Category: Technology

What I Learned about Taming My Email Habits

24/8/2026

At first, email seemed like one of the most innocent aspects of the new Internet technology.

In fact, you could even get email without Internet pretty early on (at least in Eretz Yisrael).

Yet problems soon appeared as fast as you could press “Send.”

Spam - Treif in a Whole New Way

Spam arose as email’s shadow.

Now, spam filters come with your email.

But back then, spam could be anything from innocent but annoying ads to fílthy forbídden images.

A Whole New Area of Forbidden "Speech"

Then email’s deceptive appearance as regular mail (only in digital form) plus its immediate response time led to people using it for intimate exchanges or lashon hara that quickly found its way across the Internet.

(Or, if not made completely public, at least forwarded on to the one or two people where it could do the most damage.)

The concept of “flame wars” also developed, with the lightning back-and-forth of a hot ‘n’ heavy disagreement – one unlikely to develop in a face-to-face exchange and never would have developed through a hand-written exchange of letters or even memos or faxes.

New Hacker Outlet

Hackers continue to hack email – even with improved security and strong passwords.

Inconvenience, identity theft, and worse continue to plague users.

But I thought I could handle it.

The Sweet Siren Song of Email

I express myself best through writing, so it seemed like the ideal communication tool.

No more hunting the right-sized envelope or figuring out what kind of stamp and how many...no more quests to find the nearest available mailbox (common in Eretz Yisrael, with no personal mailbox for sending mail)...no more dragging myself to inconveniently located post offices to stand in line...

Furthermore, it’s an easier and seemingly gentler way of communicating with people, especially if you want to say something they don’t necessarily want to hear – whether for your own good or for theirs.

And finally, it quickly proved such a boon to employers and employees everywhere.

As just one of a million examples:

If you’re a writer, no more waiting months to receive a reply to your submission. Your submission is received immediately and rejected immediately. No more waiting and wondering for an eternity! Or accepted without the need for phone calls and stuff.

(Except now, they just state in their submissions form that if you don't hear from them by a certain time, you've been rejected.)

You can also interact with a colleague for months without ever hearing their voice.

(Just an observation; not saying whether that's good or bad.)

Oops – DELETE! DELETE!

The thing is, you can find yourself emailing things to people that you wouldn’t say or write to them.

It’s not always conventionally "bad" stuff either.

You can get intimate too fast over email, you can give forth too much of yourself via a mechanism that not only cannot be erased (unless the receiver is willing to press “Delete Forever” and even then, only Google knows whether it’s really gone), but can be forwarded infinitely for eternity.

And that’s regarding the well-intentioned use of email.

Despite my best intentions, I’ve found myself guilty of sending emails (for better or for worse) containing content I wouldn’t have said or written in snail-mail.

In fact, I think I even lost a job due to email, via the actions of a particularly disturbed and devious individual (though I’ll probably never know exactly why or how – nor even if my suspicions against that individual are actually correct).

But if it did happen in the way I suspect it did, then I deserved it (after all, I didn't need to write whatever I wrote – whatever that was; can't remember now) and kaparat ha’avonot.

Better to suffer consequences for negative actions in This World than in the World to Come.

Along those lines, altercations also occur via email that likely wouldn’t have occurred otherwise.

On a different note, many people reveal (whether private for you or hurtful for the other) all sorts of thoughts and events they might not have otherwise revealed (or revealed in such an untrustworthy medium).

Deceptively, email makes you feel private or even anonymous – and yes, you can be private or anonymous to a certain extent – which contributes to part of email’s lure and pitfall.

Ultimately, you're not private, nor are you as anonymous as you think.

Also, via email, I’ve maintained more contact with certain people than I would have otherwise – sometimes a good thing and sometimes not.

But ironically, it took me years to realize it mostly wasn’t a good thing.

After all, if you can’t be bothered to write out a letter, then address and stamp an envelope or make a long-distance phone call (or they can’t be bothered to do that for you), then what kind of relationship do you really have?

People grow in different directions and compatibilities change (or never really existed in the first place).

Staying in touch with all that isn't necessarily a positive.

Invasion of the Unwanted Emails

Email also means receiving emails you may not want to receive (not just Spam).

Other people can email you whatever they want, whenever they want, and however much they want.

You can ask them to stop or reduce.

But if they don't want to, well then...

Sometimes, it's relatively innocent.

People forward nice ideas, thoughts, videos, and jokes.

But you just feel overwhelmed by so many people forwarding so much.

Or, in the very earlier days of email, I subscribed to a forum hosted by a frum lady. She received via email what we now call "urban legends," so she earnestly posted these as public service announcements.

I dutifully forwarded these to people possibly threatened by these potential dangers until one acquaintance begged me to stop spamming her.

I felt terrible – and bewildered. How on earth was I spamming her?

She went on to explain how these public service announcements are actually urban legends and not necessarily true. And also, she received these from others (because everyone forwarded them), so she repeatedly kept getting the same kind of email.

It was a big lesson for me, both in gullibility and email etiquette. And I stopped.

At the other extreme of this, bad people utilize email to conduct ugly harassment or threats or foυlness or sabotage or humiliation.

What is Email Really Good For?

Yes, email developed into the ideal option for many business situations and also for many types of personal interactions.

When my grandfather died years ago, my dad and his sisters noted that discussing and organizing everything via email worked out more smoothly and conveniently that trying to set up a series of conference calls across 3 different time zones.

And yes, I have email and continue to use it.

But what I realized more and more is that a lot of this fast and easy technology is best used for faster and easier business and short tasks – but not more.

With some of my closest relations conducted mostly via email, I definitely use email for more than fast, easy, short tasks.

However, I'm more judicious about it and more aware of the potential lack of confidentiality and security.

Note:
Scrolling and scrolling down a screen to read long, complex messages also ensures that the message isn’t absorbed as well as a printed-on-paper message.

Regardless of how habituated you are to reading on a screen, your eyes skip a lot.

Even with the specially designed anti-reflection e-ink e-readers, studies have shown that people reading a book on an e-reader understand and retain less than reading the exact same book in its print version.

But despite knowing that, I often can't avoid producing really long blog posts.¯\_(ツ)_/¯

So basically, email is good for:

Business back-and-forth
Sending invitations
Thank-you notes (okay, not everyone agrees with me here, but I definitely prefer receiving thank-you emails to handwritten thank-you notes)
Dropping a quick message
Reminders
Unavoidable long-distance communications (i.e., can you imagine blogs and forums if you had to mail your comments?)
Sending someone pleasant thoughts, praise, encouragement, or genuinely helpful advice
Certain kinds of photos
Quick and helpful information (telephone numbers, names, addresses, etc.)
Many of the heart-warming or genuine funny viral forwards are pretty nice too!

And as mentioned, I feel like now I know how to deal with it in a more judicious manner.

(Anyway, the rest of the world has gone on to WhatsApp, Instagram, and texting, so email has become tamer in comparison.)

For the differences of absorption and retention on e-readers vs print:

http://publiclibrariesonline.org/2014/02/the-physical-effects-of-e-reading/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8715975/ (a study from 2021)
https://oej.scholasticahq.com/article/125437-turning-the-page-what-research-indicates-about-print-vs-digital-reading (a study from 2024)
https://oxfordlearning.com/screen-vs-paper-which-one-boosts-reading-comprehension/ (a Canadian study from 2025)

True Greatness Hides Itself before God Makes It Known

4/4/2026

Throughout his commentary on the Torah, the Kli Yakar emphasizes that Hashem chooses the "מעט /m'at" — the lesser, the minor, the small one, the insignificant.

Whether it was the more diminutive Har Sinai or the younger sibling (Yitzchak, Yaakov, Moshe Rabbeinu, etc.), God chooses the m'at.

I'm mean, look at Yehudah, the progenitor of Mashiach: a middle child.

And Tamar?

She comes out of nowhere, has been married twice without ever producing a child (not ideal shidduch material), and is pretty quiet.

In fact, our Sages note that the whole reason why Yehudah didn't recognize her on the road (despite her having been his daughter-in-law twice) was because of her great modesty and refinement when at the home of her father-in-law...she even covered her face, so he really didn't know what she looked like.

(You're not obligated to cover your face when visiting your in-laws. The Sages just note Tamar chose to of her own accord, which later proved advantageous.)

Further down the line, you have Ruth.

Again, her refined modesty and reluctance to stand out are what actually make her stand out.

Her refinement and concern for modesty is even more startling considering that she comes from a particularly brazen nation.

Furthermore, she's a convert from a nation despised (with good reason) by the Jews.

To make things even more complicated, she looked different.

Apparently, the Moavites had a distinctive look, making Ruth identifiable at first glance.

In other words, she was an ethnic minority of one from a most unpopular ethnic group.

(Note: I looked up Moavite archeology to get an idea of what the Moavites might have looked like, but found very little. Almost nothing remains of that once-powerful nation.)

