"Within the realm of technological advancements, the rise of Artificial Intelligence poses profound challenges to the human condition. As humans created in the divine image, we possess a unique capacity for consciousness, moral agency, and spiritual growth. However, the advent of AI threatens to diminish our distinctiveness, potentially eroding our sense of purpose and diminishing our connection to one another. By placing our trust in algorithms and machines, we risk relegating the sacred spark within us to mere computations and calculations. Moreover, as AI becomes increasingly sophisticated, we confront ethical dilemmas of unprecedented complexity, including issues of privacy, autonomy, and the potential for unforeseen consequences. While technology holds great promise, we must approach the realm of AI with utmost caution, ensuring that our creations serve humanity's well-being rather than undermine our deepest values and spiritual aspirations."
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I merely included it to illustrate the advancements of AI technology.
It is noteworthy that when I entered this prompt into ChatGPT, it concluded saying "Please note that this paragraph is a speculative representation and does not directly quote Rabbi Jonathan Sacks."
(ז) וַיִּ֩יצֶר֩ ה' אֱלֹקִ֜ים אֶת־הָֽאָדָ֗ם עָפָר֙ מִן־הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה וַיִּפַּ֥ח בְּאַפָּ֖יו נִשְׁמַ֣ת חַיִּ֑ים וַֽיְהִ֥י הָֽאָדָ֖ם לְנֶ֥פֶשׁ חַיָּֽה׃
(7) And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
(4) לנפש חיה A LIVING SOUL — Also cattle and beasts are called נפש חיה (1:20, 22, 24), but the נפש of man is the most highly developed of all of them, because to him was granted understanding and speech.
רבא ברא גברא שדריה לקמיה דר' זירא הוה קא משתעי בהדיה ולא הוה קא מהדר ליה אמר ליה מן חבריא את הדר לעפריך
Indeed, Rava created a man, a golem, using forces of sanctity. Rava sent his creation before Rabbi Zeira. Rabbi Zeira would speak to him but he would not reply. Rabbi Zeira said to him: You were created by one of the members of the group, one of the Sages. Return to your dust.
I was uncertain regarding a man created via Sefer Yetzirah [i.e. The Golem]. Do we say that since the Torah says, “And I will be sanctified among the Children of Israel” (Vayikra 22:32) he is not included [in a minyan], or perhaps, since the Talmud (Sanhedrin) says, “One who raises an orphan in his home is considered as though he had birthed him” … since this man was created by the righteous, he is included in the “Children of Israel”, for the deeds of the righteous are their children? And it appears to me that since we find that Rabbi Zeira said, “You must be from the magicians; return to your dust,” so he killed him, and if there were a benefit in joining him with a group of ten for sacred matters then Rabbi Zeira would not have eliminated him…
“I’d certainly be a lot quicker to offer [robots] citizenship than I would be to offer them religion,” said Rabbi Jack Abramowitz, who has written about artificial intelligence for the Orthodox site Jew in the City. “If they are determined to be intelligent and aware and able to feel and suffer, then they should enjoy the same rights we would give to anybody.”...
Both rabbis are skeptical of the concept of a Jewish robot, citing the need for moral discernment. “Even if they have intelligence, it doesn’t mean they have a soul, which is basically the foundation of religion. It’s a spiritual obligation rather than a physical one,” Abramowitz explained.
Abramowitz also wondered about the many halakhic commandments requiring a human body. “Are [robots] able to be circumcised? I mean, you wouldn’t just cut the plug off your toaster oven—it would ruin it.”
(א) אָ֭דָם יְל֣וּד אִשָּׁ֑ה קְצַ֥ר יָ֝מִ֗ים וּֽשְׂבַֽע־רֹֽגֶז׃
(1) Man born of woman is short-lived and sated with trouble.
One born of woman, that he be in the right?
Rabbi Avraham Meshulam Zalman, in his work Divrei Rabeinu Meshulam, and Rabbi Yaakov Emden in Sheilot Yaavetz, quote Kabbalists, who explain that only G‑d has the power to draw a human soul down from heaven. At best, a person using the power of the Sefer Yetzirah can only animate something on par with an animal. It is for this reason that if one “killed” such a creature (as in the story with Rava), they say, it is not considered murder.
