Parshat Tazria (Vayikra 13:47-48) speaks about Tzaraat of the garment, where we can gain insight into which materials clothing was made out of in Biblical days:
If there shall be a skin eruption of Tzaraat in a garment, in a woolen garment, or a linen garment, or in the warp (lengthwise) or the woof (widthwise) of the linen or the wool; or in leather or in anything fashioned of leather…
Tzaraat on a garment symbolizes that the person transgressed by speaking Lashon HaRa (evil speech).
We are familiar with wool and linen being mentioned together from the prohibition in Dvarim 22:11 against wearing a garment made of Shaatnez (wool and linen). The reason behind Shaatnez is not given and Shaatnez does not apply to Tzizit or the clothing of the Kohanim (Priestly Garments).
Both wool and linen were very much a part of Israel’s landscape in Biblical times.
In Shmuel Alef, 25:2-8, we read about sheep shearing being celebrated as a holiday:
There was a man in Maon whose possessions were in Carmel. The man was very wealthy; he owned three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. At the time, he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.
The man’s name was Naval, and his wife’s name was Avigail. The woman was intelligent and beautiful, but the man, a Calevite, was harsh and an evildoer. David was in the wilderness when he heard that Naval was shearing his sheep. David dispatched ten young men, and David instructed the young men, “Go up to Carmel. When you come to Naval, greet him in my name. Say as follows: ‘To life! Greetings to you and to your household and to all that is yours! I hear that you are now doing your shearing. As you know, your shepherds have been with us; we did not harm them, and nothing of theirs was missing all the time they were in Carmel.
Ask your young men and they will tell you. Receive these young men graciously, for we have come on a festive occasion. Please give your servants and your son David whatever you can.’”
Naval, who was selfish did not want to share anything and did not want to recognize David. David would have gone to fight him if Avigail, Naval’s wife did not step in with food and apologies. After Naval died, David asked Avigail to marry him.
As in the days of King David, Israel still has a lot of sheep and continues to produce wool. Israel exports around $196k of wool and animal hair per year.
As for linen, there are 200 different types in the world, seven of which were grown in the Land of Israel in Biblical times.
Flax was produced in Egypt as well as we see in the plague of hail (Shmot 9:31): “The flax and barley were struck, for the barley was ripe and the flax was in its stalk.”
When the spies went to Rahav’s home in Jericho (Yehoshua 2:6), she used flax to hide them: “She had brought them up to the roof and hidden them in the stalks of flax that had been arranged for her on the roof.”
Clothing made out of linen was called “bigdei shesh”. It was used for the Kohanim as well as for royalty. In the song, Eshet Chayil, A Woman of Valor, (Mishlei 31:22) the woman who is praised is described as wearing linen and purple.
Flax is no longer grown for commercial linen production in Israel.
May we see the rebuilding of the Beit HaMikdash and return to a time where the Kohanim can once again wear garments made of wool and linen.
