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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman

@rabbimitelman.bsky.social
128 followers 47 following 75 posts

Founding Director of Sinai and Synapses, which bridges the worlds of religion and science. 1x Jeopardy! contestant, massive Yankee fan.

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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
I got to talk with my friend @charactergap.bsky.social about his new book The Honesty Crisis, and I highly recommend it! If you're looking for something to listen to or read going into chag, take a look / watch / listen! sinaiandsynapses.org/content/ai-a...
sinaiandsynapses.org
AI and Honesty - Sinai and Synapses
Even as technology makes it increasingly tempting to be dishonest, how can we create and preserve a more honest society?
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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
As we move into Shavuot, celebrating the giving of the Torah (and most specifically, the aseret hadibrot), it's worth reflecting that at least two talk about honesty -- which have become much harder to navigate with LLMs.
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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
As said by Elay Shech in this piece in the NY Times: "The problem is that there is no single scientific method used in all of science." www.nytimes.com/2026/01/05/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Science Keeps Changing. So Why Should We Trust It?
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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
Both science and religion certainly influence personal and political decisions, but better to couch that as "My interpretation is X or Y, and here's where my expertise comes in, but here's where I could be wrong."
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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
It's a similar issue with studying science. A good general rule of thumb is if someone says, "The science is clear..." or "The Torah (or Bible) is clear..." followed by a blanket statement, there's likely a high level of confidence, but not necessarily a lot of competence.
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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
R' Ishmael listed 13 different hermeneutical principles as ways to read Torah -- not just one. Studying Torah is not "one size fits all"; there's a dynamic of what the text says and who is interpreting it. At the same time, it's also not a free-for-all, where anything goes.
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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
A beautiful piece by Rabbi Sharon Brous, reminding us of the need for strength, courage, hope and light -- yes, every Hanukkah, but especially this one. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/15/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | The Humanity Amid the Horror at Bondi Beach
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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
Deadline is TOMORROW, December 4th to apply for @sinaisynapses.bsky.social project Scientists in Synagogues, funded by the John Templeton Foundation! Your community would get $5000 to explore topics such as AI, memory, neuroscience, astrophysics and more! sinaiandsynapses.org/scientists-i...
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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
This, too, had a incredibly diverse number of signers across the political spectrum -- it's definitely a bit strange to be on the same list as Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Sir Richard Branson, Susan Rice, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and Yuval Harari! superintelligence-statement.org
superintelligence-statement.org
Statement on Superintelligence
“We call for a prohibition on the development of superintelligence, not lifted before there is (1) broad scientific consensus that it will be done safely and controllably, and (2) strong public bu...
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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
The second letter was from the Future of Life Institute, stating quite simply "We call for a prohibition on the development of superintelligence, not lifted before there is (1) broad scientific consensus that it will be done safely and controllably, and (2) strong public buy-in."
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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
I hope that this letter (and its signatories) help influence the ways in which AI is developed and used. www.americansecurityfund.com/_files/ugd/1...
americansecurityfund.com
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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
It was incredible how a diverse religious coalition could coalesce around most policies surrounding AI, and this is an area where most religious leaders are small-c conservative -- including liberal religious leaders, and that’s a real positive.
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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
In fact, that DIFFERENCE b/w Judaism and Christianity was a potentially huge strength of this letter -- there was a general consensus about the need for regulation, to center humanity, push for transparency, ensure safety for children, fight against bias, protect privacy & work for the common good.
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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
Since it was mainly right-leaning Christians, at least a couple of times, there was talk about "Judeo-Christian" values. I pushed back against that language, and said that Judaism and Christianity are different religions, different traditions, and different ways at looking the world.
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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
The first came out of a conversation I just had at the Vatican, and run by the American Security Foundation. It was mostly evangelicals, Catholics, LDS elders, and policy-makers who focus on religious liberty, and if nothing else, I think I added one important nuance to the conversation.
