Bais HaVaad on the Parsha, Parshas Tetzaveh

Majority Wule

March 6, 2025

Excerpted and adapted from a shiur by Rav Moshe Ze’ev Granek

The Mishnah (Kilayim 9:1) says that all the bigdei kehunah are made of sheep’s wool, linen, or both. The Mishnah later says that if one mixed together sheep’s wool and camel’s wool, the status of the thread follows the rov (majority) of the fibers. The context of this halacha is that of kilayim (which forbids wearing a mixture of sheep’s wool—not camel’s wool—and linen), but it is unclear whether it also applies to the halacha about bigdei kehunah).

To resolve this ambiguity, we need to explain the basis for this halacha. According to the Bais Yosef (based upon his understanding of the Rambam and Smag), we follow rov here because of bitul (nullification): The majority thread nullifies the minority. However, perhaps bitul can only be used to nullify an issur mixed with heter and render it permitted, but not to grant a status that an item does not have. So if bigdei kehunah must be made from sheep’s wool, perhaps a garment with a sheep’s wool majority does not qualify based on bitul. This question may be subject to a dispute among the Rishonim (see Koveitz He’aros 59).

According to the Noda Bihuda (Tinyana 186), the Mishnah invokes rov not due to bitul, but because every fabric has a halachic status: If a majority of the fibers are tzemer (sheep’s wool), the fabric is classified as tzemer, but if the majority is a different material, the fabric is not tzemer. According to this it would seem that a fabric of mostly sheep’s wool and a minority of other material would be acceptable for the bigdei kehunah, because the fabric is defined as tzemer.