The Source of the Problem: Mass Usage of Remnants
From where does the modern problem of shatnez materialize
[pun]? If we are not talking about a woolen garment and wool
is not listed in the label, why should we dream that the
garment can have shatnez? Wool is generally considered a
component which hikes up the price so why should a
manufacturer insert wool in a linen garment?
Rabbi Yisroel Neuman, Official advisor of the Israeli Chief
Rabbinate in Shatnez, explains over the phone: "At this very
moment, I am in a factory in Shanghai, for the second time
in two weeks. In the process of production, the raw material
used for creating suits is linen. But the reinforcements,
such as, like the central front facing or at different
corners and places that require reinforcement, consists of
various remnants which are liable to include wool. This is
the strategy of modern production - in mass production,
fabric remnants are used for various purposes. This is our
Achilles heel and the reason why I am here - to prevent this
pitfall."
The colors hid the shatnez
In addition, there is a common problem in the production of
the fabric itself. The use of wool and linen is very
widespread in production: Wool-and-Linen has become very
popular in recent years, especially because of fashion modes
and it now exists in men's suits, women's and children's
clothing. There is hardly any self-respecting manufacturer
in the world which does not produce fabrics which are
composed of shatnez.
All of these shatnez problems, as we see from this sample
shown in the picture, exist even with an Israeli
manufacturer, as well as even with one who is chareidi.
Rav Neuman says, "If this holds true with one who
manufactures in Israel, the solution should be simple and
easy - why not start at the beginning by checking the very
fabric itself? Why not employ a shatnez supervisor from the
start?
"The biggest issue is really the public itself. There seems
to be an indifference in this matter, a lack of awareness on
the subject which is a not an imaginary nightmare. Not at
all! This is a real and existing pitfall. If the public were
to demand only garments which were pre-checked and certified
as being shatnez-free, the producers and suppliers would
surely do it. This must come from the public, however, a
demand which would force the manufactures to supply these
labels.
"There are some large scale organizations and bodies which
order hundreds of suits every year and bargain over price
and fashion - and don't even mention the subject of shatnez-
free labels. We wish they would take up the issue. I
personally guarantee: if such a body were to make a deal
with the importer and demand to receive merchandise with
such a label, I would travel to their factory to supervise,
even without payment, to assure that these labels were
forthcoming, even for the reason that it enter the awareness
of yeshiva students. If they demand this, the importers
would surely seek to acquire such a hechsher!"
It is Not Enough to Test Samples
Rabbi Schloss, a shatnez checker in Modi'in Illit and in
Bnei Brak, says: "How is it that the consumer believes the
salesperson or the manufacturer, without testing or calling
up the laboratory? And even those who do call and receive
an answer that `we did make a sample test and found no
problems - but we did not test every item. Some people come
and have those items tested, but not all.' There is a
misguided presumption that a sample test is reliable enough,
whereas gedolei Yisroel determine explicitly that one cannot
rely on that halachically, and we see this in reality."
Shatnez was recently discovered in a shoulder pad, which is
no surprise. "We are talking about a well known brand name.
Whenever such suits were brought to us, we saw that the
contents of the inner fabric such as shoulder pads etc. is
not uniform. Each suit is made up of different material and
even within one suit, the left is not always the same as the
right. The importer writes: `Shatnez-free', but this is no
guarantee or certification. See, in this checkup I found
linen in the shoulder pad of a wool suit.
"The importer came to the lab very upset. I asked him why
the inner fabric varies. He replied: `It can't be. We issue
instructions to the Chinese as to which materials to use.' I
understood that the man knew about fashion in general but
had not the faintest idea of how a suit looks from the
inside. I showed him and he was surprised. To his credit it
should be said that he introduced changes since then such as
new rules to the Chinese manufacturer regarding the inner
fabric.
One out of six identical pants had shatnez
They look like all other pants
"The problem remains that few customers bring these suits in
to check, though there is no guarantee that he fulfills
these instructions since few customers bring in their
purchases for checking. It is possible that there are more
suits containing shatnez but they were not brought in for
checking."
Here is a story that took place two weeks ago: "Six pants
were brought in for checking with a Marks and Spencer label,
all bought in England all were from the same manufacturer
and were the same design model. The examiner in London told
me that people think that if the suit jacket was found
clean, there was no need to test the trousers and if one
jacket was tested, it means that all similar jackets are ok.
This is not true. We tested two identical suits where one
pair of trousers had shatnez in the interfacing and the
other suit didn't but the jacket did. Of the six pairs of
pants mentioned earlier, one did have shatnez. While this is
not a common occurrence, it shows that one must be on his
toes and that in general, one should upgrade public
awareness so as not to stumble."
The last example which Rabbi Schloss refers to is chilling
indeed. A shatnez-containing women's suit sold to women from
chareidi communities in the U.S. was tested only after they
arrived in Eretz Yisroel and found to contain shatnez.
"A family living in Yerushalayim brought me a garment from
America, a suit with colored stripes bearing a label: 36%
cotton, 32% linen, 26% viscose, 6% elastic. It was bought in
a chareidi shop in Flatbush, a model sold in Lakewood as
well. One of the colored stripes contained wool: real
shatnez.
The label had no hint of wool
"I contacted the Lakewood shatnez laboratory which told me
that this model had been on the market for a year but no one
had brought it in for checking. Consumers took it for
granted that a garment sold in a chareidi store whose label
did not mention wool, was O.K. Only here in Eretz Yisroel
did someone bother to bring it in for testing. We always
maintain that a garment which has several colors must be
tested. Similarly for a garment that has appliques or added
decoration which should also be tested. The above examples
are not commonplace, but come to show that one cannot rely
on sellers and must be checked. One must maintain
awareness."
The Halacha determines that one cannot rely on sample
testing. Thus any questionable garment which does not bear a
shatnez-free label must be brought to a reliable checker and
may not be worn only on trust of the seller. May our
circumspection against prohibitions indeed spare us from
stumbling blocks, and may our prayers be accept pleasingly.
May Hashem duly answer all of our heart's requests for the
good.
Are there any categories of clothing that are known to be
without shatnez?
HaRav Moshe Stein, a motz and head of the executive
committee of the National Beis Din for Shatnez, says: "What
we know is that wool socks and stockings are usually shatnez-
free. Similarly for men's and women's wool scarves. Men's
sweaters without appliques and also underwear and shirts
since most are made of synthetic fibers. The matter is more
complex with women's apparel: anything that contains either
wool or linen must be tested. The simpler the garment, the
less chance of shatnez unless it contains appliques or is
color-striped."