It should be noted that unlike a robot, a golem has some sort of a spiritual spark animating it. It is brought to life through a righteous individual using the secrets of creation hidden within the Sefer Yetzirah. This is clearly not the case for a man-made robot powered by algorithms. Thus, our robots, powered by computers, are seemingly even less “human” than a golem... there is one aspect where a robot may have an advantage over a golem... unlike the Chacham Tzvi, many explain that the reason we can’t count a golem for a minyan is that it lacks the faculty of speech. At first blush, this would imply that if the creature could just talk (as today’s robots certainly can), it would be considered human. However, as many point out, the key defining characteristic of humanity cannot be speech alone, for there are people who cannot speak—and parrots that can. Therefore, they explain that when we refer to humanity as medaber, the actual intent is intelligence... when the rabbis say “intelligence,” they aren’t merely referring to the collection of data and facts, or even the ability to analyze and problem-solve, but to what some would call “moral intelligence,” or as others put it, “free will.”
RZ: Can AI help us perform mitzvot? What about teaching a robot to do nikkur achorayim (the removal of certain large blood vessels, cheilev [prohibited fats] and the gid hanasheh [sciatic nerve] after a kosher animal is properly slaughtered and inspected)? What about teaching a robot to check articles of clothing for traces of shatnez? Do you see a problem with this?
RR: I don’t see why checking for the presence of shatnez would be a problem, since it’s a technical process. No special kavanot are required. Furthermore, nowhere in the Torah is it written that a human being must do the checking. Similarly, a robot should be able to do nikkur achorayim; however, the actual shechitah must be done by a God-fearing Jew. The Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh Deah 2:11) rules that shechitah is only acceptable if it is done by a human being. Thus it should be clear that shechitah may not be done by a robot. See also siman 7:1 where the Shulchan Aruch explicitly states that shechitah may not be done by a machine that is not directly operated by a human.
Could a computer check the sharpness of the shochet’s blade? The chalif, the knife of a shochet, is his most important tool. It must be exquisitely smooth and exceedingly sharp. The Shulchan Aruch states that one must check the knife b’kavanat halev (with mindful concentration) twelve times (YD 18:9). A laser could be used to check the sharpness of the knife but cannot serve as the the final arbiter because a human being has to do the checking. A laser, can, however, issue a warning to the schochtim indicating the knife is too dull.
- May occasionally generate incorrect information
- May occasionally produce harmful instructions or biased content
- Limited knowledge of world and events after 2021
ChatGPT is an AI language model designed to provide fluent and informative responses to your prompts. It was trained on a large body of text and can therefore discuss a wide range of topics, but ChatGPT answers aren’t always trustworthy.
While the tool tries to provide correct information, its responses are based on patterns in the text it was trained on, not on external facts and data. This means that it can often answer as if it knows something but actually be quite badly wrong.
It’s fine to use ChatGPT in your studies to explore topics in an interactive way, but you shouldn’t assume that everything it says is accurate. Always check its claims against credible sources, and never cite it as a source of factual information.
(א) וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל מֹשֶׁה כְּתָב לְךָ אֶת הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה. זֶה שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב: אֶכְתָּב לוֹ רֻבֵּי תּוֹרָתִי כְּמוֹ זָר נֶחְשָׁבוּ (הושע ח, יב). אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוּדָה בַּר שַׁלּוּם: כְּשֶׁאָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמֹשֶׁה כְּתָב לְךָ, בִּקֵּשׁ מֹשֶׁה שֶׁתְּהֵא הַמִּשְׁנָה בִּכְתָב. וּלְפִי שֶׁצָּפָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא שֶׁאֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם עֲתִידִין לְתַרְגֵּם אֶת הַתּוֹרָה וְלִהְיוֹת קוֹרְאִין בָּהּ יְוָנִית, וְהֵם אוֹמְרִים אָנוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל.