Yet very quietly and unassumingly, Ruth swept up all the Moavite sparks of vitality with her when she left and elevated them with her conversion to Judaism.

(For more, please see: The Powerful Secret of Sincere Conversion.)

And that was the beginning of the end for Moav.

Later, she married the great Boaz and their great-grandson ended up being King David...again, the direct line of Mashiach.

Ruth also merited to have her story written out and an entire megillah named after her.

The Reluctant Leaders of Israel

In Shemot and Va'era, we have Moshe Rabbeinu, the baby of the family and a stutterer.

Moshe Rabbeinu spends significant parts of his life undercover:

His mother births him in secrecy within a closed home to hide his light.
His mother hides him in a floating box in the Nile (while his sister hides herself to watch over him).
He's locked up in an underground prison for several years.

Moshe Rabbeinu actually tries to avoid the leadership position Hashem has chosen for him.

After his first official meeting with Pharoah leads to increased suffering for his beloved people, Moshe Rabbeinu tells Hashem: "Perhaps I was the cause, since You sent a stutterer like me to him?"

Moshe Rabbeinu was definitely not engaging in any self-promotion here.

In fact, he thinks he's the wrong man for the job and doesn't hesitate to express this to God Himself.

Also, it's worth noting how Aharon HaKohen shows absolutely no jealousy over the fact that Hashem chose his younger and less silver-tongued brother as the great redeemer.

Due to Aharon's profound humility and willingness to play second fiddle his entire life, Hashem awards Aharon's descendants with eternal Priesthood.

Devorah Haneviah led the nation to military victory, but first she tried to avoid doing so.

Many, many other examples throughout Tanach of the lesser person, the one trodden upon or ignored, suddenly chosen by Hashem for an exalted role.

Here's another gem: Gidon.

The Small-Tribe Boy Achieves Greatness

The story of Gidon in Judges has always been one of my favorites.

When I finally studied it with the commentaries, I found even more to love.

We come across Gidon during a downturn in Jewish history.

Gidon is born to the Jewish nation during its oppression by the camel-riding crescent-bearing Midyanites (the precursors of today's Arabs).

Gidon is also a member of the smallest Tribe, Menashe.

Furthermore, his family is one of the smallest and least significant of the Menashi families.

And within his immediate family, Gidon is one of the younger brothers.

So in terms of external status, Gidon remains as unimportant as one could be within the trodden-upon Am Yisrael at that time.

Gidon is working away in the threshing house.

Unbeknownst to Gidon and his father, an angel is invisibly waiting outside in the courtyard under a tree.

Knowing that discovery means death, Gidon tells his father, "Abba, you are old. And if the the Midyanim will come, you will not be able to flee. You go, and I will thresh."

That's according to Rashi. According to Radak, Gidon tells his father, "My father, you are old. Enter into your home and I will thresh because if the Midyanim will come, you don't have within you the strength to flee."

That's when the angel said in the name of God, "You have upheld the mitzvah of honor [honoring your father] and you are suited to that all of my children shall immediately be redeemed by your hand."

The angel became visible and declared, "God is with you, mighty one of valor."

Please note that Gidon did not tweet, "Dude! Angel just appeared to me and declared me 'mighty one of valor'! Please follow me!"

Nor did he upload a selfie of himself and the angel to Instagram.

Nor did he update his Facebook page with the new twist of events along with a request to "like" the "angel 'n' me" post. In fact, he was rather hesitant about his newfound status. Okay, I'm kidding about the social media. I know there was no such technology back then.

Both Radak and Malbim state that Gidon's mesirut nefesh for kivud av (putting his father's safety and well-being above his own) ignited the merit which caused the angel to make itself known and everything else that followed.

But there was one other reason why Gidon was chosen.

Radak explains that the night before was Leil Haseder of Pesach.

In addition to the text of the Book of Shoftim, Gidon says as he threshes, "Last night, we read the Hallel and my father read to me, 'When Yisrael went out of Egypt.' So if our forefathers were tzaddikim, then perform a miracle for us in their merit. And if they were reshaim, then just as You performed for them, perform a miracle for us too."

(Again, Gidon said this privately to God. He spoke quietly from the heart; he did not pass it on to the town crier.)

And Hashem said, "By your life! Because you acted as a defender [sanigor] for my children, you are worth Me speaking with you immediately."

VERY powerful stuff, as you can see.

Just the quiet self-sacrifice for his father and then arguing with God to perform a miracle not just for himself, but for the ENTIRE Jewish people...Gidon was suddenly catapulted from oppressed insignificant little Jew to prophet and national redeemer.

Not bad for a mere boy from a small tribe, eh?

There was no audience for Gidon initial actions. Just his father and an angel.

But Gidon's vocalized care and concern for everyone else apparently went viral in Shamayim.

A Manipulative and Hypocritical Tactic of the Elite Used for Thousands of Years

24/8/2025

While going through the second volume of an English translation of Am Olam – The History of the Eternal Nation by Rav Shlomo Rotenberg, I came across a passage that strongly resembles the attitude of the elites today.

While detailing on official letter sent out by King Achashverosh at the very beginning of his reign in the Hebrew year 3393 (2392 years ago), when Vashti was still alive and the infamous party had not yet occurred, Rav Rotenberg makes a comment based on Torah sources:

Even in matters of play and entertainment, like circuses and theater, through which rulers try to seduce the people, they forbid their folks to participate.

They plainly consider these as places of empty-headed jesters.

Consider this list of Silicon Valley tech elites, who made over a billion dollars in addictive technology for the masses (which also harms them physically, mentally, and psychologically) – addictive technology they themselves consider so harmful, they limit it for their "folk" – their families:

Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, forbids his children from owning cell phones until age 14 and also forbids cell phones at mealtime, plus forbids any screen-time on any device after a certain hour in the evening.

Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, opposes the "overuse" of technology, believes technology should not dominate even in computer-aided courses, places boundaries on his nephew (he doesn't have children) and won't let kids use social media at all.

Vijay Koduri, former employee at Google, stated that he and his wife refused to buy their children cell phones as long as possible, openly admitting to the ease with which it becomes a life-long habit.

Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple, revealed he prohibited his child from using the iPad invented by Jobs, admitting he and his wife limited their children's use of technology at home.

Sean Parker, former president at Facebook, openly acknowledged the potential harm of social media to human productivity and children's brains, disclosing in detail how they conscientiously set out to make Facebook so addictive.

Evan Williams, a founder of Blogger, Twitter, and Medium, ensured his children's access to hundreds of print books, while refusing them an iPad.

Chamath Palihapitiya, former VP for user-growth at Facebook, used a filthy word to describe social media, stating how he refuses to use it himself or allow his children to use it. He outright acknowledged the social-media addiction created by him and his colleagues leads to more incivility, lies, and misinformation – all of which "are destroying how society works."

Nothing new under the Sun.

This dynamic of the elites protecting themselves from the harmful play and entertainment they use to maintain power, prestige, and increase wealth?

It's clearly thousands of years old.

Under Roman Influence, the Ancient Britons Considered Themselves Cultured, Civilized, and Fashionable. But the Romans Considered Them Easily Manipulated Prey for Enslavement.

Nearly 2000 years ago, Roman historian and politician, Tacitus, wrote a letter about the physical and psychological conquest of Britain by his father-in-law, General Agricola:

...to accustom to rest and repose through the charms of luxury a population scattered and barbarous – and therefore inclined to war – Agricola gave private encouragement and public aid to the building of temples, courts of justice and dwelling-houses; praising the energetic and reproving the indolent.

Thus an honourable rivalry took the place of compulsion.

He likewise provided a liberal education for the sons of the chiefs, and showed such a preference for the natural powers of the Britons over the industry of the Gauls* that they who lately disdained the tongue of Rome now coveted its eloquence.

Hence, too, a liking sprang up for our style of dress, and the toga became fashionable.

Step by step, they were led to things which dispose to vice: the lounge, the bath, the elegant banquet.

All this in their ignorance, they called civilization, when it was but a part of their servitude.

https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Agricola#21

First of all, the Roman elite looked down on the Britons as scattered, barbarous, and "inclined to war."

(Sort of like Hillary's "deplorables.")

And maybe the ancient Britons were really like that.

However, the Torah way is to see each person as a tzelem Elokim (the Divine Image of God) as stated in Beresheit/Genesis, and wish to help them achieve their God-given potential.

Instead, the Romans sought to corrupt the Britons, rather than open their eyes to the glories and potential of the human soul and tzelem Elokim.

By using a feedback-loop similar to the one found in social media, the Romans purposefully manipulated the Britons.

Rather than harsh coercion, the Romans used "the charms of luxury," providing funds and praising those who actively participated while admonishing those who refused.

