Israel, a global leader in innovation, is experimenting in food technology, particularly in the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Some recent projects include lab-grown meat, milk made using cow proteins, and gene-edited hens that only hatch female chicks. The country’s rabbinic authorities have generally supported the responsible development of genetically modified foods when such activities promote human welfare and respect traditional religious boundaries. Some commonly used principles that come up and are relied on in these decisions include pikuach nefesh, bal tashchit, kilayim, shomrei adamah, and kashrut.
The first principle, pikuach nefesh, is that saving a life takes precedence over other obligations. Israel has many programs using CRISPR, a gene-editing technology, to develop products such as lettuce with increased nutritional content, high-protein chickpeas, and technology to reduce sugar in drinks. To apply the principle of pikuach nefesh to these GMOs, CRISPR can be considered a way to save lives by improving health benefits in common foods and encouraging continued development of GMOs.
The second principle, bal tashchit, forbids senseless waste and environmental harm. In the context of GMOs, this commandment can be understood in two opposing ways: either permitting modification when it prevents food waste, or condemning gene editing itself as a form of environmental harm. Rambam (Hilchot Melachim 6:8) clarifies that the prohibition applies only to destruction without an additional constructive purpose. Cutting down one tree to preserve others, he writes, is not wanton destruction and is therefore permitted. His interpretation suggests that technology designed to prevent waste accords with bal tashchit rather than violating it.
Several Israeli innovations reflect this reasoning. Scientists have genetically edited bananas to stay fresh for over a month—an application bal tashchit would permit, even promote, because it prevents waste. The startup Bountica develops food preservation technology that avoids hazardous materials, while Agritask uses crop data intelligence to reduce overproduction and crop failure. Each embodies Rambam’s constructive reading of bal tashchit in modern technological form.
Kilayim, the third principle related to food technology, is the prohibition against mixing certain species. The most common examples are sha’atnez, when wool and cotton are sewn into the same article of clothing, and crossbreeding a horse and donkey to create a mule. These prohibitions are commonly understood as helping preserve the natural distinctions in Divine creation. These halakhot suggest that certain forms of genetic engineering that take DNA from multiple species may be kilayim.
In Israel, one agricultural innovation is the pomelit, a grapefruit-pomello hybrid. However, some rabbis do not consider this kilayim for a couple of reasons. First, it does not seem to fall under the category of kilei ilan, grafting different species, since many poskim consider the closely related varieties of citrus to be members of a single species. Second, because the pomelit is a new creation, it is not explicitly forbidden in the Torah in the same way that sha’atnez or planting grain seeds in a vineyard are. Grafting trees is forbidden by the rabbis, not by the Torah, so there is a degree to which some modern authorities rule leniently in these cases. Ultimately, this is a makhloket (disagreement) with rabbis arguing on both sides.
The fourth principle, shomrei adamah, is that of human stewardship over creation. God commands Adam in the Garden of Eden that, along with his dominion over the flora and fauna in the Garden of Eden, he has a complementary responsibility to “till it and tend it” (Genesis 2:15). Jews extend this obligation to care for God’s gift and creation to the earth as a whole. This category encompasses the related principles of bal tashchit (previously discussed) and tikkun olam, repairing the world. Modern halakhic thinkers consider environmental sustainability as a religious obligation of shomrei adamah.
With this understanding, Israel’s genetically engineered crops enable humanity to care for the environment while also providing food security. Israel is over 60% desert, and rainfall in the Negev Desert is minimal. While Israel has developed efficient techniques–most notably drip irrigation, which delivers water directly to plant roots–they have also genetically modified crops to require less water. For example, Tel Aviv University genetically engineered tomatoes that require 50% less water, enabling cultivation in arid regions like the Negev.
The fifth and final principle is kashrut. The laws of kashrut apply to all of Israel’s food technology, from lab-grown meats to 3D printed foods. Developers design these technologies in close collaboration with rabbinic authorities to ensure compliance with kashrut. Most contemporary rabbis rule that genetically modified foods do not violate the laws of kashrut. Israel’s Chief Rabbi, David Baruch Lau, ruled Aleph Farms’ lab-grown meat kosher because it is compliant with dietary laws. Remilk, a company that produces milk using cow proteins without animal products, was certified as pareve (neither meat nor dairy); Rabbi Lau’s logic is that while it tastes like real milk, it uses no real cow cells and can therefore be eaten with meat meals–a significant advantage. In a final case, hens genetically modified to only produce female chicks have generally been deemed kosher because only their DNA is edited, rather than combined with other species; consequently, their eggs are considered standard eggs.
As Israel continues to develop new food technologies, halakha provides a framework for evaluating these innovations from an ethical viewpoint. Through the principles laid out above, Jewish law not only allows, but encourages responsible genetic modification, as long as it is environmentally sustainable and enhances human well-being. In this way, halakha continues to guide ethical decision-making in the twenty-first century.