Arts in Noahide Law

Rabbi Yoel Schwartz (Jerusalem Court for Bnei Noah)

The arts help develop creativeness in a person, and this is positive and productive when used in the right way. This means that a person should be allowed to deal in the arts if it will encourage the development of good values and morality and not the opposite. For example, if a person deals in arts that are connected with pornography, he is dealing in negative matters. The same holds true in arts that encourage violence or harm to other human beings or laughter and ridicule of those persons who are less fortunate than others, not to speak of pseudo-scientific literature that speaks against the belief in the one true G-d and His Torah. On the other hand, if a person is gifted and uses this gift by producing beautiful things that bring honor to G-d, he is fulfilling G-d’s wish.