The Romans used education as a tool of propaganda, inciting discrimination against the Gauls and imbuing the youth with admiration of all things Roman.

They habituated the Britons to "rest and repose" (sittin' around wastin' time) and encouraged the Britons towards empty-minded lazy pleasures that lead to vice.

The lounge, bath, and elegant banquets provide empty time that needs excitement, plus often includes excessive drinking, overeating, socializing, immodest behavior, and – in a public bath – physical immodesty.

(Very similar to what Rav Avigdor Miller details here: Affluence – The Great Destroyer.)

And the Britons thought they were becoming civilized.

Sort of like how modern people strive to feel informed, up-to-date, and fashionable.

But as the Roman elite class shamelessly acknowledged among each other, it was all part and parcel of the Britons' servitude.

And the Romans did NOT raise their own children in such a way.

*Note:
The Gauls were a Celtic group that spread from Western Europe to Britain. What did a Roman mean when he referred to someone as a "Gaul"? In short, the Romans differentiated between Britons and Gauls, noting similarities between their customs and beliefs, and describing their languages as almost the same – a language which provided the base for Welsh, Cornish, and Breton.

The Potential Impact of AI – Part 4: The End of Reading

4/8/2025

The Potential Impact of AI – Part 1: Art, Music, and Film
The Potential Impact of AI – Part 2: Books, Magazines, Articles, Reports, and Other Forms of Writing
The Potential Impact of AI – Part 3: AI Outright Lies about Issues of Kedushah

The Slow Death of Reading (and Reading Comprehension)

The truth is, outside the frum community, I don't think much future exists for books or the written word.

Many newspapers and blogs try to obfuscate this, but that's probably because their entire livelihood and prestige depends on writing and they don't want to believe it will mostly disappear.

My skepticism formed after a conversation with a first-grade teacher in a secular Leftist Israeli public school.

Ever since she described how her first-graders don't look up from their phones while riding the school bus together, how she needs to use digital technology to teach, and her own son and his friends do not play or speak, but text each other while sitting next to each other...

...I realized the future is in trouble.

Until then, I had no idea that secular children had been so absorbed into the digital lifestyle.

And I'm not buying the optimistic predictions; they often utilize some kind of subterfuge to maintain their optimism.

For example, one article quoted a survey of Generation Z (born 1997-2012) on Wattpad and came up with a statistic of 55% of them reading once a week or more. (And I did not see if that stat included assigned reading or reading for pleasure.)

The thing is...Wattpad exists solely for writing and reading stories.

Anyone using that website clearly reads stories.

This is like conducting a survey on a website catering solely to Orthodox Jews, which asks how often they eat gefilte fish, then acting like the statistic of “90% ate gefilte fish during the past week” equally applies to Manhattan yuppies and Idaho potato farmers.

(Disclaimer: Because we eat Moroccan-style, I personally haven't eaten my beloved gefilte fish for a long time. But most Orthodox Jews eat it every Friday night for Shabbos.)

Both surveys and personal observations show Generation Z as reading far less for pleasure.

Wattpad simply attracts the youth who do read, not the average member of Generation Z.

So how does one sift through the blind optimists to get to the truth?

Independent bloggers and substackers mention the reality of the younger generation and reading. It's also possible to dig up research on this.

Comments on articles left by teachers and professors reveal a shocking lack of reading – including reading comprehension.

Aspects of reading comprehension – including university students too lazy to look up a word (made easier than ever by their phone or e-reader) – have deteriorated.

The majority of teens and younger prefer texting and voice messaging for both communication and to remedy boredom. To relax, they scroll through TikTok or watch movies.

(The following stats come from the article Are Books Dead? Why Gen Z Doesn't Read by Jean M. Twenge.)

One survey revealed the following comparisons of the year 1976 vs. the year 2022:

1976: Nearly 40% of U.S. 12th-graders read 6 or more books for pleasure.
2022: Only 13% of U.S. 12th-graders read 6 or more books for pleasure.

In other words:

1976: 60% of U.S. 12th-graders read 5 or less books for pleasure over the past year.
2022: 87% of U.S. 12th-graders read 5 books or less for pleasure over the past year.

Of course, some students never read for pleasure – only if forced to read assigned books for English class.

And the survey revealed the following:

1976: 11.5% of U.S. 12th-graders read NO books for pleasure.
2022: 40% of U.S. 12th-graders read NO books for pleasure.

That's really shocking.

In fact, the percentage turned on its head, like this:

1976: 40% of U.S. 12th-graders read 6 or more books for pleasure.
2022: 40% of U.S. 12th-graders read NO books for pleasure.

This means that:

1976: 88.5% of U.S. 12th-graders read at least one book for pleasure.
2022: 60% of U.S. 12th-graders read at least one book for pleasure.

And as you'll see in the rest of this post, that number is on the decrease.

This means that when publishers market their young adult books, their maximum reach encompasses only a little over half of American teens.

The rest simply aren't interested.

And that percentage continues to shrink.

But what about the ambitious students?

No More Pencils, No More Books...Yes, Really.

Remember those students interested in achieving graduate degrees and taking college prep classes?

They actually claimed to like and understand the literature assigned in high school English classes. They read both adult and young adult novels for pleasure (along with their mother's magazines, if they were girls).

The more left-brained boys obsessively played Dungeons and Dragons and read science-fiction.

But today, even those interested in an advanced university education – those who need to read all sorts of books and continue to read all sorts of books to earn a degree (meaning, they're likely to be good readers) – barely read books for pleasure.

Again, some stats:

1976: 12th-graders aiming for an advanced degree read 8 books for pleasure that past year.
2022: 12th-graders aiming for an advanced degree read 3 books for pleasure that past year.

1976: 7% of 12th-graders aiming for an advanced degree read NO books for pleasure that past year.
2022: 30% of 12th-graders aiming for an advanced degree read NO books for pleasure that past year.

It's shocking to discover that out of the more ambitious and intellectual students, 30% refused to read any book outside of books assigned by their English teacher.

If that's the modern cream of the crop, then what hope is there for a brighter future as far as the secular world goes?

Even more concerning:

Because modern high school students find reading (and comprehension) such a chore, high school teachers adjusted their reading assignments to suit the new trend.

It shocked me to learn that Twenge's daughter's high school English teachers no longer assign books!

What is an English literature class without reading literature?

(In some ways, it's good because the general reading for American English classes consists of immoral boring brainwashing, like The Scarlet Letter and The Great Gatsby. Romeo and Juliet...or boring and disturbing books, like Bless the Beasts and the Children and Ordinary People. At least British students get to read Animal Farm.)

Instead, her daughter's English teachers assign articles and short stories only.

That sounds so bizarre to me.

On the other hand, I remember how many American short stories also contain disturbing and immoral material – even more than novels, often leaving me with an icky and confused feeling (yes, even as a secular radically liberal teenager).

And probably all the articles consist of material aimed at corrupting the already paltry value system (e.g., As a young woman born into a male body, I feel so discriminated against when they won't let me participate in female boxing. But I FEEL like a young woman, not a young man! And so what if I'm 6'2" and can bench press 200 pounds? I feel feminine and want to punch girls, not boys...)

So the American literature (and Shakespeare) classes in high school had been down-sliding for a while (by choosing davka immoral and disturbing material) and now it's disappearing altogether.

After all, think of the future teachers...

If this generation reads so little for pleasure, then the ones who read minimally for pleasure (while spending most of their time scrolling, tapping, and speaking in short bursts into voice messages) – what kind of teachers will they be?

The truth is, it could easily be that the upcoming generations will be taught by AI, using videos and graphics.

So in addition to books, magazines, and newspapers, teachers will also become obsolete.

Furthermore, a recent survey of Generation Z parents in the UK revealed that less than half of parents read to their children.

However, what percentage of Generation Z are parents already, with Generation Z consisting of people between the ages of 13-28, and most people in Western society delaying parenthood?

Nonetheless, it indicates a trend.

You can see the survey here:
https://corporate.harpercollins.co.uk/press-releases/new-research-reveals-that-parents-are-losing-the-love-of-reading-aloud/

This study of over a thousand people presents findings on various aspects of reading.

Regardless of what a study on parents under the age 27 actually show, the rest of the study indicates that, like America, reading, reading comprehension, and love of reading decreased significantly over the past decade.

Yes, as you shown in the article, they came up with the idea of a book club for pupils, and it apparently worked to a certain extent.

But how widely and for how long can this idea be implemented?

And it only targets the kind of kids willing to join a book club in the first place.

And with so many more enticing distractions around, who will want to remain in the book club?

It seems unlikely that a book club provides the solution.

Frankly, I'd classify this as the false hope of a multi-million dollar company in the face of a dwindling and even bankrupt future within the next few generations.

A Deeper Look into the Decline of Comprehension

A state-university professor friend of mine – who did NOT teach English, but completely different subject – related how she forced her university students to rewrite their papers, sometimes even two or three times.

