As we start 2025, there are two fundamental technological shifts happening under our fingers and before our strained eyes.
The first is the lack of moderation on social media, leaving channels like X and Facebook a hard place for any human being right now, let alone a Jew. This is only going to increase as these platforms make it harder and harder to distinguish the real from the virtual, and the sensational floods the foundations of our reality.
It is distressing to feel the hate outside of our community. And it is even more distressing to see the occasional dehumanisation, polarisation and bullying that comes from within our community – almost always caused by differing visions of Israel.
The second fundamental shift is the rise of Artificial Intelligence, which is inventive beyond imagination. It is a reminder of why, though we were among the early adopters of the printed page, we still open a hand-written scroll to encounter the Eternal.
There are four messages of Jewish wisdom from those scrolls that we would do well to remember as we navigate these next few years.
Koveish et Yitzro – Who is a hero? One who can conquer their instincts
Heroism and defending our strongly held beliefs are often tied to wit or skill, but the rabbis of the Talmud challenged us to make silence a fence around wisdom. Today, they would tell us to hold off on writing that angry, dehumanising tweet and instead sit and wait.
Serve God with joy
Rise above the negativity, and treasure little blessings and small moments of connection which technology can offer. This doesn’t mean only sharing a pristine and curated life, but rather share some of the piles of mess with the same joy as you would the clean table.
Make yourself a friend
Teaching and learning in making lifelong connections in our communities are still important. In online learning and worship, we can all laugh at the AI transcriptions that turn my colleagues into ‘rabbits’ and other more unfortunate errors. Look for opportunities to see people as multidimensional beings.
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy
Putting the phone down on Shabbat, stopping the scrolling, and looking up at the people who care is fundamental to Jewish life and identity, and even more important than telling someone they are wrong or championing that very important cause.
As we face the challenges of the modern world, we can rely on the power of our heritage and especially our communities to come together through these times.
