May 31, 2023
May 30, 2023
*CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS* Where Are My People? An Interfaith Anthology of Religious Leaders Whose Sacred Work Began During the COVID-19 Pandemic
*CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS*
An Interfaith Anthology of Religious Leaders Whose
Sacred Work Began During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Edited by Rabbi Menachem Creditor
The COVID-19 pandemic redefined life in every corner of the world. No one could have imagined the immensity of its impact and the new possibilities that emerged in its wake. Rabbis, Imams, Priests, Ministers, and Pastors whose sacred work began during the pandemic preached and provided pastoral care to communities they had never seen and whose hands they were unable to hold. New technologies enabled clergy to reach far beyond conventional boundaries of community with soulful offerings that helped countless others feel less alone. But how did clergy feel as they supported countless others with whom they had never shared physical space? What unique wisdom might emerge from their unprecedented experiences? "Where Are My People" will be an interfaith anthology of reflective writings from within the clergy community, representing a true diversity of very human voices, grounded and vulnerable, inspiring and honest, published in order to amplify the wisdom gained during a very difficult moment in human history.
Submissions of sermons, poems, prayers, and essays (any length is welcome up to 2,000 words) should be sent to torahwithin@gmail.com - in WORD format - no later than August 1, 2023.
May 25, 2023
May 19, 2023
May 17, 2023
May 12, 2023
May 11, 2023
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Apr 28, 2023
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Mar 14, 2023
This is the most beautiful thing I have seen in a very long time. You should watch it. You should share it with everyone you know, especially with those you don't speak to anymore. It could heal everything, even your own beautiful heart. Andrea Gibson is so godly, words so holy, delivery so piercing soft. How blessed we are to have this human being's voice in our world. NPR Tiny Desk Contest 2023 - Andrea Gibson - MAGA HAT IN THE CHEMO ROOM
Mar 13, 2023
VaYakhel-Pekudei: Our Third Siyyum of the Entire Torah! #Broadcast754
Today, the UJA-Federation of New York #MorningTorah community celebrated our third Siyyum! Three times through the entire Torah, as on March 18, 2020, we convened our 9am community online for the very first time, learning Parashat VaYakhel-Pekudei. We found each other, friends, we found each other. And we've learned every weekday - every single day - for 3 years. I invited this precious community to do four things to mark this momentous occasion: 1) don't stop learning! 2) share Torah with other 3) make a gift to UJA, with gratitude for launching this community, and 4) build community by showing up. Join us every weekday, as we begin a FOURTH cycle of Torah learning - you can find us at 9am (NY time) at https://www.facebook.com/ujafedny! #Shehechiyanu #Siyyum #SiyyumHaTorah #Broadcast754
Mar 10, 2023
Mar 9, 2023
Mar 7, 2023
Mar 3, 2023
Shabbat Zachor: Remember Amalek and Look Within #Zachor #ShabbatZachor #Amalek #Purim #Broadcast748
Shabbat Zachor: Remember Amalek and Look Within #Zachor #ShabbatZachor #Amalek #Purim #Broadcast748
Feb 27, 2023
Feb 24, 2023
Feb 14, 2023
Feb 13, 2023
The AI Torah Commentary, Volume 2: Exodus has been published!
The AI Torah Commentary, Volume 2: Exodus has been published!
A brief note, reflecting on some conversations I've been having about what this is and isn't: AI is going to disrupt everything, especially online content. It's all new. It's all fraught. Here's what I actually did in creating this commentary: conceived of the project, composed an introduction, selected the voices from the past, crafted specific prompts for chatgpt, edited for accuracy, formatted, created the cover, submitted for review with the independent publisher, and published. That should suffice for the ethics. Nothing purports to be "the voice of," but rather "in the style of", and all figures chosen fit the parameter of no longer being alive and not having spoken hatefully of others. I feel good about those aspects. But this whole AI thing is very complicated. I've taught about this every morning since the day Volume 1 went public (you can find it on the UJA-Federation of New York FB page in the archived videos starting last Tuesday). All 5 volumes should be completed within the next few weeks. My goal is to prompt thoughtful conversation and debate about this brave, strange new technology, what it means and what it doesn't, how it differs from classic techniques like bibliodrama and how it resembles imaginative, historical fiction. Much to discuss.