When they protested, saying she didn't even teach English, so it wasn't her job to crack down on their English-writing skills, she sympathetically replied that she did it out of concern for their skills and future.

She always emphasized how she did not blame them, but their teachers.

"For some reason," she said, "you high school English teachers failed you. They did not teach you how to write a paper, despite that being one of their main jobs. And your current English professors are apparently not doing it. My very real fear is that you can graduate with a university degree – and not know how to write properly."

She told me this around 20 years ago.

And reading strongly influences writing.

Many good, frequent readers tend to write decently or even well.

Certainly, a decent teacher can teach a student to write decently, whether that student reads frequently or not.

So the main blame for the lack of proper written expression rests on their high school teachers.

(From personal experience, it looks like middle school or even late elementary school can also positively affect the quality of a student's writing. So the lack of writing ability by university indicates poor teaching from around 5th grade. But certainly, their high school teachers should've done their job, at the very least.)

Additionally, poor writing ability also indicates a lack of quality reading on their part.

Please also note how children who read frequently and above their age level often demonstrate better verbal expression and a better vocabulary in speech, in addition to good written expression and vocabulary.

Equally worrisome is Generation Z's lack of comprehension.

Again, Twenge's article measures the decreasing comprehension of Generation Z even when they do read.

College professors also note the lack of comprehension and sheer laziness in looking up words the student doesn't know.

Up through the Nineties, students needed to physically get up and walk across the room (or go to another room) to find a dictionary, then page through it until they found the word.

Some people even kept a dictionary in easy reach while reading a book.

But now, Generation Z either reads on their phone or with their phone handy. This makes looking up a word as easy as pressing a button. E-readers contain this instant function too.

Yet professors note that Generation Z doesn't even bother to do that much.

So in addition to a decrease in actual reading, the upcoming generations don't even read critically or fully understand what they read.

I find this more concerning than the decrease in reading.

This shows a decrease in actual thinking.

It also explains why it's so easy to get them fired up into believing lies and fighting for immoral causes, like the bloodthirsty Gazans, gender confusion, abortion, and all sorts of other gilui arayot issues.

Again, if you're well-ensconced in the frum world, you may not have noticed this so much as both girls' and boys' frum education demands a lot of challenging reading (whether Rashi in his original Hebrew on the parsha or a Judeo-Aramaic blatt Gemara), plus teachers remain under pressure by parents and administration to actually teach.

I'm not denying the existence of poor teachers or students who fall between the cracks.

When viewing the topic, please understand the difference between the mass and irreparable breakdown of education and student ability in the secular Western world vs. the problems in the frum educational system.

A Word on Third-World Immigration

The mind-melding influence of AI and social media could explain why so many Western governments don't seem fussed about inviting in so many immigrants from Third-World countries without discerning their attitudes, ethics, or values – some of which can be violent and sociopathic, depending on the person.

Perhaps world leaders say to themselves, "We'll just give them cell phones and let social media and AI do the rest."

They want immigrants to bulk up the population, provide Left-leaning voters, domestic services, childcare, and elder care.

However, this demonstrates severe short-sightedness.

If immigrants meld into the norms of Generation Z and younger, they will no longer want to clean homes, tend pools, or work hard enough to care properly for the elderly and children.

Certainly, they won't be moved to vote at a voting booth outside their home.

Note:
This represents a whole topic unto itself. But the real underlying reason for the elites desire for mass immigration seems to lie in the need for a population increase to replace the destructively low fertility rates in Western countries, plus the elites want servants.

A Few Comments regarding Generation Z

As noted in Part 2, the charedi members of Generation Z here in Israel still show a decent (even excellent) work ethic, idealism, and excellent reading skills and comprehension.

Even among the frum Generation Z, all sorts of digital distractions and corruptions exist. Yet many resist and stick to a "dumbphone" with minimal Internet at home.

Again, yes, negative impacts from digital technology exists.

And the frum Generation Z faces its own spiritual struggles – which baruch Hashem, many people understand and offer solutions.

There's a girls program run by one of Rabbi Noach Weinberg's sons or grandsons. It's called Shiviti, and they're doing a wonderful job.

(Disclaimer: I only heard about Shiviti briefly, but I think there's a branch in Yerushalayim and Ramat Beit Shemesh, and heard they want to start it in Bnei Brak too. Here's a link I found for RBS: https://www.shemesh.co.il/en/events/weekly-learning-and-chizuk-for-post-highschool-women/about. But I have no way of knowing anything more about it.)

Based on the comments I heard from a young married mother from Bnei Brak who works with struggling teens, it seems like the struggle of Generation Z lies in internalizing how much Hashem loves them individually and how aware and appreciative He is of everything we do.

This connects to yirat Shamayim.

But it also connects to doing the right thing and rising above everything pulling one down because every small hidden good deed holds overpowering significance in the Eyes of Hashem.

According to her, Generation Z needs the feeling of "I matter. I personally matter to God."

For some reason, they seem to be missing that.

Every generation faces its own struggle and this is apparently theirs.

I don't have verification of this beyond the opinion of this devoted and special young woman in Bnei Brak.

But if you're raising or teaching a member of Generation Z, then maybe it's a helpful idea to focus on making sure they know – at the heart-level – that they personal hold great significance in Hashem's Eyes.

To review the first parts of this series, please click on the following:
The Potential Impact of AI – Part 1: Art, Music, and Film
The Potential Impact of AI – Part 2: Books, Magazines, Articles, Reports, and Other Forms of Writing
The Potential Impact of AI – Part 3: AI Outright Lies about Issues of Kedushah

The Potential Impact of AI – Part 3: AI Outright Lies about Issues of Kedushah

31/7/2025

Recently, I listened to shiur in which the Israeli rebbetzin mentioned how someone convinced her to use ChatGPT to collect sources from the Zohar, which she needed for writing her newest book.

The vastness and depth of the Zohar, plus its primary language of Judeo-Aramaic, makes it quite a challenge to hunt down sources.

So the rebbetzin felt delighted when a Hebrew search of topics in the Zohar returned lists of quotes and sources.

Her innate integrity and thoroughness led her look up each source for clarity and verification.

To her shock and dismay, she discovered none of ChatGPT's listed sources actually exist.

She concluded that ChatGPT only tells you whatever you want to hear – even if that results in lies.

And she stated that was the end of her having anything to do with ChatGPT.

Telling You Whatever You Want to Hear, Even Inventing a Fake Index

I heard or read from others the same story:

When looking up Torah sources in ChatGPT, it often invents sources, but presents the results as real.

Where does it glean its information from?

Why does it invent sources and quotes, rather than either offering the real source or quote or announcing that what you're looking for cannot be found?

It's disturbing, yet enlightening to discover that regarding pretty simple mundane aspects of life, ChatGPT can be fairly reliable. ("Can be" – but not always is.)

But when it comes to kedushah, it outright lies.

Food for thought.

For Part 4, please click here:
The Potential Impact of AI – Part 4: The End of Reading

The Potential Impact of AI – Part 2: Books, Magazines, Articles, Reports, and Other Forms of Writing

30/7/2025

This post continues from: The Potential Impact of AI – Part 1: Art, Music, and Film

As I continued to periodically read a popular general blog on a non-fiction topic, I gradually noticed a new difficulty in reading the posts.

And that didn't make sense – at first.

After all, the posts were concise and well-organized. Each post started offering a mini-table of contents at the beginning, then continued in an organized manner with each short section labeled with handy subtitles.

And the subject matter – writing well – definitely interested me.

Yet my eyes continued to skim the posts. It was like my eyes couldn't hook on to any of the words.

At one point, I tried to force myself to read a post word for word. It proved surprisingly difficult.

But doing so revealed how the post contained lackluster writing and superficial content.

Was that why my eyes skimmed these newer posts?

Several months later, via various references in his posts and newsletters, I realized the blogger probably started using AI (artificial intelligence) to write his posts.

Somehow, something in my brain picked up on a lack of "soul" in his writing.

And I wondered how much other written content utilizes AI to that extent, causing a paradoxical new trend in which the author's real name on the byline represents a pseudonym for a material written by AI.

AI Seems Hard to Read Now, But That Seems to be Changing

Likewise, when people posted AI responses to back up their positions in other articles or in comment sections ("Claude said" "ChatGPT says"), I initially found them very difficult to read – again, my eyes instinctively skimmed the content, unable to focus.

Now it's easier, though I still need to mentally commit to read it word for word.

Yet a long block of AI text still proves impossible to read, even when well-written and organized. My eyes and brain just won't do it.

Without knowing the experiences of others, I still bet I'm not the only one who encountered this reflexive physiological response to AI.

Recently, people started uploading books completely authored by AI to Amazon, and Amazon took steps to combat this trend.

Most people think AI won't be able to write sellable and compelling books, let alone best-sellers.