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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
While most of the Jewish community is talking about the Mamdani letter, I wanted to share two letters to which I was just one of only a few rabbis to be invited to add my name, both surrounding AI.
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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 06/10/2025
The pushback against science was often from a fundamentalist perspective. Now, it's from a pseudo-skeptical framing of "I'm just asking questions here," especially from the manosphere. @adamfrank4.bsky.social explains how we help embrace science once again: www.nytimes.com/2025/10/03/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Why Young Men Are Losing Faith in Science
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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
Sara Wolkenfeld & I are co-editing a special issue of the CCAR Journal about AI (coming out soon!), and she's a wonderful thought partner. How can we be more intentional re: our words & actions, esp as algorithms reduce our ability to think for ourselves? blogs.timesofisrael.com/digital-reso...
blogs.timesofisrael.com
The Blogs: Digital resolutions: A liturgical deletion of the cache
We often fall into the habits that tech companies nudge us toward, but we must take greater care and recalibrate our responsibility for the runaway train of AI
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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
@kentremendous.bsky.social At the Yankees / Orioles game yesterday, my daughter was very upset that the Orioles had a monopoly on great names, but I told her they don’t hold a candle to Trodd Frankensteip and Ssassandra Ssassnorp. But these two may come close!
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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
There are ethical challenges for using AI in sermons. But it's not black-and-white, and the role of the rabbi has changed dramatically. Perhaps AI can help rabbis recenter what makes their job so valuable, important and meaningful. wapo.st/4pEIBgs
wapo.st
Opinion | AI won’t replace your rabbis — but it might save them
Today’s pulpit leaders are overworked and deserve a bit of help with their sermons.
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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 17/09/2025
This isn't a new phenomenon, but it raises the question of "efficiency" v. "effectiveness." Technology makes things easier, faster & cheaper -- and that's very useful for *things*. But spiritual work, can't (and shouldn't!) be done for speed. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/14/u...
nytimes.com
Finding God in the App Store
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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 17/06/2025
The question of AI is not IF it will change the way we engage with text, but HOW. This is still a very new world, with many ethical questions (such as accuracy, economic impact, plagiarism, IP and so on), but I do think that it can be a helpful tool. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/16/m...
nytimes.com
A.I. Is Poised to Rewrite History. Literally.
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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 21/05/2025
We humans can't do anything by ourselves; we need others. Religion has been an incredible source of values for over 10,000 years, and while the way it plays itself out changes over time, the needs it meets will never go away. theconversation.com/did-humans-e...
theconversation.com
Did humans evolve to prefer religion? Research shows many atheists intuitively favour faith
Research highlights Atheists often believe religious faith is positive, even though they don’t hold it themselves.
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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 12/05/2025
@sinaisynapses.bsky.social Fellow Ciara Reyes-Ton has started to realize that science is more than studies and publications -- it's communication. How do we not just teach, but inspire? How do we use music, dance, or connections with religion? substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com
Finding My Voice as a Science Communicator
I’ve been working for several years in science communication, but it wasn’t until recently that I realized it.
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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 07/05/2025
There are areas of both conflict & connection b/w science & religion. But most importantly, scientists are human beings -- passionate, curious, flawed & based in values and communities. That's an area where religion can have something to say to science. www.theatlantic.com/science/arch...
theatlantic.com
How Scientists Can Be Good Citizens
We have a responsibility to ensure that our discoveries are used in the public interest. That isn’t always easy.
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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
What will we worship in our world today? www.nytimes.com/2025/05/01/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | How to Survive the Trump Years With Your Spirit Intact
I’ve found it necessary to root myself in anything that feels rehumanizing, whether it’s art or literature or learning.
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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
But for those of us who celebrate and love science, inquiry and freedom, we need more than just "It's not fundamentalism." We need deeper discussions and offer frameworks and structures that inspire not just the head, but the heart and soul, as well.