#ImpossibleTorah #AITorah #AITorahCommentary #Exodus
Feb 12, 2023
Excited to announce the release of the latest volume of #ImpossibleTorah, "The AI Torah Commentary, Volume 2: Exodus"!
Excited to announce the release of the latest volume of #ImpossibleTorah, "The AI Torah Commentary, Volume 2: Exodus"! This latest volume explores the ancient text of the book of Exodus in light of cutting-edge advancements in artificial intelligence and machine learning.
This book contains ChatGPT responses to the stories and lessons of the book of Exodus in the styles of figures from the past (see below for the full list), exploring the ever-evolving technological landscape in relation to Torah.
Whether you are a student of the Torah, an AI enthusiast, or simply someone seeking to deepen your understanding of our world and our place in it, this book is for you. I invite you to join me on this journey of discovery and insight, as we explore the intersection of ancient wisdom and modern technology.
#TheAITorahCommentary #Exodus #AIandJudaism #WisdomAndTechnology
The AI Torah Commentary: Volume 2: Exodus
Impossible Torah is an experimental biblical commentary project created by Rabbi Menachem Creditor. Through the technology of OpenAI ChatGPT, diverse voices from throughout history and culture are brought back to life, each generated to reflect on a Torah portion through the unique prism of their life's recorded work. The Exodus volume of Impossible Torah features the artificially generated voices of:
SHEMOT
in the style of John Lewis
in the style of Dorothy Gale
in the style of Rav Kook
VA’ERA
in the style of Viktor Frankl
in the style of Hippocrates
in the style of Frida Kahlo
BO
in the style of James Joyce
in the style of Shel Silverstein
in the style of Job
BESHALACH
in the style of Miriam the Prophetess
in the style of Arthur Miller
in the style of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
YITRO
in the stye of Louis Brandeis
in the style of Freddie Mercury
in the style of Maya Angelou
MISHPATIM
in the style of Hammurabi
in the style of Clara Lemlich
in the style of John Jay
TERUMAH
in the style of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
in the style of Alexander Hamilton
in the style of Frank Lloyd Wright
TETZAVEH
in the style of Mr. Rogers
in the style of Diane von Furstenberg
in the style of Norman Mailer
KI TISSA
in the style of Sigmund Freud
in the style of Matsuo Bashō
in the style of Jacob Neusner
VAYAKHEL
in the style of Oliver Sacks
in the style of Henrietta Szold
in the style of King Solomon
PEKUDEI
in the style of Dylan Thomas
in the style of Lily Safra
in the style of Eeyore
Feb 10, 2023
Feb 7, 2023
Announcing: The AI Torah Commentary, Volume 1: Genesis!
Announcing: The AI Torah Commentary, Volume 1: Genesis!
Through the technology of OpenAI ChatGPT, diverse voices from throughout history and culture are brought back to life, each generated to reflect on a Torah portion through the unique prism of their life's recorded work. The only consciously written component of the book is my introductory essay, reflecting on the project itself. I'm fascinated, confused, and excited to explore what this means in the world of Torah and Jewish meaning-making. Volumes 2-5 are already in production as part of my new #ImpossibleTorah project.