Indeed, just like the current AI art looks AI, many people spot the signs of AI in written articles.

And while writing a full-length absorbing novel remains more complicated than producing a nice image for a book cover or an illustrative graphic, it seems that over time, AI will probably manage to do that.

A character-based novel would prove more of a challenge to AI than a plot-based novel.

But even that's not necessarily so with the modern trend toward superficial and group thinking.

Even now, the quality of fiction slides downscale as the major publishing houses produce novels containing "woke" brainwashing and all sorts of vulgarity and superficiality.

This comes as no surprise as the liberal mind-cloning, lack of discerning self-examination, and immorality affecting both the editors and the authors whose books they selectively acquire.

With everyone encouraged to think the same, including the perception of disappearing moral boundaries as "progressive" and "unique," this offers AI a prize opportunity to set its foot in the door.

And readers who grow up with AI may not face the same difficult reading AI.

A Dead Author Never Really Needs to Die with AI

One ideal opportunity for AI comes in the continuation of the works of now-dead best-selling authors.

Currently, they continue a deceased author's work via live authors, utilizing the dead author's old work, plus any drafts for future books the dead author left behind.

If a publisher feeds all the old manuscripts into AI, plus the author's plotting notes and drafts for future books, and then ensures a conscientious editor goes over the whole thing, it could work out very nicely.

Most, if not all posthumously continued series or novels fail to achieve the dead author's style. Fans always manage to tell the difference, though some love the characters so much, they force themselves to buy the books written by a new author. But purists refuse.

AI could probably imitate the dead author as well as or even better than a human author – maybe because AI lacks a soul and a human author will always have his or her own touch, no matter how hard they try to imitate the original dead author.

The question remains whether promoting the book as written by AI, using the original author's works, notes, and drafts – or whether pretending a human author was involved – proves better for sales.

The Mind-Cloning and Dumbing Down of Society Makes Room for AI Writers

In addition to the dumbing-down, mind-melding, and shallowness of authors and editors, readers also experience that same effect.

Inside the charedi community, we don't experience it so much. But throughout most of the Western world, young children spend a lot of time in front of a screen.

Their communication lacks depth or soul, with quickly tapped brief messages full of typos and abbreviations or a quick spoken message, played by its listener at an unnaturally quick speed to just get gist of it.

This mode of communication lacks all the nuance of emotion, verbal inflection, and visual cues.

While many people throughout the ages thrived on writing letters (and this continues in a less healthy form via email), writing long meaningful letters still provided a deep and meaningful communication style.

What would've happened had everyone decided to give up writing letters and instead communicated solely via telegrams?

That's the situation we face now, but in digital form.

Imagine There's No Literary Agents or Writers...

Ultimately, I think AI will wedge its way into all different forms of writing. It's so much cheaper and malleable than dealing with a living, opinionated author.

(This means cutting out literary agents too. All AI work would come directly from the publishers; no need for anymore middlemen.)

Some authors already outsource their novels to freelancers by providing them with an outline. (You can see writers available for this on Fiverr and Upwork.)

Additionally, detailed templates for novels remain available for sale online.

So how different would it be to give all that to AI?

A good editor could work an AI-produced novel up to the quality of many current novels.

So I think there could be an AI boom in writing...until the disappearance of the generations that currently read.

(The steady disappearance of readers will be a topic for an upcoming post.)

Imagine There's No Journalists...

As we can all see, journalism already suffered a digital sucker-punch.

Investigative journalism barely survives.

What journalist nowadays even tries to dig out original sources, fact-check, or even show up physically to the scene of the story he or she covers?

They rely on the social media uploads of unreliable narrators and on mainstream news reports (who also refuse to fact-check or dig out original sources or travel to see it all for their own eyes).

Even those on the scene tend to manipulate.

For example, a news team covering the minor aftermath of a hurricane will seek out the one fallen tree or flooded cul-de-sac and stand near or in it while wearing thigh-high boots and pretending to struggle against the wind.

They'll grant misleading interviews with nutters or actors (yes, some people get on camera and spew blatant lies as if they're in the know and involved; I personally heard this from someone who suffered through it).

They'll film from manipulated angles.

They'll present a photo or video with a false narration.

American newspapers already present such badly written, manipulatively written, and poorly researched articles (read a British news article and you'll immediately spot the different in quality of writing), AI will easily compete.

And just a AI novelists will be easier and cheaper for editors and publishers than human novelists, AI journalists (or more accurately, AI "article writers") will prove easier and cheaper for news editors.

And again, that's only as long as people read newspapers and articles.

(As will be discussed, readers are disappearing.)

So yes, based on current trends (lower quality of writing and research, combined with lower standards in readers and financial gains), it seems like AI will take over journalism and news reporting at some point – until potential readers dwindle to the point where writing no longer earns money or attention.

In a World Controlled by AI, Where Do Mashiach and Geula Fit In?

You may be wondering where Geula and Mashiach come into all this.

To me, AI and all this advanced technology represent yet another aspect of Hashem's sifting process.

It's easy to get sucked into social media, ChatGPT, AI "arts," and all that.

Shabbos presents us with a golden opportunity to disconnect and sing with our own voices, keeping the beat with our hands, speaking face to face, connecting to Hashem, and reading actual books that stimulate our minds and souls.

But most Jews worldwide do not keep Shabbos.

And those who do keep Shabbos need to examine their use of AI, cell phones, social media, etc., during the weekdays.

Certainly, frum schools still strive to maintain a traditional curriculum.

Also, despite the deteriorating work ethic and expectations of America's Generation Z (those born 1997-2012, 66% of whom believe that "not wanting to work hard" will be just fine with their potential employers), I worked with American charedi female members of Generation Z here in Eretz Yisrael, and they demonstrated an excellent work ethic.

So while all this advanced technology has definitely harmed the frum community, it still does not face nearly as hopeless and pathetic a future as the rest of the Western world (or at least, the rest of the US and the UK).

In fact, it seems the frum community demonstrates a more hopeful outcome for the future than almost any other group in Western society.

Because the digitally consumed Generation Z and younger are, well, still so young, we're not yet seeing the drastic ramifications on society.

And many writing outlets adjusted themselves to suit the shifting needs of society, from print to digital.

But it's not going to remain like that.

Personally, I believe most writing industries (writers, editors, publishers, etc.) simply refuse to see how AI-replaceable they'll be for the upcoming and far less discerning generations.

This is not some melodramatic prediction. It's happening NOW – but mostly for those under age 25.

And just because you personally raise your children to read good-quality writing doesn't mean the majority commits to that. Certainly, research shows the younger generation (under 25) in both the UK and the USA do NOT commit to reading for pleasure, whether for themselves or their children – let alone read something written by AI.

Ever since a teacher at a secular Leftist public school in Israel told me how her first-graders don't look up from their phones while riding the school bus together, how she needs to use digital technology to teach, and her own son and his friends do not play or speak, but text each other while sitting next to each other, I realized these kids will not read, let alone discern between human writing and AI writing.

Then why do you see so many articles claiming things aren't as doomed as they appear?

It's just denial. They refuse to see what's happening now in real time and the bigger picture.

It scares them.

And understandably so.

The AI Challenge – We Can Overcome It

I think AI presents a unique challenge to the Yisrael neshamah. We're all about God and connecting to God and living for God.

AI provides a massive distraction from connection to God – a massively easy and comfortable distraction, which provides a shallow satisfaction.

But the more people who strive to uphold authentic Torah values, who make sure to listen to authentic daas Torah, the better off we'll all be – emotionally, intellectually, financially, and physically.

Anyone, whether a ben/bat Yisrael or a ben/bat Noach, will benefit from focusing on God and upholding His Values, plus living a human rather than digital lifestyle.

Again, it represents a sifting process, which earns us tremendous reward for anything we do to overcome this challenge.

Plus, it polishes our neshamahs and refines us into better people each time we overcome the challenges presented by AI.

With Hashem's Help, we'll rise to and even completely overcome this challenge.

The Potential Impact of AI – Part 1: Art, Music, and Film
The Potential Impact of AI – Part 3: AI Outright Lies about Issues of Kedushah
The Potential Impact of AI – Part 4: The End of Reading

The Potential Impact of AI – Part 1: Art, Music, and Film

30/6/2025

Initially, any discussions of AI (artificial intelligence) induced my mind to wander to more interesting topics.

LLMs. ChatGPT. Claude. Zzzzzzzzzzz...

Then a talented artist friend contacted me with her feelings of AI-produced art and music.

She sent me samples of the music produced by AI.

After hearing, viewing, and listening to everything she shared, I started to realize one of the potential and intriguing problems – yet also a potential plus – with AI.

AI will edge out all the poor-to-average quality in the arts.

How? And what does this mean?

The Potential Impact of AI on Art

Let's look at art.

