Negative Commandment 216 (Digest)
Planting Vegetables or Grain in a Vineyard
"You shall not sow your vineyard with different seeds"—Deuteronomy 22:9.
It is forbidden to plant vegetables or grain in a vineyard.
This biblical prohibition pertains only to the Land of Israel. The Sages, however, extended it to also include fields in the Diaspora.
Unabridged English Text of this Mitzvah »
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> The 216th prohibition is that we are forbidden from planting grain or vegetables in a vineyard. This type of mixture is called kilai ha'kerem (kilayim in a vineyard ).
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> The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement,;) "Do not plant your vineyard with kilayim."
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> In the words of the Sifri: "Why do we need the verse, 'Do not plant your vineyard with kilayim'? It already is written, 'Do not plant your field with kilayim,' which certainly includes both [kilayim in ] a vineyard and a field!"
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> They answer, "This verse comes to teach that anyone who allows kilayim in a vineyard transgresses two prohibitions.";)
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> You should be aware that kilai ha'kerem is prohibited by Torah law only in Eretz Yisroel. One who plants wheat, barley, and grapes in the same handful, and in Eretz Yisroel, is punished by lashes.
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> Outside Eretz Yisroel, this planting is forbidden by Rabbinic law and one who plants wheat, barley, and grapes in the same handful receives lashes by Rabbinic decree.
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> Grafting together trees [of different species], however, is [prohibited by Torah law and] punishable by lashes everywhere [‑both in Eretz Yisroel and outside Eretz Yisroel]. This prohibition is included in the general statement, "Do not plant your field with kilayim.";)
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> The details of this mitzvah are also explained in tractate Kilayim.
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> Footnotes
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> Dev. 22:9.
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> 2.
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> Therefore we see that this counts as a separate prohibition in the count of 613.
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> 3.
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> This verse includes grafting different species of trees, but does not include planting different species of seeds (see N215, above). In Hilchos Kilayim, 1:3, the Rambam explains that we know this from the Oral Tradition. See Kapach, 5731, note 47.