40 | OCTOBER 3 • 2019

Eretz
Eretz

The Intersection
of Torah and
Technology

T

he Jerusalem College
of Technology (JCT)
launched the first-of-its-
kind Torah and Technology
Research Center, which will
provide the specialized exper-
tise necessary to respond to
the complex ethical and hala-
chic (Jewish legal) issues of our
times.
Operating under the direc-
tion of posek (halachic deci-
sion-maker) Rabbi Yosef Tzvi
Rimon, head of JCT’
s yeshiva
and Jewish studies programs,
the center pioneers a unique
collaboration between halachic
experts and renowned faculty
members from the college’
s
computer science, engineering
and health sciences depart-
ments in order to address the
influx of emerging questions
pertaining to both Torah and
technology. Examples of such
inquiries include:
• Is it permissible to ride
in an autopilot vehicle on
Shabbat?
• Can “meat” grown using
cells taken from a pig be
kosher, or even parve?
• Can you send Alexa voice
commands on Shabbat?
“Despite rapid technologi-
cal development and growth,
there is currently no central-
ized, scholarly body equipped
to deal with all of the halachic
implications and questions
that have arisen as a result.
Our new center fills that void,
”
said Rimon.
“Today, not only are hala-
chic authorities struggling
to keep up with the flood of
questions regarding issues

that never before existed, but
they also lack the techno-
logical expertise necessary
to understand the full scope
of the issues. The Torah and
Technology Research Center
strives to solve this dilemma
by facilitating an unprecedent-
ed meeting of the minds across
halacha and science.
”
In addition to serving as
a centralized authority for the
international Jewish commu-
nity, the research center will
facilitate the development of
innovative technologies specif-
ically adapted to meet halachic
requirements for Shabbat,
among other areas, and will
disseminate scholarly material.
The center will also host
international symposia that
will bring leading experts from
around the world to JCT to
discuss recent innovations
and developments on both
the halachic and technological
fronts. An important goal of
the center is to engage the
broader public in serious dis-
cussions of these issues so as to
promote greater appreciation
of their importance and to
educate the public on even the
most complex topics.
“For five decades, JCT has
been tremendously proud of
our excellence in both Jewish
studies and technology-related
fields,
” said Chaim Sukenik,
president of JCT. “This unpar-
alleled track record places our
college in a unique position to
be a trailblazer at the intersec-
tion of Torah and technology
through the new center.
”

Jerusalem College of Technology

JTC

TICKETS:

An
E
v
e
ning

with
Michae
l
F
abiano
And
F
rie
nds

SAT., OCT. 12, 2019 AT 6:30 P.M.
AT THE DETROIT OPERA HOUSE

Featuring:
The incomparable American tenor, Michael Fabiano
Renowned soprano and Michigan native, Leah Crocetto
Detroit favorite and versatile tenor, Rodrick Dixon
The Michigan Opera Theatre Orchestra,
under the direction of Maestro Steven Mercurio
And, dancers from American Ballet Theatre

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