Dear Friends,
I recently read an article about consciousness in AI. Can machines, built by human beings, develop the kind of consciousness that distinguishes us from the world around us?
Jewish tradition has wrestled with questions about human creations for centuries. The story of the Golem of Prague tells of Rabbi Judah Loew creating a powerful being from clay to protect Prague’s Jewish community. The Golem obeys its creator but eventually becomes dangerous, reminding us of the possibilities and responsibilities that come with creating something in our own image.
But before we ask whether a machine can become conscious, we have to ask a more fundamental question: What does consciousness mean for us?
As we approach Yom Kippur, though, the question of consciousness turns inward. Yom Kippur asks us to examine our actions, our motivations, our regrets, and the person we want to become. It demands not simply consciousness, but self-consciousness: the ability to look honestly at ourselves and ask whether we want to change.
The Mishnah reminds us:
“One who says: I will sin and I will repent, I will sin and I will repent, they do not provide him the opportunity to repent.”
Mishnah Yoma 8:9
The person described here knows exactly what they are doing. They understand repentance and its consequences. Yet something is missing: the willingness to let that awareness change their behavior.
Perhaps that is what the conversation about AI can teach us about Yom Kippur. Consciousness alone may not be what makes us human. Our humanity is also expressed in our ability to recognize, regret, choose, and change.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Moriah SimonHazani
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