Learning Jewish heritagethrough AI

Charles Flum, President

Artificial intelligence is taking the world by storm. I have dabbled a bit with it. For instance, apropos of this month, I asked CoPilot (Microsoft’s AI) “Why do we celebrate Lag B’Omer?”

Its reply: “Lag B’Omer is a festive day on the Jewish calendar celebrated on the 33rd day of the Omer count, which is the counting period between Passover and Shavuot. The celebration includes various customs such as outings, bonfires, parades and visiting the resting place of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai in Meron, northern Israel. This year, Lag B’Omer falls on May 26. The day commemorates two significant events:

1. The life and teachings of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai: It marks the anniversary of the passing of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, a great sage and mystic who was the first to publicly teach the mystical dimension of the Torah known as the Kabbalah and is the author of the Zohar. He instructed his disciples to mark the date as “the day of my joy,” celebrating the revelation of the esoteric soul of Torah.

2. The end of a plague during Rabbi Akiva’s time: Lag B’Omer also honors the end of a plague that afflicted the disciples of Rabbi Akiva, who did not show proper respect to one another. The day thus carries the theme of loving and respecting one’s fellow (ahavat Yisrael).

How else can AI help us learn about our heritage? I asked it to give me five trivia questions from the Torah. Its answer: “Here are five trivia questions and answers from the Torah:

Question: At what age did Moses lead the Israelites out of Egypt?

Answer: Moses was 80 years old when he spoke to Pharaoh and led the Israelites out of Egypt.

Question: When Jacob fell in love with Rachel, what did he agree to do in order to marry her?

Answer: Jacob agreed to work for Rachel’s father, Laban, for seven years.

Question: What is another name for the Pentateuch?

Answer: The Pentateuch is also known as the Torah, which can refer to the first five books of the Hebrew Bible or more generally to the entirety of the Hebrew Bible and its commentary.

Question: Which English philosopher of the 17th century questioned the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch?

Answer: Thomas Hobbes prepared a list of passages that seemed to negate Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch.

Question: What is the significance of the rainbow in the story of Noah’s Ark?

Answer: The rainbow is a sign from God to Noah that He would never again flood the entire earth, serving as a covenant between God and all living creatures.”

Enjoy these trivia questions and share your knowledge with others!

Trivia is a way to impart knowledge. When I conduct services, I play Jewish Jeopardy rather than a sermon. The congregation both enjoys the game and learns something about Judaism in the process.

How is your Jewish knowledge?

Perhaps you should pick up a book of Jewish trivia or better still, come to Naples Jewish congregation for the rabbi’s lifelong learning classes. Or come for a dose of Jewish trivia.