Will your rabbi's Yom Kippur sermon this year be written by a computer? AI is everywhere. Lawyers let it scan contracts. Doctors consult it regularly. Accountants use it to crunch numbers. And rabbis are exploring its possibilities too.
With tools like ChatGPT making headlines, some in the Jewish world are asking: Could AI really replace a rabbi?
A few years ago, Rabbi Joshua Franklin, of the Jewish Center of the Hamptons, put this to the test. He delivered a sermon written entirely by ChatGPT and only revealed the source at the end. The congregation was divided. Some were impressed, others uneasy. Franklin admitted the sermon was coherent, but it lacked the warmth, depth, and humanity he would naturally bring to his words.
What AI can't do
The debate mirrors discussions in other fields. AI can handle research, generate ideas, and process vast amounts of information. But it cannot feel, empathize, or connect on a human level. A doctor can consult AI for a diagnosis, but AI cannot sit with a family and share in their pain.
Similarly, AI can help with sermon planning or Torah commentary, yet it cannot replicate the empathy, wisdom, and heartfelt connection to a community that define a human rabbi's role.
Being a rabbi is far more than delivering polished words on Shabbat or the holidays. Rabbis walk with people through joy and loss, guide difficult decisions, mediate conflicts, and nurture spiritual growth. These are inherently human roles.
The ethics of using AI
Jewish ethics provide guidance when rabbis experiment with AI. The
halachic
principle of
geneivat da'at
forbids deception or misrepresentation. If a rabbi uses AI to draft a sermon or craft an email, transparency is essential. Trust forms the foundation of the rabbi-congregant relationship, and concealing AI's role risks eroding that trust.
Rabbi Geoffrey Mittleman, co-founder of Sinai and Synapses, cautions that AI can process information but cannot grasp the complexity of human relationships or make moral choices. It should be a tool, not a replacement for judgment or integrity.
Rabbi Andrew Bloom, in Technology and Theology: How AI is Impacting Religion, explores AI's role in virtual services, AI-assisted Torah study, and online communities. He celebrates the benefits while warning against losing the personal dimension that gives Jewish tradition its soul.
Partner, not competitor
Rabbi Joshua Bennett, of Temple Israel in metropolitan Detroit, views AI as an assistant, not a rival. "It can spark sermon ideas or suggest teaching resources. But the spark that moves a heart or inspires a mitzvah project is human work," he says. "AI can help with the what, but only we can deliver the why."
Rabbi Franklin's ChatGPT sermon showed that AI can be articulate and thought-provoking, but it cannot weave in humor, perspective, and life stories-the elements that make a rabbi's message truly authentic.
The real future
The rabbinate is not in competition with AI. It is likely to be a partnership, where technology makes rabbis more effective. ChatGPT might help organize a sermon, gather background on a Torah portion, or brainstorm volunteer opportunities for b'nei mitzvah students. It can take on administrative work so rabbis can focus on teaching, counseling, and strengthening communities.
What AI cannot do is replace the human touch, spiritual insight, and moral guidance that define the rabbinate. Jewish tradition teaches that technology must serve people, not the other way around. And the law of
geneivat da'at
reminds us to use it honestly.
AI can write a sermon. It takes a rabbi to make it matter.
Rabbi Jason Miller is a Detroit-based teacher, entrepreneur, and technologist. He is president of Access Technology and founder of MitzvahRabbi.com.
