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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