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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
They’re looking to heady concepts — confession, atonement, forgiveness, grace and redemption — for answers." There aren't easy answers to these questions, and it can be dangerous to go too far in one direction or the other.
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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
The challenge is how we broaden our worldview at the same time that we deepen our commitments to those closest to us. As Lauren Jackson writes, "People...want to belong to richer, more robust communities, ones that wrestle with hard questions about how to live.
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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
A very powerful & insightful piece. The Enlightenment, the scientific revolution, and the continual advancement of knowledge and better understanding of our world are good things. AND we need community, guidance, values, exploration -- things that religion can offer. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/18/s...
nytimes.com
Americans Haven’t Found a Satisfying Alternative to Religion
Is it any wonder the country is revisiting faith?
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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 10/04/2025
There's so much in our world that's making us say, "Enough already!" But Dayeinu can remind us that while we focus on the things we are fighting against, it's more effective to focus on what we're fighting *for*, and to celebrate each step along the way. sinaiandsynapses.org/content/how-...
sinaiandsynapses.org
How Dayeinu Can Help Us Deal with “Enough Already!” - Sinai and Synapses
As we look at this world right now, the framing of Dayeinu can be enormously helpful. It requires us to take things one step at a time.
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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 10/03/2025
@dzkalman.bsky.social shares the role that Jewish communities can play in ensuring AI remains ethical. While there are limits of what local communities can do, there's more than we might able to expect. jweekly.com/2025/03/07/a...
jweekly.com
OPINION | AI’s breakneck speed must not leave ethics in the dust
We cannot wait to speak up until the situation is egregiously (and probably irreversibly) out of whack.
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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 05/03/2025
I was noticing this right as Covid was happening, and especially as we saw this was not going to be "two weeks out of an abundance of caution" -- we were going to be balancing individual rights and communal responsibility. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
nytimes.com
Opinion | How Covid Remade Our America, Five Years Later
It feels as if the pandemic is behind us. But we’re living in the world it made.
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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 14/02/2025
Jewish law has an algorithmic aspect to it, and deep text study requires knowledge of a vast corpus, most of which people don't necessarily know (or even have access to) @dzkalman.bsky.social put Deep Search to the test, and it did quite well. www.jellomenorah.com/p/deep-searc...
jellomenorah.com
Deep Search will change Jewish Law
AI is putting high-level legal argumentation in the hands of the public.
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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 07/02/2025
Instead of asking, "Do you believe in God?", asking, "What do you believe ABOUT God?" Or, to phrase it another way, I don't believe God heals, but I do believe that God is found in the healing process. I'm curious as to how others are responding to his arguments. (2/2)
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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 07/02/2025
'm definitely enjoying reading the excerpts from Ross Douthat's new book on belief, but I generally don't find the Cosmic Purpose argument for God all that convincing. I'm much more inclined to lean towards the experiential perspective (1/2) www.nytimes.com/2025/02/07/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | My Favorite Argument for the Existence of God
We, ourselves, are part of the proof.
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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 07/02/2025
Though it can be frustrating at times, the bureaucracy of the government is a feature, not a bug. "Moving fast and breaking things" is dangerous for our daily lives, and as ridiculous and awful as Trump's plan is for Gaza, this concerns me more. www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
theatlantic.com
The Government’s Computing Experts Say They Are Terrified
Four IT professionals lay out just how destructive Elon Musk’s incursion into the U.S. government could be.
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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
@dzkalman.bsky.social (Sinai and Synapses Senior Advisor on technology) highlights some of the literature review on Judaism and AI, both the philosophical and practical questions. A great introduction to where things are, and where they may be going. open.substack.com/pub/jellomen...
open.substack.com
Finally, a Jewish AI debate has emerged
The field is broadening. Here's my report card.
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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 04/02/2025
So much of AI is the question of "what aspects of humanity might it replace?" Yet artists of all kinds will celebrated for the ineffable parts of our humanity. Since cartoons, by definition, aren't "human," how do we try to see the soul the characters? ’ www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Hank Azaria’s ‘Simpsons’ Voices Won’t Be Fully Replicated by A.I.