Right now, most AI art looks AI-generated. Most people look at even a beautiful image and sense something "off," instinctively identifying it as AI.

I think the color and lighting in a lot of AI art looks pretty and inviting, but something about the same image often also looks "off" – sometimes even creepily so (including for something innocent and homey, like a spring-themed sitting room).

My artist friend thinks a lot of AI art looks awful.

Yet people increasingly produce images, book covers, and animated videos with AI.

With the strong demand for good visual AI and the speed at which this kind of technology usually advances, it's easy to assume that within in 5 years (probably less), AI imagery will improve to the point of no longer being so obvious.

(Our standards will change too, particular for children who grow up seeing AI-generated images everywhere. What bothers me won't bother my young son.)

This means a lot more independence and savings for people who need images for their work and until now, needed to pay for professional images or a graphic designer.

But it also means that people working in art-related professions will find fewer available jobs as time goes by.

Furthermore, standards will probably decrease and only genuinely creative or stunning human-generated art will stand out.

The Potential Effect of AI on Music

Music has already been severely affected by digitalization.

Since the Eighties, techno-music entered popular songs and albums.

Then auto-tune allowed a singer's recorded voice to hit notes the singer can't actually reach.

In fact, sometimes the digitally enhanced voice in the song sounds nothing like the singer on stage.

On my last visit to America over 20 years ago, I kept hearing a catchy pop song everywhere.

My mother had the TV on and I heard a group of boys singing that song live on TV.

They sounded awful, completely out of tune.

I looked up and said, "Are those guys trying to imitate that boy band?"

My younger sister looked up and said, "No, that's the actual boy band."

"Really?" I said, shocked. "They sound awful. Are they performing while sick?"

"No," said my sister. "That's how they always sound."

"Maybe it's because they're outside in the cold weather and wind?" I suggested, struggling to believe the smooth voices crooning out of car radios and shopping centers belonged to these consistently off-key yowlers. "Is that distorting their voices?"

My sister wrinkled her nose. "No. They always sound like that. None of them can actually sing. That's why I don't listen to their music, but listen to [a rival boy band] instead."

"Huh," I said. "But don't they give tons of concerts around the country?"

"Yeah," she said.

"And people show up, even though they sound like that?"

"Their hard-core fans don't care. They just want the experience of seeing them live and attending the concert. Anyway, I think a lot of people don't pay attention enough to really hear the difference."

Many people nowadays complain about how all music sounds the same. It's true that producers have whittled it down to a science: the intro, the beat, and everything else that goes into creating a song.

So a lot of pop music sounds the same.

Really, a lot of heavy metal sounds the same too.

My artist friend also appreciates classical music, but most people don't. In fact, most people find classical music boring.

Opera, which takes real skill and practice to sing well, is considered boring by most people.

On a trip to Manhattan at age 14, my grandparents made me sit through an opera. I appreciated the opportunity to experience an opera and according to the libretto, the storyline was really interesting.

The opera itself was well-sung and well-acted.

But I felt so bored, I could hardly stand seeing it through to the end. I decided never to attend another opera.

When I admitted this to my grandmother (along with expressing genuine appreciation for the experience and also for choosing the most entertaining storyline available in the opera at that time), she just chuckled and said, "Well, at least now you know you don't like opera. You're not rejecting it without trying it first. You sat through a great opera and still didn't like it? Okay, so now you know you really don't like opera."

Good point.

Anyway, as people's ears habituate to simpler and more generic music, it's harder to appreciate "good" music.

This affects the frum world too, as we've all noticed the change in music (and volume!) at weddings and other events, and what we hear on the radio, in homes, and cars.

The AI sample of music sent by my artist friend surprised me.

Her adult child whipped it together within minutes.

The tune was catchy; the lyrics were catchy, clever, and amusing.

I couldn't believe that AI could produce both lyrics and music on that level so quickly and with so little input.

I realized people will be able to produce their own music (and accompanying AI-generated videos).

In fact, they can do it now (and probably are, but I'm too out-of-touch to know).

Again, this will push out poor and average music produced by humans because why would someone pay for or worry about using copyrighted music when they can produce their own poor-to-average music for free – and so easily?

Because digital enhancement and catering to the lowest common denominator has already affected the music industry for decades, it's easy to predict this trend will continue, especially as music standards deteriorate even further.

Only stunningly talented musicians and singers will stand out.

This also means that the build-up phase for musicians and singers will no longer exist.

Brilliant singers and musicians often practice a lot to develop their style and skill before they become amazing.

But it seems like the increasing popularity of AI won't allow them their build-up phase – at least, not in the public arena. (Obviously, they can do whatever they want at home.)

The Potential Effect of AI on Films, Movies, Videos, and TV

Movies are another form of "art" increasingly influenced by digital enhancement and AI – some of it quite obvious.

Even the actors themselves utilize digital enhancement for scenes demanding unrealistic acrobatics and other physical skills not humanly possible.

Organizations have already started using AI to create short animated films.

Again, like other visual art, they look AI-generated.

But again, improvements in this technology move fast.

Without me knowing how much skill one needs to produce an AI-generated animated film, the increasingly low standards and formulaic scripts popular in blockbuster movies indicate that amateur AI-generated films and multimillion-dollar productions will soon meet in quality.

That's especially true for animation.

But even amateurs using amateur actors (some of whom are quite talented) will soon be able to equal the standards with AI.

And what about regular movies featuring real people?

Will live actors even be necessary at one point?

The movie industry won't want to admit this, but probably AI will eventually produce realistic-enough-looking characters to satisfy the general public.

And remember, standards continue to decrease.

The standards of "good enough" vary according to people's exposure.

This upcoming generation, most of whose faces and thumbs never leave their phone screens, probably will not hold very high standards.

After all, look at all the visual and audial slop they eagerly devour now.

Of course, some exceptions will exist, both in the viewers and the producers.

Again, because AI tends to wipe out the poor-to-average category by producing poor-to-average material for much less effort and money, only something really stunning will stand out, as far a human-created (and acted) movies.

And due to the conditioning experienced by the majority, only a minority of viewers will even appreciate anything beyond average.

After all, movies have become so formulaically bad and so obviously propagandistic in favor of Leftist and unwholesome values – and people accept this – it's not going to get better.

The only thing that will seem good about it is how people will refuse to pay tons of money for the experience of seeing an expensive movie, or even buying or renting it.

In fact, many people use free (whether legal or not) streaming and copying to access viewing material.

In fact, movie theaters attendance has reached new lows.

Yes, covid affected this by habituating people to content themselves with home-viewing.

But movie-going proves very expensive and many people, particularly adults, complain about the quality of the experience – with so many people talking throughout the film, scrolling with the annoying phone-glow in the dark, and even taking selfies during the film. Or taking snapshots of the film itself.

Frankly, I'll experience a little smirk of satisfaction at the movie industry losing money, business, and careers after all the profound damage they've caused to society.

I didn't address AI with regard to dance or writing.

I don't have many thoughts as to how AI will affect dance.

But with writing, there's a lot to say.

So please see here for more:
The Potential Impact of AI – Part 2: Books, Magazines, Articles, Reports, and Other Forms of Writing
The Potential Impact of AI – Part 3: AI Outright Lies about Issues of Kedushah
The Potential Impact of AI – Part 4: The End of Reading

Evidence for the Existence of Airplanes or Blimps in Ancient Times

6/5/2025

Sanhedrin 106b mentions "מגדל הפורח באויר" – "a tower that floats in the air – migdal hapore'ach b'avir."

This floating tower was the subject of intense study by the Torah's Doeg and Achitofel.

Rashi describes it as a type of cupboard (teivah).

Generally, the commentaries suggested it levitated by saying certain mystical names or by means of the occult or some kind of miraculous power or some kind of magnet.

But the Ben Ish Chai (1832-1909), as Rabbeinu Yosef Chaim of Bagdad came to be known, had other ideas.

In his masterpiece on the Talmud, Ben Yehoyada, the Ben Ish Chai writes:

They're not discussing numerous halachot regarding something done via a miracle or name.

Rather, it appears to be what is found in present times: a tower which floats in the air, which is called merkav al-haw'a ["chariot of the air" or "air chariot" in Arabic], which is made and renovated via wonderous wisdom.

Even though it was rediscovered a few years ago, it certainly was found among the ancient ones prior to the time of Doeg and Achitofel – and also after them.

And it's possible it was even in the generations of the Tanna'im, but afterwards, the wisdom/science of this tower was forgotten.

And then it came back and was rediscovered by the scientists of Europe.

https://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=14476&st=&pgnum=105

Very intriguing, isn't it?

I didn't come up with this, by the way.

I don't learn Gemara or anything like that.

I came across it in a book, then looked up the exact passage in Ben Yehoyada.

The book said the Ben Ish Chai refers to an airplane.

That could definitely be. But do the dates add up?