(ב) וְעַד עַכְשָׁו הַמֹּאזְנַיִם מְעֻיָּן. אָמַר לָהֶם הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לָאֻמּוֹת: אַתֶּם אוֹמְרִים שֶׁאַתֶּם בָּנַי, אֵינִי יוֹדֵעַ, אֶלָּא מִי שֶׁמִּסְטוֹרִין שֶׁלִּי אֶצְלוֹ, הֵם בָּנַי. וְאֵיזוֹ הִיא? זוֹ הַמִּשְׁנָה שֶׁנִּתְּנָה עַל פֶּה, וְהַכֹּל מִמְּךָ לִדְרֹשׁ.
(ג) אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוּדָה בַּר שַׁלּוּם: אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמֹשֶׁה: מָה אַתְּ מְבַקֵּשׁ שֶׁתְּהֵא הַמִּשְׁנָה בִּכְתָב. וּמַה בֵּין יִשְׂרָאֵל לָאֻמּוֹת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: אֶכְתָּב לוֹ רֻבֵּי תּוֹרָתִי. וְאִם כֵּן, כְּמוֹ זָר נֶחְשָׁבוּ. אֶלָּא תֵּן לָהֶם מִקְרָא בִּכְתָב, וּמִשְׁנָה עַל פֶּה.
(1) And the Lord said unto Moses: “Write thou these words, for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel” (Exod. 34:27). Scripture states elsewhere in allusion to this verse: Though I write for him never so many things of My Law, they are accounted as stranger’s (Hos. 8:12). R. Judah the son of Shalum was of the opinion that when the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses Write thou, Moses wanted to write the Mishnah as well. However, the Holy One, blessed be He, foresaw that ultimately the nations of the world would translate the Torah into the Greek language and would claim: “We are the Israelites.”
(2) Now the scales are balanced (as to who are His people). The Holy One, blessed be He, can say to the nations of the world: You claim that you are My children, but I know that only those who know My secrets are My children. Where are His secrets (to be found)? In the Mishnah, which was given orally, and from which everything can be derived.
(3) R. Judah the son of Shalum said: The Holy One, blessed be He, asked Moses: Why do you wish the Mishnah to be written?’ What would be the difference, then, between the peoples of the world and Israel? That is why it is written: Though I write for him never so many things of My Law, they are counted as a stranger’s. Therefore give them the Scripture in writing and the Mishnah orally.
Jewish Action: Can one use ChatGPT to find answers to halachic questions?
Rabbi Dr. Aaron Glatt: I wouldn’t trust ChatGPT for a halachic pesak.
One of the best uses that I can see for AI right now is in data gathering... AI can be a phenomenal gatherer of information. It can provide you with a listing of all the sources on the subject and can even cite the full text of all of the relevant responsa. Many sefarim may be familiar to you; other sefarim you may not even recognize or have at your disposal. In this scenario, the purpose is not to pasken halachah, but to use AI as a tool for information gathering.
As AI matures, the potential for it playing more of a role in pesak halachah may change as well.
JA: So, is AI a more enhanced version of “Rabbi Google”?
Rabbi Glatt: You can do Google searches that will bring up plenty of sources, but AI could theoretically be much more comprehensive... Now I wouldn’t rely on that for pesak halachah, but it can certainly be relied upon as a summary document for one who is investigating the issue...
Using AI, a posek could render a halachic decision more easily as he has access to all the sources he needs. In that sense, AI could be a phenomenal resource for a posek.
JA: Right. So it would seem that AI would be most useful as a tool for Torah scholarship.
Rabbi Glatt: Currently, that seems to me to be the best use for it. One could use AI not to get a halachic pesak, but rather for limud Torah, to study the various opinions of Chazal for the sake of learning... So yes, AI could be an excellent tool for learning.
JA: Is there a danger in having access to too much information?
