Mois Navon, at The Blogs

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Jun 19, 2022, 3:35 PM

‘Sentient’ AI can’t count in a minyan, but it still raises ethical dilemmas

Google AI. (Twitter)

Bringing the inanimate to life with rabbinic magic has historically been problematic. Can we do better with artificial intelligence?

May 2, 2016, 11:09 PM

In Poland, I saw Am Yisrael Met (The people of Israel dead). You will forgive me for the blunt opening statement, but I would like to share with you, in a short article, my experiences from a long week in...

Jan 22, 2013, 11:21 PM

Beshalach: The Mouth of Freedom

The greatness of man – his dignity and his creativity – is expressed in his freedom of will and in his ability to choose. – Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik Following the tenth plague in Egypt the Jewish people went free; yet...

Jan 15, 2013, 1:02 PM

Bo: The Tongue of a Dog teaches all of Egypt

“The foundation of religion is not the affirmation that God is, but that God is concerned with man and the world” – Rabbi Eliezer Berkovits The Exodus from Egypt, wrought through the ten plagues, served the twofold purpose of delivering...

Jan 9, 2013, 10:18 PM

Vaera: The Reluctant Redeemer

A commentary on this weeks Torah reading, Vaera

Jan 3, 2013, 12:41 AM

Shemot: Between emotional empathy and rational empathy

In this week's Torah reading, Moses hides his face from God, perhaps preserving his capacity for compassion

Dec 27, 2012, 11:48 PM

Vayechi: On Evil Eyes and Rotten Bones

Joseph’s last will and testament (Genesis 50:24-26), like that of his father’s before him, contains the message of redemption as well as an oath binding his descendents to bury him in the land of Israel. Yet, whereas Jacob said,...

Dec 21, 2012, 10:54 AM

Vayigash: Wagons Laden with Meaning

“ seeks to clothe the Idea in a tangible from … Accordingly, in this art, scenes from nature, human activities, and all other real world phenomena will not be described for their own sake; here, they are perceptible surfaces...

Dec 13, 2012, 10:14 PM

Miketz: Hope in Shattered Vessels

Living in an imperfect world, broken by troubles and characterized by crisis, begs the question: is there hope of repair? The answer, I suggest, is to be found in ancient Egypt at a time when the world was broken...

Dec 5, 2012, 12:51 AM

Vayeshev: Majesty and humility

“Man, in Judaism, was created for both victory and defeat – he is both king and saint. He must know how to fight for victory and also how to suffer defeat.” – Rabbi Soloveitchik, “Majesty and Humility” Man, explains Rabbi...

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About Me

Rabbi Mois Navon, an engineer and rabbi, has modeled himself on the principle of "Torah U'Madda" based on the philosophy of R. Soloveitchik as articulated by R. Lamm: Torah, faith, religious learning on one side and Madda, science, worldly knowledge on the other, together offer us a more over-arching and truer vision than either one set alone. In this column Navon synthesizes Torah U'Madda to attain profound perspectives in the Parsha. His writings can be accessed at http://www.divreinavon.com