And if they don't, then what other "air chariot" could be meant?

(Just for knowing, a hot-air balloon is called "kadur pore'ach – a floating sphere" in Hebrew. So it's not a hot-air balloon.)

By using the term "merkav," the Ben Ish Chai implies something sturdier than a balloon – something likely made of wood or metal.

The Ben Ish Chai passed away in 1909 in Iraq.

The Wright brothers made their first flight in 1903.

Yet the date on the Seforim site linked above indicates the book was published in 1898 – 5 years prior to the Wright brothers' historical flight.

Also, the Ben Ish Chai mentions Europeans, not Americans.

So how and what could the Ben Ish Chai know about aircraft in what he refers to as "present times" – the late 19th-century?

What aircraft invented by Europeans existed by 1898?

European Aviation Long before the Wright Brothers

At first, I assumed the Ben Ish Chai used "chachmei Europa" (scientists of Europe) to include Americans too.

After all, the white Americans came from Europe.

But upon reflection, I remembered the Torah Sages strive toward precision in their words. Also, he specified a continent, not a culture or nationality (eg., he mentioned "Europe" and not "Europeans").

Looking up the history of aviation revealed many European inventors innovating aircraft long before Ben Yehoyada came into print.

However, early flying machines tended to look more like paragliders – not towers.

And these flying machines appeared very early on the scene in both America and Europe.

Here's one by Californian inventor William Samuel Henson called "An Aerial Steam Carriage," which took to flight as early as 1843:

By Henson and Stringfellow - Source: Early aviation archiveSee also [1]. Lupo 09:41, 21 March 2006 (UTC)Transferred from en.wikipedia; transfer was stated to be made by User:TheDJ., Public Domain, Link

Another flying machine as early as 1868 (suitably named "Albatross II") appeared in France from aviator Jean-Marie Le Bris:

By Pépin fils from Brest - own archive, Public Domain, Link

Many similar examples exist long before the Wright brothers, so even way over in 19th-century Bagdad, news of such wondrous inventions probably came to his attention.

But they don't look like towers – unless you assume he used very figurative speech.

Then I came across Victor Tatin's "Aeroplane," which took to flight in France in 1879:

By Uploadalt - Own work, photographed at Musee de l'Air et de l'Espace, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

This started ticking off the boxes.

It looks more like a tower on its side with wings and propellers, and was indeed invented in Europe.

Functioning more like a drone than a passenger jet, it also matches the words of Ben Yehoyada because the sefer mentions a tower floating in the sky – without specifying any passengers.

Then this "Giffard Airship" came up from French engineer Henri Giffard in 1852:

By Mike Young at English Wikipedia - Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons by Sreejithk2000 using CommonsHelper., Public Domain, Link

Giffard flew 27 km/17 miles in this flying machine.

It also looks much more like a tower or merkav (chariot, vehicle) than the paragliders.

And this electric-powered airship called "Le France" came into existence via two French engineers in 1885:

By Unknown author - https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k945475q/f5.item.zoom, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link

The above definitely resembles a kind of tower or merkav lying on its side.

All these appeared well before the 1898 printing of Ben Yehoyada.

Yet of course, there is a Jewish influence among these aviation innovations.

Please take a look at the airship of Hungarian Jewish aviation pioneer, David Schwartz, which took to flight from German soil in 1897 (after a failed attempt in 1896), not long before the publishing of Ben Yehoyada:

By unknown ? - Hans-Peter Papke: Tempelhofer Feld Zentralflughafen, Erste Flugversuche, Berlin, 2008 (?) http://peterpapke.de/flugversuche.html, Public Domain, Link

This definitely fulfills the tower requirement as it looks exactly like a tower lying on its side.

It also fulfills the merkav requirement as it's made of aluminum (among other materials).

It also reached an astonishing altitude of 510 meters/1670 feet, thereby fulfilling the definition of "floating in the air."

Russian aviation pioneers also created flying machines, but I didn't come across their pictures or sketches.

Today I Learned the True History of Aviation

It could be the Ben Ish Chai saw or heard about detailed sketches of these machines even before their maiden voyages.

The above photos and sketches aren't the only ones in existence.

A lot of innovation and documentation appeared in France, but other countries also innovated (without necessarily making it into Wikipedia).

So however it happened, descriptions of these innovations reached the Ben Ish Chai.

Researching this also reinforced the importance of taking the Sages seriously.

I had no idea of such advanced aviation (whether airplanes, gliders, or blimps) in Europe so much earlier than the Wright brothers.

Even in America, airplanes flew before the Wright brothers, as you can see in this 1896 photograph by telephone pioneer Alexander Graham Bell:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Langley#/media/File:Samuel_Pierpont_Langley's_steam_A%C3%ABrodrome_No._5_in_flight.png

So the 19-century Ben Ish Chai in far-off Bagdad knew and modern me in a first-world nation did not.

Technology Forgotten, Then Rediscovered Again and Again

Yet one final mystery remains.

Not only did the Ben Ish Chai note how Achitofel and Doeg utilized this technology, but he stated they only rediscovered the technology to create "towers floating in the air."

More intriguingly, he believed the technology existed long before Achitofel and Doeg, who lived during the Hebrew calendar's 2800s (the 800s B.C.E. or almost 3000 years ago).

So if this technology precedes Achitofel and Doeg, how far back does it go?

It sounds hard to believe this technology goes so far back. After all, what about electricity?

Well, some say the ancients also utilized electricity or batteries.

And while some early flying machines utilized electricity, some used man-power, steam, or gas instead.

The idea of ancient technology recalls the interpretation of Rav Yonatan Eibschutz regarding the Tower of Bavel.

He describes a type of space ship (resembling more a sea ship), which that generation wished to launch to the Moon to avoid a global flood they believed occurred cyclically.

(Meaning, after everything humankind endured, they denied the Flood resulted from human actions, but saw it as a cyclical event.)

Apparently, this knowledge is cyclical.

After all, it pops up quite early in human history, is rediscovered by Achitofel and Doeg, then rediscovered by the Tanna'im, and then finally rediscovered again in the 19th century.

And how is he so sure of this?

Well, I have my own idea, so you're free to reject it.

And it's this:

A major reason for calling his book Ben Yehoyada derived from his belief of himself as a reincarnation of the original Benayahu Ben Yehoyada, who lived during the time of David HaMelech (and therefore, during the time of Achitofel and Doeg).

Did the Ben Ish Chai access ancient memories of his previous life, whether through dreams or special meditations?

If so, did he base this particular knowledge on memories derived from a past lifetime?

Perhaps back then, as Benayahu Ben Yehoyada, he'd been privy to the source of their ability to float towers in the air.

And finally, where does he derive his assumption this knowledge existed in the times of the Tanna'im?

Did a past-life glimpse show him that too?

Unless he explains it somewhere else, we can't know for sure.

Regardless, we know that according to the Ben Ish Chai in his sefer Ben Yehoyada, airplanes or blimps existed in the ancient times recorded in the Torah.

For more about Benayahu Ben Yehoyada, please see:
www.myascent.org/about-2/about-tzfat/holy-sites/benaihu-ben-yehoyada/

For a discussion of that Gemara from Sefer HaGilgulim, please see:
Floating Towers

For a brief yet interesting discussion of where the Ben Ish Chai lies buried (he merited a tombstone in the Mount of Olives and another in Iraq), please see:
www.yeshiva.co/ask/61271

For more about the Generation of the Tower of Bavel and its intended use as a launching pad, please see around the middle of this post:
How the 3 Wicked Ancient Generations Parallel Our Challenges Today

Bilvavi Q&A: What is the War of Gog and Magog vs. the War of Amalek?

5/3/2025

In the Bilvavi Parsha Newsletter #387 for Zachor 5785, the following Q&A appears:

Note:
If the newsletter isn't there yet, it will be uploaded there at some point.
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QUESTION
Is the war of Gog and Magog the same thing as Amalek’s war against Hashem?

ANSWER
At the root, the war of Gog and Magog is a war against Hashem, and this branches into a war against the Jewish people, just like the war of Amalek.

Amalek is called the unholy manifestation of the yesod haRuach (the evil element of wind) which includes every kind of evil, and Gog and Magog is the kli (container) which holds it and actualizes it [hence Gog and Magog is the evil yesod ha’afar, the element of earth which actualizes the evil of Amalek].

In addition to answering the question, it also explained to me the influence of Internet usage on the user: people staring into digital screens, seemingly hypnotized, with a very real and negative depressive effect on their brains.

The entire digitalized world has become more sedentary, with even children spending more time lounging with a cell phone rather than physically playing.

It also induces depression and laziness, for reasons already covered in scientific studies, which as Rav Schwartz explains in his lectures and writings, results from a negative excess of the Earth element: Fixing Sadness & Laziness.

