Recreating History
Artificial Intelligence can design, simulate, and recreate history with remarkable precision. AI-driven platforms offer immersive experiences that provide deep insights into the past. While AI holds promise for education, entertainment, and research, bridging the gap between historical knowledge and spiritual growth remains a challenge.
In contrast, Judaism offers a profound way of engaging with historical experiences without the aid of technology. Through rituals and traditions, Judaism creates a form of spiritual déjà vu, allowing individuals to relive historical events as if they had experienced them firsthand. This approach goes beyond merely imagining historical events; it integrates them into daily and yearly practices in a deeply meaningful way.
For example, in Parshat Ki Tavo, Moses instructs the people to remember the miracles they witnessed. Yet, we know that the generation that witnessed these miracles had died in the desert. For the generations that followed, the liberation from Egypt is not just a historical fact but a living, resonant experience. Through rituals and teachings, each person can feel as though they are reliving the experience. As Moses would say, one only needs the will to see and hear.
Judaism effectively imparts its core values through shared experiences. Teaching the value of freedom through the lived experience of liberation is central to Jewish practice. At the Passover seder, for instance, we proclaim: “You were slaves and now you are free.” This ritual not only commemorates freedom but also reinforces our desire for it.
Moreover, Judaism emphasizes the value of freedom weekly. On Friday nights, the blessing over the wine recalls the Exodus, a reminder that freedom is an integral part of Shabbat. The act of resting on Shabbat—taking time off from work—symbolizes freedom and transformation. No AI or computer program can replicate this lived experience of liberation.
From a purely historical perspective, claiming personal experience of past events might seem implausible. However, the impact of historical resonance extends beyond mere facts. Psychologically and spiritually, experiencing and reenacting key values, like freedom, provides a profound reinforcement of these principles.
In this way, Judaism’s approach to historical experience offers a unique model of integrating past events into the present, enriching our understanding and appreciation of essential values.
Rabbi Evan J. Krame