Daily Mitzvah (Rambam)

The 217th prohibition is that we are forbidden from crossbreeding different species of animals.

The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement,1 "Do not crossbreed your livestock with other species."

The punishment for crossbreeding an animal is lashes, provided that the person actually placed the organ of the male animal in that of the female by hand, [as the Talmud puts it,] "like an applicator2 in its tube." Our Sages3 said this clearly: "For adultery, [the witnesses] only need to see them in the position of sexual relations. For crossbreeding, they must see 'like an applicator in its tube.' " Only then does the person receive lashes.

The details of this mitzvah are explained in the eighth chapter of tractate Kilayim.

Footnotes

1.

Lev. 19:19.

2.

Mak'chol, literally a stick, etc. used to apply k'chol (a medication or cosmetic) to the eye. The k'chol was stored in a tube, and the mak'chol was dipped in the tube in order to apply the k'chol to the eye.

3.

Baba Metzia 91a.

The 218th prohibition is that we are forbidden from using two species of animals to work together.

The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement,1 "Do not plow with an ox and a donkey together."

One receives lashes for using them for any kind of work, such as plowing, threshing, or driving.2 This is because the verse says, "together," meaning that one cannot bring them together for any kind of work.

One only receives lashes by Torah law when one species is kosher and the other one non-kosher, such as "an ox and a donkey." Then, one is lashed for plowing, pulling or driving with them. One receives lashes by Rabbinic decree for using any two species [even if they are both kosher or both non-kosher].

The details of this mitzvah are explained in the eighth chapter of tractate Kilayim.

Footnotes

1.

Deut. 22:10.

2.

I.e., pulling a wagon.