H EADLINES
A New Commandment: Killing Spotted Lanternfl ies?
L OCA L
SASHA ROGELBERG | JE STAFF
UNDER THE SHOES of
many-a-Philadelphian, you
may fi nd a squished spotted
lanternfl y: black-speckled gray
and red wings, splayed limply
across one’s outer sole.

Th e spotted lanternfl y made
its Delaware Valley debut in
2014 when it traversed from
Southeast Asia to the United
States. Making their home in
trees of heaven, the lanternfl ies
lay wads of eggs, and have multi-
plied rapidly, secreting a sticky
substance that attracts black
mold and harms local crops.

Th e Pennsylvania Department
of Agriculture has a clear request
for those who encounter the
insects: Kill them on sight.

“Th ere are good bugs, and
there are bad bugs,” said Shannon
Powers, the department’s press
secretary. And according to
Powers, spotted lanternfl ies are
bad bugs.

Though entomologists
seemingly have no moral quanda-
ries putting spotted lanternfl ies
on their hit list, Jewish thinkers
approach the killing a little more
cautiously. A number of rabbis
admitted to reluctantly squashing
lanternfl ies if they spot one, but
did not feel equipped to answer
whether killing them is a Jewish
solution to the issue of combating
invasive species.

Still, however reluctant some
local Jewish thinkers were, the
consensus on killing the bugs
was clear:
“It is permissible,” said
Rabbi Yochonon Goldman
of B’nai Abraham Chabad in
Philadelphia. “You’re not allowed
to kill a creature for no justifi able
reason. If a creature is a nuisance
or doing damage, then there’s no
problem killing it.”
Th e reasons for killing the
lanternfl ies are more than justi-
fi able, Powers said. In addition
to the insects fl ocking to areas
where people gather — outdoor
dining and sporting events
— creating an unpleasant
environment for humans, they
have had a tangible agricultural
and economic impact.

Spotted lanternflies are
particularly fond of grape
plants, attacking vineyards by
consuming sap that the plants
produce, and converting it into
a substance called “honeydew,”
which they spray on the plants,
blocking photosynthesis and
attracting black mold that draws
in other insects.

Besides this not boding well
for the Jewish people’s consensus
kiddush drink of choice, it also
has devastating agricultural
The Pennsylvania
Department of
Agriculture urges
people to kill spotted
lanternfl ies; Jewish
thinkers believe this
is permissible under
Jewish law and
ethics. Courtesy of the
Pennsylvania Department
of Agriculture
repercussions. Since the lanternfl ies’ arrival,
they have threatened more than
$18 billion in Pennsylvania’s
commodities, Powers said.

For that reason in particular,
Rabbi Yitzchok Leizerowski
of Bais Medrash Harav in
Philadelphia believes that
stomping on spotted lanternfl ies
may even be a mitzvah.

“Pikuach nefesh — saving a
human life!” Leizerowski said.

Even if it’s a preventative
measure, killing a spotted
lanternfl y could be considered
a mitzvah — commonly trans-
lated as “a good deed,” but in
actuality means something closer
to a commandment — because
the bug’s death could ensure the
economic survival of a farmer or
preserve a future food source.

For those still uncomfortable
with the idea of taking a life, even
of an insect, consider weighing
the pros and cons, said Michael
Weisberg, the chair of philosophy
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H EADLINES
at the University of Pennsylvania,
who studies the philosophy of
science and biology.

“A lot of times, either you
have to try to kill that invader, or
you’re going to let the rest of the
ecosystem suff er,” he said.

Weisberg doesn’t believe this
is feel-good work.

In the Galapagos Islands,
invasive feral goats were eating
the vegetation that giant tortoises,
a protected species, ate. In order
to conserve the environment for
a species dwindling in numbers,
scientists opted to kill the goats.

A vegetarian for most of his life,
Weisberg avoids killing animals,
but agrees with the decision to
kill the goats, recognizing that
there is an ecological balance that
sometimes must be maintained.

Luckily, ethically and
Jewishly, killing an insect is
less morally-gray than killing a
mammal, such as a goat.

“Certainly that’s a diff erence
between animals and insects,”
Goldman said.

In Jewish thought, living
things exist in a hierarchy:
“Th ere’s the inanimate ground,
which gives rise to plant life,
which gives rise to the next level
of life, which is to be used by
mankind,” Leizerowski said.

Weisberg agrees with this
diff erence to an extent. He
believes that killing an insect is
diff erent from killing a mammal,
as they are biologically diff erent
in how they experience pain.

“Insects have pretty limited
ability to suff er,” Weisberg said.

So next time you encounter a
spotted lanternfl y and are at the
crossroads of whether to stamp (or
stomp) it out, know that you are
in the company of many Jewish
authorities — of the academic,
religious and moral varieties —
when it comes to the ambivalence
of taking another life.

And while you don’t have to
enjoy it, you can be reasonably
certain you won’t have to repent
for it, either. ●
srogelberg@jewishexponent.com; 215-832-0741
ISRAELBRIEFS Six Palestinian Terrorists Escape
Maximum Security Israeli Prison
SIX PALESTINIAN MEN imprisoned on
terrorism charges escaped from their high-se-
curity Israeli jail, apparently through a crawl
space, on Sept. 10, JTA reported.

Five Islamic Jihad militants and a Fatah opera-
tive — Zakaria Zubeidi, one of the best-known
Palestinians convicted in Israel for terrorism —
were the subject of a massive manhunt.

Th e escapees belonged to two separate
prison cells. Guards discovered a hole that
led to a crawl space under the fl oor tiles in
one cell. Th rough that space, the prisoners
appear to have moved under the building and
beyond its walls. Th ey hammered their way
above ground once they passed the prison
perimeter, Ynet reported.

Four prisoners had been captured as of Sept. 14.

Tel Aviv Places High in Time Out
Time Out magazine ranked Tel Aviv as the
world’s most fun city for a second consecutive
year, as well as the eighth-best city in the world
and the second-best city, behind Shanghai, in
the food and drink category, Globes reported.

Th e rankings were compiled from a survey of
what the magazine called 27,000 “city-dwellers.”
Survey respondents cited Tel Aviv’s night life,
restaurants and culture and feeling of commu-
nity. It also scored strongly on environmental
initiatives and a commitment to activism.

San Francisco was voted the world’s best city.

One in Every Seven Returning Uman
Pilgrims Tests Positive for COVID-19
About 14.3% of returning pilgrims from Uman,
Ukraine, tested positive for COVID-19, Th e
Jerusalem Post reported, citing Magen David Adom.

Israel’s national emergency services provider
said 2,000 of those returning from Uman tested
positive in its rapid-testing facilities in that city
and in the Kiev airport terminal.

About 25,000 Israelis traveled to Uman for
Rosh Hashanah to celebrate at the graveside
of the founder of the Breslov Chasidic group,
according to the Population and Immigration
Authority. Th e Population Authority said that those
testing positive were infected in Ukraine,
adding that it received information showing
that several dozen infected pilgrims boarded
fl ights to Israel. ●
— Compiled by Andy Gotlieb
This is the door.

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in the heart of the Main Line, where residents cherish all the small
things that add up to a fervent embrace of life after 62.

To schedule a tour, please call 610-553-6891 or see us online
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