No doubt that one of the most talked about things going into Rosh Hashanah 5787/2026 is all the buzz around AI, on a national scale and for personal use, in academic and in work settings, for and against, its opportunities and potential, concerns and fears. This is a pervasive, all-encompassing, consistent issue, it is both a wondrous marvel and a worrisome threat, affecting and impacting nearly every area of work, and so many parts of life.
Without addressing everything AI, of course, as we approach Rosh Hashanah and the High Holidays, realizing now that there are elements here that can be illustrative and insightful when it comes to Teshuvah which is personal transformative growth and change.
DISRUPTERS
AI is a major disrupter, and so is Teshuvah. They both don’t keep the status quo, they’re both pushing for change. They’re both not passive or conservative, they both involve some risk and put a lot into question. They both see tomorrow looking very different than today.
REVISITING HUMAN UNIQUENESS
One big impact of AI is a revisiting and rethinking of our human input and value. If a machine can do this or that task, then what’s my contribution, what am I here for? It forces us to think deeper about ourselves and how much of that inner depth, creativity, more humanness, and what makes us unique – am I putting into it? These are Teshuvah questions, too. Teshuvah is not only about changing behavior, but about reaching deeper into ourselves and our souls, tapping into our core, that inner dimension!
YOUR OWN VOICE
Some excellent articles were circulating that if people use AI too early and too much, they may never develop their own voice, it may even stymie or stifle or crimp their own thought processes. Chassidus speaks of how words, spoken and written, help us not only share but also develop ideas, and if AI is doing all that work, we may not develop that internally as much as we could/should. There can also be similar concerns when it comes to Teshuvah. Some people (or their parents or friends) may feel that a return to be closer to G-d, to connect more with Judaism and increased Jewish observance may emphasize conformity, sameness, lack of individuality. But truly meaningful Teshuvah ought to bring out more of the person not less! Especially in Chabad there’s much emphasis and empowerment of the individual, (and there’s a lot from the Rebbe and we have quite a few posts on that).
SEE IT AS A TOOL
As for me at least AI is a tool. It may be an incredible tool, a highly capable tool with vast ability and potential, there are things it can do better than we can – but its still a tool. Thinking of it as a tool, treating it that way, seems to be a much healthier approach. Remarkably, this is how Chassidus sees Teshuvah as well. Teshuvah is tremendous! It is higher (and therefore able to be transformative) of all mitzvot of the Torah! Yet, as lofty and as incredible as it is, Teshuvah is only a tool, and what’s greater than it, is the Jewish soul, the person behind, underneath and within the Teshuvah. But we’d be remiss in not utilizing helpful useful tools that can help us advance and accomplish and grow!
A CONTINUOUS REVOLUTION
This AI Revolution isn’t one and done. This will continue to evolve and progress (and regress), and society along with it, each stage bringing new challenges and opportunities. Change is increasingly more rapid, technology moves quicker now, and we have to stay on top of it, keep adapting and adjusting and making the most of it, as we go along. Teshuvah is like that, too. It’s not a one-time switch and then cruise control. Teshuvah is a constant process, as the Rabbis say “to be all our lives in Teshuvah” not by living in regret, but to continuously grow and improve and progress from one level to the next, closer and closer, higher and higher. Yesterday’s goals are tomorrow’s launch pad. As the verse and Jewish wish, “may we go from Strength to Strength!”