The “goldene medina” that was America back in the 1800s and early 1900s was a sad place as it pertained to Jewish life. Unfortunately, many people were unwilling, unable, or simply didn’t know better regarding keeping all of our beautiful mitzvos.
One mitzvah in which Jews in America were severely lacking was that of shaatnez – not wearing wool mixed with linen. For many decades, this mitzvah was pushed aside, with nary anyone to care for it. That changed in the mid-1900s and it is now commonplace for suit stores to have in-house shaatnez checkers to ensure that those buying merchandise will not be nichshol. This is all wonderful.
However, I think there is one area that people do not realize or understand the obstacle that they face on literally a daily basis. I’m speaking of carrying cash in your pocket.
U.S. paper currency is printed on what is essentially fabric. It consists of 75% cotton and 25% linen. Now, that poses a problem. If you are wearing wool pants and you stick paper money into it, who is to say that small strands of linen aren’t falling off, mixing with your pants’ wool, and causing a shaatnez issue?
I haven’t yet discussed this with a rav, but this has been bothering me deeply. I think that the most obvious and simple solution is to always make sure you have a wallet. This way, if you need to carry cash with you, it can simply be covered up by the wallet. Doing this will ensure that there is no chashash that linen fibers will fall off the currency and into your wool pants.
Kol tuv.
Avraham K – Brooklyn
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53 Responses
HaRav Avrohom Shlita,
The headline says MUST. Then at the end you state that you never asked a Rov.
I have a wonderful idea.
Why not ask a Rov FIRST?
Then, if he says that EVERY yid MUST carry cash in a wallet AND he brings credible sources for this psak, THEN you can write letters to websites.
Until then, please keep your chumrus to yourself 😎.
Have a wonderful day!
At this point the bigger issue would be where to find wool pants for sale. All polyester.
Don’t forget to shaatnez test your wallet for woolen thread.
I have been involved in clothing manufacturing. I am left with two questions;
1, Do you really think that suit linings and pockets are made of wool?
2, Halachickly, if wool and lined threads touch but are not woven, is it Shatnez? In this case I can not imagine the Dollar threads coming close to twisting around.
I’ll try to be nice but please forgive me if I come off as anything but. I’m sure when you had this idea you thought you would be helping people from being nichshal in terrible aveira which Shatnez is. Don’t you think though that before you start telling people what to do you should at least confirm whether or not there is even a remote chance of a problem in this area?!
Anyway, I do have some-admittedly- rudimentary knowledge of shatnez and I am quite sure that strands that fall off of a dollar bill do not become part of the beged one is wearing rendering the garment shatnez.
Hatzlacha.
Refua shlaima
Is this a joke? Why hasn’t the writer asked a posek for a psak on this matter which concerns him?
Wow. Purim Torah already! Zerizin Makdimin LeMitzvos.
Maybe this is an issue. Seems like a real stretch to me.
How about ask your Rav first and if it’s an issue, we can go from there.
YWN shouldn’t have posted this considering that the writer admitted they are presumably making up this chumrah.
I heard about people wearing a “$1,000” suit, but I did not think that was meant literally.
Credit cards and online banking will resolve your problems. If you go around with bundles of cash,
you have bigger problems: people might think that you try to avoid taxes by paying cash or are not able to get credit.
It is also 100% FACT that the moon is made of 25% soy and 75% swiss cheese. I saw it on youtube so that’s ironclad information.
Everyone knows that all paper is made exclusively from premium alpaca wool
Why wasn’t anyone concerned when, not so many years ago, esrogim were wrapped in a big wad of flax rather than the synthetic foam rubber we see today? Fibers of the flax wrapping, used to cushion the esrog in its box, could have inadvertently become enmeshed in a wool suit. Yet nobody ever mentioned the issue, much less published a psak din.
Wow good point!! I can’t believe the Lubavitcher Rebbi gave out dollar bills and potentially caused so many to be oiver on the this.