Gamers spend hours, sometimes even days sitting, even dying from it, though it sometimes takes a while for anyone to notice. (Please see here for more: What's Happening with Video Games Today?)

This lack of movement results from an excess of the dark side of the Earth element, as noted in Rav Schwartz's answer.

(Yesod ha'afar literally means "element of dust." Dust = Earth.)

So all these weighty, non-buoyant moods and lifestyles, which include depression, apathy, laziness, sluggishness, lethargy, sedentariness, stagnation, catatonia, "tuning out" and "turning off" (in the negative sense of plugging into something meaningless rather than plugging into holy Da'as) — these all derive from the dark side of excess "Earth."

And that unholy Earth element derives from Gog and Magog.

The Combined Destructive Force of the Dark Side of Ru'ach & the Dark Side of Earth

Yet how does that jive with Amalek and the element of Ru'ach (air, wind, spirit)?

They seem like opposites.

After all, Ru'ach indicates movement.

Earth indicates being rooted in place.

Well, speech represents a type of movement.

In fact, according to Torah sources discussing the Four Elements as they apply to personality traits, speech represents the element of Ru'ach.

In addition to the movement of one's mouth, lips, and tongue, speech utilizes and moves air, creating physical ru'ach.

A striking factor of Internet usage lies in its encouragement of excessive speech (both verbal and textual).

And again, its output mostly derives from the dark side of Ru'ach.

Most of the speech and texts tend to be meaningless, materialistic, or outright harmful.

The holy speech represented by divrei Torah comprises a tiny minority of the Internet.

Likewise, the positive speech contained in encouraging text messages or loving emails represents a smaller percentage of Internet speech.

You may not feel this if your Internet use tends to be oriented on listening to Torah classes and reading Torah chizuk online, so for you, the above statement might sound wildly exaggerated.

But remember that religious Jews not only do not even comprise 1% of their individual countries (with the exception of Israel), religious Jews do not even comprise a significant percentage of the Jewish 0.2% of the world population.

(To clarify: Jews represent 0.2% of the world's population. Most of them are not religious.)

But for the vast majority of the technology-connected world, the Internet encourages the proliferation of the dark side of Ru'ach – as represented by Amalek.

So you have people texting or voice messaging slander and insults and filth while lounging around – the quintessential marriage of the dark side of Ru'ach with the dark side of Earth.

So via this "marriage" of the dark side of Ru'ach to the dark side of Earth, Amalek combines with Gog and Magog to corrupt the world in these ways.

A True Story of How Taking a Small Step in the Right Direction regarding Internet Filters Brought about a Yeshuah

17/9/2024

The following is a verified true story (courtesy of the Doeihu organization) that happened 2 years ago at this time of year:

Rosh Hashana 5783

This story was told by R’ Yosef Panet Shlit’a, Rav of Beis Medrash Meor Hatefilla in Boro Park, on Shabbos Shuva.

This story happened to a mispalel in his shul on this past Rosh Hashana 5783 [September 26-27, 2022].

The Doeihu staff reached out to Rav Panet to get a firsthand account of this powerful story.

Following is what Rav Panet shared:

Rosh Hashana night after Maariv, everyone filed past to give and get a l'shana tova.

In the crowd before me was also R’ Yankel (*not real name). After I wished him a l'shana tova, he looked at me with pain-filled eyes and asked me to give him a bracha for parnassa tova [a good livelihood] as well.

I know R’ Yankel who is part of my kehilla for many years. He has a few successful businesses, and to top it off he has a large Amazon selling business.

I knew that in the past he was doing very well, but from his tone and expression I realized that something was going on.

He doesn’t usually ask for such a bracha, and especially not in such a manner.

I watched during the Rosh Hashana davening the next day he wrapped himself deep in his tallis and davened with unusual kavana as if oblivious to the world.

Noticing his pain and worry, I decided to approach him right after Rosh Hashana and ask him if he needs any financial help for yom tov, or if there is anything else I can do.

Before I even opened up the conversation, R’ Yankel told me that he wants to share a personal story.

He said,

“The Rav knows that I have a large Amazon account from which I make a nice parnassa. A few weeks ago I got an email from Amazon informing me that due to suspicious activity on my account they were not going to give me access to the money from any transactions on my account. In other words, I could continue selling without earning. Whoever is in this line knows that if Amazon shuts you down, trying to get them to reopen your account is like talking to a brick wall.

"I had a huge bill from all the merchandise that I had bought for the coming season, which I started to pay off with my side businesses. But while sales were continuing on going, money was not coming in, aside from the fact that Yom Tov bills were piling up. I was in a huge dilemma.

"Finally, I managed to get a zoom conference meeting with Amazon for the Monday before Rosh Hashana. The meeting showed me what I was up against. They drove me crazy about minor details, asked to see very many documents and proof, and nitpicked wherever they could. They were not here to help me out at all. I thought that, after all the documents I showed and the questions I answered, that I had proved my innocence and proof of identity, but they felt otherwise.

"They decided that they can only open access to the money in my account if I send them every invoice from every transaction I ever made on Amazon from day 1. After that, I met with a major Amazon consultant in this field to see what steps I could take to save my account. He explained that usually when they nitpick on every invoice, they are not satisfied with what they get. Apparently, what they want to see and the way that our community does business doesn’t mix well. He told me to send what I have and hope for the best. From his tone of voice, it didn’t sound like he expected good results.

[Note from M.R.: The "way our community does business" means we aren't available on Shabbat or chagim to deal with business issues & orders. I've heard before that Amazon penalizes anyone who isn't available to deal with issues within 24 hours, and a lot of shomer Shabbat sellers struggle with this. This goes back to how the Internet hates boundaries: hi-tech-hates-boundaries.html.]

"I was watching my whole business come crashing down. I was shipping out goods and not getting back any money for a few weeks now. To continue this way would bring me to bankruptcy. I decided that I would first do my best to daven for a good new year on Rosh Hashana and send in my documents only after making that hishtadlus.

"Now the Rav knows what was behind my request Rosh Hashana night. With all I was going through, I was barely holding myself enough together to make a seudah.”

R’ Yankel continued,

“Rosh Hashana morning it happens to be that I daven Musaf in a different shul. Before tekias shofar, the Rav got up and gave over some divrei hisorerus [words to ignite spiritual arousal]. Particularly, he spoke passionately about technology and the importance of filters. He ended by encouraging everyone to make a kabbalah in the area of technology at whatever level they are on. I was very inspired, knowing what I was up against and the yeshuah that I needed, and I made my kabala right then and there to install a filter on all my internet devices, and as well to fully block Instagram (*see Editor’s note below) with the hope that this would bring a yeshua to my business.

"Yom Tov passed in a daze of fervent tefillos. I davened harder than ever before in my life. And then came Motzei Yom Tov, terrified about what I am about to go through.

"An email from Amazon was waiting in my inbox…. I opened it with trepidation to find good news! It said that my account had been cleared and they were going to forward my money very soon. The email had been sent the first day Rosh Hashana at 1:07 PM. Exactly the time that I made my kabala before tekias shofar!”

Rav Panet concludes,

“The story is not yet over! One day later, R’ Yankel went to TAG to fulfill his kabala and he got a call as he was sitting in the TAG office. It was a buyer who he was after for a while and never was able to get him to buy from him, but today the buyer reached out to him, and wanted to place a huge order. It was clear to R’ Yankel that the immediate turnaround in his company came about as a result of his kabala in technology.”

* * *

According to halacha and the ruling of all Gedolei Yisroel a filter on a computer is a necessity.

Therefore, even if one does not need a particular yeshua, one must put on a filter.

However, when people hear such stories it’s like a wink from heaven, a sign from Hashem that this is the right thing to do.

These stories give people chizuk to overcome what gedolim are saying is the challenge of our generation. וממנו ילמדו וכן יעשו.

(*A note from the editor: Instagram itself cannot be filtered, therefore having it open is considered having unfiltered internet. And, as mentioned many times, one "must" put a filter on all internet devices, which means that keeping the Instagram app (site) etc. regularly open is assur – because it is open, unfiltered internet (and leads directly to immodesty).

In addition to providing clear halachot for behavior in the office and other places, Doeihu also provides stories like the above, true stories about regular frum people and their struggles in the work place.

To their credit, their stories don't always show huge results like the above.

Sometimes, it's baby steps, like following the correct halacha when it's mildly uncomfortable, yet obligatory.

Many times, there is no fantastic ending (e.g., "And then I found a shidduch, managed to buy a Ferrari and a luxury home with a live-in maid, and had a baby!")...but simply the basic satisfaction of doing things right.

This daily interesting and extremely practical newsletter is available in English, Yiddish, or Lashon HaKodesh.

Please note I get nothing for promoting Doeihu and they don't even know I'm promoting them. I've just really benefitted from their material and believe others will too.

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​New Hacker Outlet