A Question for the Rabbis By Rabbi Mordechai Becher The Torah prohibits destroying fruit-bearing trees even during a siege of an enemy city (Deuteronomy 20:20). Rabbi Moshe Shternbuch was asked if it is permitted to remove a non-fruit-bearing tree that is causing damage to a building. He responded that the Torah clearly permits this as the verse states, “Those trees that you know to be non-fruit-bearing, you may destroy.” However, there are later sources that maintain that if one destroys a tree of any type they will “not see blessings from this” and so Rabbi Shternbuch says that if possible one should ideally sell the tree to a non-Jew and have him transplant the tree to another location rather than destroy it. However, if that is not possible, there is no legal prohibition against its destruction if it is not fruit-bearing and is causing damage (Responsa Teshuvot Vehanhagot 5:391).
Posted on: Thu, 08 Aug 2013 20:48:46 +0000
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