Dear Rabbi Simon,
I have a linen suit which I sometimes wear on Shabbat. The tallit I wear over the suit is made from wool. I was wondering if there is an issue with shaatnez if I wear them together. If not, could you please explain.
Many thanks.
Will
Dear Will,
Thank you for your interesting and practical question. The answer is, yes you may. The prohibition applies to garments stitched together. There are grounds to be stringent if one garment cannot be removed while wearing the other (eg shirt and undershirt). But that is not the case with a suit and a tallit, so it is allowed.
Best wishes
Rabbi Rashi Simon
Q&A Addendum:
In a follow up to last week’s Shaatnez Q&A, an avid reader added a valuable observation, from personal experience: “Some time ago I wanted to buy a linen jacket, but I had to return each one I bought, as they were found to have Shaatnez.” It seems that, practically speaking, “linen” garments often have woollen threads somewhere in the fabric.