.

LINEN AND WOOL

4. Deut.22:11 You shall not wear a garment of different sorts, such as wool and linen mixed together. Lev.19:19 Neither wear a garment of linen mixed with wool. 

Apart from the regular physical meaning of this commandment there is also a spiritual one, parallel to the parable of Yeshua about wheat and tares (Matt.13:22-30). Non-fruitful seeds (tares) mixed with fruitful ones (wheat) can cause harm. Paganism should not be mixed with the Torah; this is referred to as syncretism.