If you have an issue with the bills you can send them to me I will make good use of them
Every one wants to be a rav. But with out the knowledge. Perhaps you should have thought of asking a competent yes competent rav first Before you were just thinking
All very nice to bash the publisher. Maybe bash yeshiva world moderators. They are the professionals that have to review every comment first. So why would this be posted??? He agreed he didn’t ask a rov and besides what’s the chances the small threads twist into the assuming wool pants of people to make it an issue? Seems very extreme and far but again the publisher was just trying to bring up a point that might be concerning. But why would the moderator post this? They want people to do what we are all doing and that’s not nice at all…… this is the only thing I can think of let me know if there is other thoughts.
V’ahavta L’reiacha Kamocha
Can you please tell me why all my comments are not going through?
Thank you.
This is a very important article. As there are people who worry the whole day and don’t know why. Now they have a reason.
Also some people don’t have a worry at all. Now they can start worrying.
Here is the real problem. As you missed the point. It doesn’t bother you your brother a follow Jew is being “bothering me deeply”. Try to help him.
Ng76b3c, Do you want my Con Ed bill?
I never saw fibers coming out of dollar bills
“I haven’t yet discussed this with a rav, but this has been bothering me deeply.”
See a psychiatrist!
You are the problem.
You are seeking attention for a non-issue, and admittedly have never spoken to a Rabbi, yet you insist that it’s mandatory to carry your cash that will not shed in a wallet to prevent the unshed fibers from coming into contact with the polyester pocket lining in your faux wool pants.
R’ Yisroel Belsky reportedly was very bothered when people went public with any sort of scandal with it was the orange juice, the fish, the water, the Arizona wheat etc. before discussing it with Rabbi’s.
If, and when you discover an issue, you should discuss it with a number of rabbis, and if they come to a consensus, let them make a public statement.
Ah another OCD theory of kooties that we Jews ‘need’ to adopt.
Is this a joke?
Is this a joke? WHy is this bothering you deeply?
Avaraham K, I don’t know if you are joking or not. If you’re not, then look at at all the other comments here and you’ll see why it’s not a shaila.
Here’s another shaila-on coins, it’s printed “In G-D we trust. Is that allowed to be brought into a bathroom? Maybe you should have a wallet so the coins will be double wrapped. (This is actually a real shaila that was printed in a sefer. If I recall, the sefer was called Nikayos Vekavod Letfilla or something like that)
yeshivaguy45
HARAV ELCHONON WASSERMAN ZTV”L HY”D WAS MAKPID NOT TO GO INTO THE BATHROOM WITH SUCH COINS.
I AM SURE THE ABOVE ARTICLE WAS JUST A JOKE FROM YWN. GETTING PEOPLE TO THINK IN LEARNING INSTEAD OF BEING BUSY WITH AP SHTUSSIM
This has to be the slowest news cycle of all time!
this article was definitely good for a laugh…
Chussid Shoitah 🙄
@Mike234- R’ Yoshe Ber ZT”L did not enter a bathroom with coins or paper bills for the same reason.
These type of articles are why I love YWN….. it gets the oilam going 🙂
This is an issue that only Yair Hoffman can authoritatively address and answer.
Another reason that frum yidden should NEVER carry fiat currency and ONLY transact in cryptocurrency. Think of those ehrliche yidden like Shmuly Bankman-Fried, who has dedicated his life and being mesiras nefesh to protect yidden from c’v being over on shatnetz and providing an easy way to convert the tumah of paper bills into bitcoin. I’m amazed that no one has started a Pidyon Shvuyim campaign for this yid who is being persecuted for his commitment to helping fellow yidden.
This guy here doesn’t need a POSEK or a RAV, this idiot needs a good psychiatrist.
My question to Yeshiva world, why bother publicizing idiotic statements vomited out by mentally deranged individuals
Must be a חיבור, and as such this poses no problem.
This article (and most of the comments) demonstrates incredible am ha’ratzus!!
An elementary review of the halochos shows that this (worry of some linen strands falling into the woollen pocket) does not constitute shatnez!
One may place wool in a linen bag (and vice versa)!!
