Question
Is genetic engineering of plants forbidden?
Answer
According to many Rabbinical authorities, gene transplantation performed on plants, and hybridization of seeds, do not violate the Biblical injunctions against “mixing” plants (kilayim). This view is attributed to the late Rabbi S.Z.Auerbach in the article on Heredity (Torashah) in the Encyclopedia of Jewish Medical Ethics, vol.6, col. 575.