Mar 18, 2025
The increasing reliance on AI-driven halakhic answers has sparked debate within the Jewish community. Initially, many Torah scholars resisted making halakhic rulings readily available on the internet, fearing misinterpretation and misapplication. However, as digital search engines like "Rabbi Google" became a primary resource for Jews seeking halakhic guidance, many organizations realized that if accurate and authentic Torah sources were not made available, misleading or false information would take their place. Today, websites like the OU, CRC, Star-K, YU Torah, Chabad, and Sefaria offer extensive resources to help Jews access reliable halakhic literature online.
Now, the challenge has evolved further with AI models like ChatGPT being used to answer halakhic questions. Rabbi Netanel Wiederblank of Yeshiva University, in his essay Ten Reasons Why We Cannot Turn to AI for Psak, outlines the flaws of AI in processing and applying halakhic rulings. AI often fabricates sources, confuses concepts, and lacks the Mesorah (tradition) necessary for proper psak halakha (Jewish legal rulings). Even if AI becomes more advanced in processing halakhic information, it will still lack the authority, wisdom, and human experience required for authentic halakhic decision-making.
This push toward AI-driven spirituality reflects 2 Timothy 4:3-4, which warns of a time when people will seek convenient answers instead of sound doctrine. The rise of AI in halakhic interpretation could be a step toward replacing human wisdom with artificial reasoning. READ MORE
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Commentary by Joe Hawkins