Therefore, if (huge IF) a few possible strands of linen were to dislodge from the currency (si-fi), they may be left in the woolen pocket of the pants.
Moreso: It is permitted to insert a linen string/elastic into wool pants for use of tightening the pants [as is common in sweat pants and hoods so long as it is possible to remove the string without needing to cut the sewing:
Rama 300/4
The reason: As since one is able to remove the belt/elastic without needing to udo the sewing it is similar to wearing a linen belt on a wool garment. [Rama ibid]
(Side note: This implies that by underwear or by certain sweatpants which the spandex is within the cloth it would be a problem, as one needs to first tear the cloth in order to remove it. However Tzaruch Iyun as later on we say that to place wool in a linen bag is permitted, and how is this any different? Perhaps in truth its only a problem if its attached to the linen, or if tied on both sides).
How does such an article which is contrary to halacha get printed in YWN?? Someone is not in yeshiva!
And how is it that none of the commentators pointed this out?
What next – a new chumra not to flush the toilet on shabbos because you are making a melachah of the water leave reshus hayochid into reshus harabim?!
Purim is still a few months away.
And a wide-brim hat is an ohel on shabbos!
And all eggs are ossur since the chicken might have been a treifa 9and eggs are a davar she’bminyan and therefore not bottle)!
And on shabbos forbid opening the front door or window causes the heat/air conditioner to go on!
And on shabbos forbid walking on streets which have CCTV causes them to start by your motion!
These are all muttar IF you know basic halacha, but can be subject of a Mailbox article by an author that deserves a full refund on his yeshiva tuition because he did not get what he paid for.
please send all the money and i will put a chesher on it asap
YWN fell for a troll.
Unless they’re trolling us.
There was a story with the Satmar Rav ztz’l who had as a guest on Chanukah, a man in my time who used to find kashrus problems. He wanted to tell him off and said to him, they found a pitcher enough for one day so what was the neis the first day? The fact that you were not there as you would have passeled the oil.
I agree with jack doe something duznt add up this has been bothering you deeply and you never spoke to a Poseik, that’s how deeply it’s been bothering you
Would you my warrior get off the keyboard and get your ruckhus over to a poseik
And here I thought smartphones and the age-gap hoax were the biggest problems plaguing Kllal Yisroel. Little did I know it was cash & wallets. Silly me.
The last part of the article was left out.
“Next month he’s coming out with the most Mehudar wallet available with 6 Hashgachas. It’s something no Yirei Shomayim should be without.
But wait there’s more! Get a 2nd Mehudar wallet free (just pay separate S&H).”
Remember when it was printed that a posek said one can’t pick one’s nose on Shabbos
Remember the shitel story
Remember the baby wipes on Shabbos story
This will also go into the same storybook
You should know these undermine some people’s Yiddishkeit
We have become policemen instead of keeping our own backyard clean !
Yanky55 – latest chumra: Not to say “el” (which is Hashem’s name) in Yishmoel.
Insead one should say “Yish-SHMUCKel”
(not considered “nivel peh” since it is for a “to’eles”).
@Rebbetzin G
Actually in Yerushalayim the halacha tech. machon revealed a causing electricity problem regarding toilet flush on Shabbat there. Check it out.
Oy vey now what will Feivish do? If he puts on any wooll clothing he’ll be a shtik shatnez
A regular wallet won’t do. A dollar bill might stick out and a fiber might fall off and connect to your pocket. It must be a sealed wallet. But wait what if when handling the bills some fiber rub off into your hands and then you touch your suit? I guess everyone should put on plastic gloves when touching dollar bills. So every frum Yid should have a sealed wallet and a box of plastic gloves wherever they go…
@Rebitzen G- I have no idea what your comment to me has to do with my comment about R’ Yoshe Ber not entering a bathroom with money in his pocket.
Last I checked,
NO strands fell off any dollar bills… But germs and value DID fall off the dollar bills.
IF this was a problem, it would have been discussed in the 18th through 20th centuries when “paper” money (always made on rag paper, made from linen) was common. As paper bills are no longer used by most people, the question is moot.