Rabbi Glatt: For the layperson, absolutely. Too much information is not helpful... ChatGPT could easily write a convincing document based upon non-accepted halachic positions, albeit from great individuals, illustrating how eating chicken and cheese together is permissible in Jewish law, when, of course, it is not. Some might use the information to then proceed to do what they want to do. This is a distortion of the halachic process.
There are many different areas in which AI can revolutionize Torah study and, in fact, already has. Looking toward the future, one can imagine all kinds of virtual reality content for learning korbanot, something I hear is already happening. But, of course, we can do much more than that... I should warn you that while ChatGPT is really good at giving clear and coherent answers, it’s not very good at reliably giving accurate answers. And that’s something we should be concerned about. You would not want to trust ChatGPT with anything really important, whether it’s halachah or anything else that’s really important to your life.
Rabbi Shlomo Litvin, who leads Chabad of the Bluegrass and the University of Kentucky Jewish Student Center, said people crave the real thing.
“No reason to worry at all,” Litvin said. “People can already pull something from Aish.com. Technology is cool, but whatever it can do, something artificial will always be artificial. What will be missing, no matter what, is the human soul, and that wisdom is what people come to shul to hear. There is no replacement.”
The odd thing is that the greater our scientific prowess has grown, the lower our self image has become. We now know we’re not the centre of the universe; that we share the majority of our genes with other animals; and that much of our behaviour is governed by forces of which we are unaware. If that defines us, we may become, to quote Harari, “just a ripple within the cosmic data flow.”
Yet we are the only life form thus far known capable of asking the question, Why? We remain what in religious language we call the image and likeness of God. Which means we can choose our fate, in the full dignity of responsibility, never forgetting that machines were made to serve humankind – not the other way around.
(27) And God created humankind in the divine image,
creating it in the image of God—
creating them male and female.
(1) AND G-D SAID: ‘LET US MAKE MAN.’ ... in the case of man He said, Let us make, that is, I and the aforementioned earth, let us make man, the earth to bring forth the body from its elements as it did with cattle and beasts, as it is written, And the Eternal G-d formed man of the dust of the ground, and He, blessed be He, to give the spirit from His mouth, the Supreme One, as it is written, And He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. And He said, In our image, and after our likeness, as man will then be similar to both. In the capacity of his body, he will be similar to the earth from which he was taken, and in spirit he will be similar to the higher beings, because it [the spirit] is not a body and will not die... In real likeness his body thus compares to the earth while his soul is similar to the higher beings.
The advent of machines that generate speech should not diminish the value of humanity, but rather cause us to look deeper at the true foundation of our worth. Humans should be valued not only for their ability to generate novel content, but for their relationship to each other, to morality, and ultimately to the divine source of their lives.
Likewise with Torah study. The value of that study is based not on the quantity of text summoned, but on the meaning it has for a person who studies it and lives by its word. For many years I have relied on databases of Jewish texts such as the Bar Ilan Responsa Library and Sefaria to find texts and filter results. A small thumb drive contains many more sacred texts than I will read in my lifetime. Yet that device has no knowledge. It is not a servant of the Holy One. It does not study, and it does not observe. The silicon wafer encoded with texts is neither wise nor stupid, virtuous nor guilty.
"Machines can never discern Higher intellect. We, alone, are touched by God, and we alone can find Him through courageous leaps of our imagination."
-Victor E. Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning
The most obvious point is that it is a lie to put your name on an essay that you did not write. On a basic level, it is an issue of falsehood. Beyond that there is another level in which you may be wasting your parents money, seeing as they paid for you to go to school in order to learn, and by not actually doing the assignment, you will not be learning. This is similar to wasting an investors money in business. A third reason is that it can be compared to performance enhancing drugs in sports. You may ask: how is it unfair for everyone else if they can also do it? There is a reason why these drugs are not allowed, and that is because they are not good for you. By using ChatGPT, if a classmate sees that you barely did any work and got an amazing result, while they slaved over it for days, you will also be influencing them to make a bad decision as well. The last point is that there is a prohibition against harming yourself, and this also includes intellectually. If you let AI do everything for you, you may not pick up necessary skills that you should have learned while preparing the assignment.