Every time I explore a halachic category, I look for the edges, the boundaries - that's where the action is. Today we looked at the idea of agency, shlichut, the legal mechanism that allows one person to do an act for someone else. But there are limits:
The shaliach has to be mentally conscious
The shaliach seemingly has to be Jewish, and obligated in at least some commandments
The act has to be permitted
The shaliach has to be able to refuse (?)
The act has to apply to an object, not a subject.
Suddenly, we're back in the realm of the mind, and consciousness, and humanity. What would have to happen for an AI algorithm to be able to lead prayers on my behalf, or light Shabbat candles in my house instead of me? At what point of development would machines be able to refuse instructions, and what are the ethical implications of accepting instructions after that point? In the shiur, questions were raised about soldiers following orders and culpability. This is where innocent questions about reading Torah and lighting Shabbat candles for each other can lead! Baruch Hashem.
You can read the sources we started to look at here,
or watch the video summary here,
or the audio summary here! (Again, if you're in to podcasts, just search for '58th Century Judaisms' wherever you look for podcasts, it should be there!)
The conclusion of the text spoke about the common soul uniting all humanity (or however you want to translate 'Israel'!) Being carved out of the same soul-quarry, and using this as a basis for law and ethics, is an exciting and rich idea and why I think kabbalah is a relevant language for talking about the world we're in. But that's for another newsletter.
I'll tone down the frequency of these shiurim over the rest of the summer, since I'll be travelling a lot (I hope!) As always, write to me with your thoughts and ideas and reflections of your soul.
Wishing everyone a happy 15th of Av coming up this Friday night and Shabbat day.
Josh
PS. Another call for those who want to join a quiet whatsapp group with a weekly 4-minute Torah thought in slow and simple (B1) Hebrew. If you're interested, or know someone who is, click on the link here.