The Genesis volume of Impossible Torah features the artificially generated voices of:
Breesheet
in the style of William Wordsworth
in the style of Mary Oliver
in the style of William Shakespeare
Noach
in the style of Dr. Seuss
In the style of Jane Austen
In the style of Dr. Spock
Lech-Lecha
In the style of Stephen Soundheim
in the style of Joseph Halévy
In the style of Anne Conway
Vayera
In the style of Victor Hugo
In the style of Emma Lazarus
In the style of René Descartes
Chayei Sara
In the style of Gene Wilder
In the style of James Baldwin
In the style of Sandy Koufax
Toldot
in the style of The Brothers Grimm
In the style of Groucho Marx
In the style of Golda Meir
Vayetzei
In the style of Nelson Mandella
in the style of Daenerys Targaryen
in the style of Gershom Scholem
Vayishlach
In the style of Benjamin Franklin
In the style of Amos Oz
In the style of Marie Curie
Vayeshev
In the style of Yoda
In the style of Harriet Beecher Stowe
In the style of Bella Abzug
Miketz
In the style of Harvey Milk
In the style of Baruch Spinoza
In the style of Nina Simone
Vayigash
In the style of John Lennon
In the style of Charlotte Brontë
In the style of Jorge Luis Borges
Vayechi
In the style of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
In the style of President John F. Kennedy
In the style of the Prophet Isaiah
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BV1F3BYC
#ImpossibleTorah #AITorah #Genesis
Feb 3, 2023
Jan 31, 2023
Jan 30, 2023
Jan 27, 2023
A Prayer After a Terror Attack in a Jerusalem Synagogue
A Prayer After a Terror Attack in a Jerusalem Synagogue
Today, on a day when the world too late
acknowledges the 6 million,
offers eloquent words about saving Jews,
who will cry out for the blood of 7 of us,
shot in a Jerusalem synagogue while praying?
Or will headlines mitigate murder
by pointing to politics
or which area of Jerusalem the shul was in?
Is Jewish blood only tragic
when it's in the right neighborhood
and was shed decades ago?
Today is the day the world remembers the Holocaust
because it is the day they showed up,
years into known Genocide.
Today, as Jews are slaughtered in shul
and headlines minimize the horror,
we are reminded that no one showed up for years
while Jewish blood ran like a river through
pristine shopping districts
and Jewish ashes fell on neat European homesteads.
Jews remember the Holocaust on the day we fought back.
Jews remember every day.
Because today's terrorist
first shot an elderly woman in the street.
Then shot a motorcycle rider.
Then entered the sanctuary and fired at worshippers.
All Jews. Wherever we are.
Today the world is witness to its ongoing Jewish problem.
But today, grieving, we do not wait for their solution.
Today's horror isn't truly news.
Today's horror is why the Jewish homeland matters.
Because, as we chant in the Torah this week:
Where we go, we go with "with our young and our old" (Ex. 10:9).
None of us expendable.
We are a global family
who knows today's news all too well,
deep in our bones.
We will Never Forget.
Not our 7 fallen sisters and brothers.
Not our 6 million lost sisters and brothers.
We will never forget what we must remember:
Am Yisrael Chai!
The People Israel Lives!
Jan 26, 2023
Jan 25, 2023
Jan 24, 2023
Heartbreakingly sad to share, once again, this prayer to End Gun Violence, this time in the aftermath of two mass shootings in California. #Monterey #HalfMoonBay
A Prayer to End Gun Violence
Dear God,
God, we stand waiting for a world,
this world,
our world
to be reborn.
It's not a statement we make lightly;
it is a statement of need.
This world needs rebirthing.
Our hearts need deep healing.
Our lives need rebuilding
after all the pointless deaths
we've endured this past year.
Dear God,
Guns and violence have destroyed
tens of thousands of lives
in America this year.
Tens of thousands.
We call to You, Adonai,
and beg that you stand
in Din, in Judgment,
of our carelessness
and our callousness at the senseless,
avoidable loss of many human lives.
We call to you, Adonai,
to infuse our souls
with Chesed, Your Love,
so that we really start to cry out
from the pain our nation has endured
for far too long.
May we be inspired by You
and act to save many, many lives this coming year.
We know that only then
will we be worthy of a world reborn.
Hayom, Today,
we remember Your command to choose life
is not a given in Your broken world
but rather a demand
upon us all.
Hayom, Today,
we sing louder than weapons:
Those who sow in tears,
will reap, will reap in joy.[Psalm 126:5]
God, May we merit to see You
in each other's eyes
and sanctify Your Name
by standing together
by rising up again,
this time rebuilding Your World
by saving each other's.
Amen.
Jan 23, 2023
Jan 19, 2023
Jan 18, 2023
Jan 17, 2023
Jan 13, 2023
Jan 12, 2023
Jan 10, 2023
Jan 9, 2023
Jan 6, 2023
Jan 4, 2023
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