Soon enough, artificial intelligence may be able to recreate the sounds — but there will be something missing.
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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 31/01/2025
And I’d agree with that - and that there are certain rights given to those who are not in our immediate circle, as well.
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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 31/01/2025
While I’m no fan of Vance, and that view can become very dangerous, a pure universalism is also problematic. It can easily become “I love humanity; it’s people I can’t stand.” We need both particularism AND universalism, and in order to love others, we need to root ourselves in specific communities.
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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 28/01/2025
Many people have strong feelings re: AI (including wanting to ignore it) & it's hard to disentangle its technical, political, social and economic impacts. As the next four years will likely to lead to less and less regulation, we can't ignore its impact. www.natesilver.net/p/its-time-t...
natesilver.net
It's time to come to grips with AI
After the election, the timelines are accelerating. We need a pluralistic debate about its implications — but the left is dealing itself out.
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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 14/01/2025
I'm so excited to announce a new project that @sinaisynapses.bsky.social will be launching a new project entitled "Jewish Thought and Jewish Education for the Digital Future," working with @dzkalman.bsky.social, and funded by the John Templeton Foundation! www.templeton.org/news/announc...
templeton.org
Announcing $8M in New Projects to Cultivate Character in the Digital Age
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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 13/01/2025
to the lead-up of Pesach prep and then counting the omer to Shavuot, Judaism (and religion in general) helps us demarcate sacred time -- and find more meaning in our lives. A terrific piece by @sinaisynapses.bsky.social Fellowship alumnus Connor Wood cultureuncurled.substack.com/p/christmas-...
cultureuncurled.substack.com
Christmas Only Just Ended
If you want to rebel against the lonely spirit of the age, you'll need twelve full days.
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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 13/01/2025
While this piece focuses on Christmas (and so I think it would certainly speak to many Christians), there are definitely analogies in the Jewish calendar -- from lighting candles to open and close to Shabbat, to increasing the lights from one to eight on Hanukkah,
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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 03/01/2025
...to discuss the implication of AI for Judaism, and Josh started his Rosh Hashanah Sermon with words he himself had never written or spoken. He used to highlight the importance of humanity as AI continues to advance. Josh's sermon from 2023 is here: sinaiandsynapses.org/content/ask-...
sinaiandsynapses.org
Ask the Rabb-AI - Sinai and Synapses
If our intelligence is the only characteristic that makes us human, it won’t be long now before the machines can beat us at that game. But human beings are more than just intelligence.
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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 03/01/2025
In 2018, Congregation Emanu El was chosen as part of @SinaiSynapses' project Scientists in Synagogues, funded by @templeton_fdn to explore the relationship b/w science & Judaism. In 2023, Josh Fixler & Oren Hayon met w/ Sinai and Synapses Fellow Muhammad Ahmad... www.nytimes.com/2025/01/03/t...
nytimes.com
Religious Leaders Experiment with A.I. in Sermons
Modern religious leaders are experimenting with A.I. just as earlier generations examined radio, television and the internet.
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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 02/01/2025
I've definitely seen this in how my kids are taught vs. how I had learned growing up. And it's not easy. But it can be done. www.nytimes.com/2025/01/02/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Giving Kids Some Autonomy Has Surprising Results
Letting them take some responsibility for their choices is what prepares them for adult life.
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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 31/12/2024
I love that the Hanukkiyah is ALMOST, but not totally full - there is always more light to bring. As we celebrate Hanukkah, Rosh Hodesh, and a new secular year tonight, may we create more light in 2025!
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Rabbi Geoff Mitelman @rabbimitelman.bsky.social · 31/12/2024
One of my favorite quirks of the Jewish calendar is that the seventh night of Hanukkah is almost always the darkest night of the year. Not the *shortest*, but the darkest, since tonight is Rosh Hodesh Tevet, so it’s a new moon.
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