Ben Newman, at The Blogs

Ben Newman

Jun 25, 2026, 11:16 AM

On the Nepperhan and What We Call Things I. I grew up in Scarsdale, which means I grew up on the Saw Mill River Parkway. It is a road. It takes you from Westchester to the Henry Hudson Parkway that goes...

Apr 27, 2026, 6:33 PM

When Critique Becomes a Category

Recently, my teacher and friend Professor Shaul Magid published a Substack essay titled “Deflection Hasbara: Internalizing Blame to Justify the State” (you can read it here: It’s a piece that deserves to be read carefully, not skimmed, because...

Apr 1, 2026, 6:28 AM

Why Simple Questions Beat Smart AI

A Rabbi, A Lobster, and a Passphrase All the AI-focused YouTube channels I follow had been talking about OpenClaw for weeks — the autonomous, open-source agent platform people were suddenly using to automate entire workflows. As someone who teaches AI...

Mar 27, 2026, 5:59 PM

The Rabbi Elazar Problem: What AI Gets Wrong

A recent New York Times piece caught my attention. A commuter named Tom found himself on a train sandwiched between two strangers, both consulting chatbots. One was processing a fight with her boyfriend. The other thought he was about...

Mar 26, 2026, 4:51 AM

Thinking With AI

A Small Problem That Wouldn’t Stay Small My iPhone stopped letting me send texts by voice. Which shouldn’t matter. Except I drive a lot, I’m required to be hands-free, and suddenly a basic function had become a daily failure I couldn’t...

Mar 1, 2026, 1:56 AM

Tired and Weary: A Shabbat Zakhor Reflection

"The aleph is small. But it is still there."

On Friday morning I led a funeral. Friday night I led services. Somewhere around 3 a.m. I woke up with stomach pains that kept me up longer than I wanted. By Shabbat morning I was functioning, but not exactly clearheaded. Services,...

Feb 28, 2026, 11:25 AM

Purim, Persia, and the People of Iran

My son texted me a post and then read it to me over FaceTime. He’s at college. The post was from an anti-Zionist friend of his, comparing what is happening in Gaza to Chapter 9 of the Purim story. If you...

Feb 9, 2026, 10:16 AM

Inscribing the Digital Golem: The Ethics of AI

Releasing a Book into the Wild When I released my new book, AI for Clergy: Harnessing the Power of the Digital Golem for Spiritual Leadership, Community Organization, and Sacred Service, I expected some curiosity, maybe even excitement. What I didn’t...

Feb 3, 2026, 12:24 AM

Featured Post

The AI generation gap and the uncanny valley

Illustrative. Musicians in real life. (iStock)

I liked the music I generated, but it rubbed my kids the wrong way: Too human, not human enough, and very far from what happens when our souls sing together in a room

Dec 24, 2025, 9:32 PM

When Words Become Walls

The conversation began, as many do these days, not with politics but with a feeling. A college student describing what it’s like to be openly liberal, openly Jewish, and openly committed to the idea that both Israelis and Palestinians deserve...

About Me

Rabbi Ben Newman is a musician, author, and spiritual teacher exploring the intersections of faith, creativity, and technology. His work draws from Jewish mysticism, mindfulness, and interfaith wisdom to illuminate how ancient insight can guide modern life in the digital age.