The Pollution of Artificial Intelligence

“In the place where the cloud settled, there the children of Israel would encamp”. (Bamidbar 9:17-19) 

Take Care of Yourself: Body and Spirit

If the air quality becomes saturated with pollution, the local government issues warnings, advises the citizens to limit their time outside, and, if they must go out, to wear a mask. 
 

Despite the inevitable inconveniences, people are willing to follow the guidance of the government and forgo their comforts temporarily. They will listen and protect themselves from the harmful air. 
 

There is a clear lesson we can learn from this: if people are willing to follow the advice of others to protect and preserve their temporary physical life, how much more so, should they do everything within their power to protect their eternal spiritual existence. 
 

The pasuk says (Iyov 19:26), “and from my flesh I see godliness”. The Baal Shem Tov, zt”l, interpreted this verse to teach this very lesson. A person needs to see how meticulously he takes care of his health and to apply that same level of care to his spirituality and Avodat Hashem (service to Hashem).   
 

Spiritual Pollution

The air in the world is indeed spiritually contaminated and polluted. 
 

R’ Pinchas from Karitz, zt”l, said that the minds of non-Jews create impure thoughts which then enter the air, polluting it and potentially impacting and infecting the Jews who live there as well. 
 

R’ Pinchas explained that this is what Chazal meant when they taught (Nazir 54a) that during the times of the second Beit HaMikdash (2nd Temple) the Sanhedrin ruled that if someone traveled in the diaspora, they were treated as impure as someone who had encountered a corpse. Chazal wanted to minimize the time that the Jews would spend in the diaspora being influenced by the non-Jewish thoughts that saturated the air. 
 

R’ Pinchas concluded with a firm warning for the Jews in this galut, during this exile, to be diligent and protect themselves from the impure thoughts that surround them. A person needs to recognize and utterly despise the ideas, thoughts, and viewpoints of the wicked. He needs to constantly remind his family that the philosophies and ideas of the non-Jews are not only inappropriate, but they can also destroy a Jew’s path in life. By constantly remembering this fundamental idea, a person can protect himself and his family from being contaminated by the ideas and thoughts of the surrounding non-Jewish culture. 
 

The pasuk says (Bamidbar 25:17), “Distress the Midianites, and you shall smite them. For they distress you with their plots”. R’ Yehoshua from Belz, zt”l, explained, that you must always despise the ideas of the Midianites, because their philosophies that fill the air can corrupt you. And, when you hate these ideas, when you learn to recognize these impure views, you can protect yourself from their influence. 
 

This concept is even more relevant today when most Jews live in places like America, a culture defined by moral depravity guised under the banner of freedom and self-expression. The air in America is literally polluted with spiritual impurities. I heard that when the previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, R’ Yosef Yitzchak, zt”l, arrived in America, he ordered that the windows of the shul be opened during davening and Torah study so that the holiness of the shul’s air could flow out into the streets to combat America’s spiritual air pollution.   
 

On the Move: Our Job in Galut

Everything that occurs in this world is with Hashem’s Divine Providence and Hashgacha Pratit. The Seforim HaKedoshim explain that the reason Jews find themselves living in random places throughout the world during galut, is to uplift and elevate sparks of holiness that are found there, by overcoming their spiritual tests and challenges in those places. 
 

The Chida explains at the end of his work titled Shem HaGedolim, that this explains why the Jews find themselves settling in so many different regions throughout the duration of the galut. Once they have fulfilled their mission in each place, once they have uplifted and elevated all the sparks of holiness, Hashem’s Hashgacha Pratit sets in motion the events that cause them to uproot and relocate and begin the task anew elsewhere.  
 

Our Challenge Today

Nowadays, as we find ourselves in the era before the arrival of Mashiach, the challenge of facing society’s impure thoughts, deprived cultures and philosophies, is extremely difficult. There are movements and organizations who are constantly working to impose their radical, liberal ideologies on society. They justify and accommodate the gravest transgressions and lifestyles claiming that a person was born a certain way, and nothing can be done to change that. 
 

They have successfully influenced society, because they constantly repeat their falsehoods in public with a proud, haughty, and loud voice. A lie can become believable when it is repeated often enough. People begin to accept falsehoods no matter how contrary they are to reality. Society embraces lies even after we have already seen the grave ramifications and outcomes of these philosophies: violence, promiscuity, and decay in morals and the overall destruction of societal behavior. 
 

Advances in technology have amplified the impact of these viewpoints. The internet has become a hub for these views to gain traction and, through the internet, these distorted opinions and ideologies can reach nearly everyone. People are intrigued and drawn into a dialogue and conversation; they seek advice from these online sources. There is a grave danger that these ideologies and philosophies will find their way, bit by bit, into Jewish life and the Jewish home, may Hashem protect us. 
 

During challenging times like this, Jews need to focus and teach their families to despise these non-Jewish philosophies. You must do everything that you can to avoid exposing yourself and your family to these cultural influences. You must be aware not to become attached and addicted to devices and programs that are spreading those ideologies. As the Or HaChaim explained on the pasuk above (ibid), “Distress the Midianites”, that those who are spiritually killing people, you should distress them even when they are doing positive things – this is a segulah (safeguard) not to fall in their net.   
 

The Way Forward

Given these challenges and the tremendous fog that clouds one’s judgement, it is imperative that, when in doubt, the Jew seeks the guidance of a Torah scholar and tzaddik. They are like the “medical professionals” who understand the ailments and treatments for your soul. They understand the challenges of this generation and can prescribe a course of “treatment”. Therefore, Hashem commands us to follow their directives. As it says (Devarim 17:11), “According to the law they instruct you and according to the judgment they say to you, you shall do; you shall not divert from the word they tell you, either right or left”. 
 

Our pasuk is providing guidance for when the Jews find themselves exiled: 
 

The pasuk says “in the place where the cloud settled, there the children of Israel would encamp” – The Jews will find themselves in places that are shrouded in the clouds of impure thoughts and ideologies. But you must remember, “At the bidding of the Lord, the children of Israel will travel”. The Jews can survive despite these challenges, because they adhere to and strengthen their commitment to “the Word of Hashem“. By studying Torah and following the guidance of the generation’s Torah scholars and leaders, a Jew can protect his spiritual health.  

*** 

The Kalever Rebbe is the seventh Rebbe of the Kaalov Chasidic dynasty, begun by his ancestor who was born to his previously childless parents after receiving a blessing from the Baal Shem Tov zy”a, and later learned under the Maggid of Mezeritch zt”l. The Rebbe has been involved in outreach for more than 30 years and writes weekly emails on understanding current issues through the Torah. Sign up at  www.kaalov.org.