English Blog

The Revolution of All Revolutions

Thursday, February 23, 2023 - 6:53 PM

We are currently living through the greatest revolution to ever hit the world: the AI (artificial intelligence) Revolution. Developments are coming at a dizzying pace—faster than any other changes in history.

Hundreds of years ago, the Industrial Revolution took the world by storm, changing the way we work, travel, and manufacture—all things that are in the realm of “maaseh,” action.

Then came the Digital Revolution or Information Age, which many of us remember, which introduced the very first computers, VHS, tape recorders, CD-roms, internet, and finally smartphones—all of which are in the realm of “dibbur,” speech.

But the most extreme revolution is happening right now, in front of our eyes—the AI Revolution, which encompasses the realm of “machshava,” thought.

Humans have finally figured out how to make a computer think and interact with human intelligence. There is literally no area, no job, that won't be affected by this. And we’re not talking about 30 years from now. It’s already unfolding.

This week, I spent hours reviewing a book I’m about to publish. It includes all the articles I’ve written over the past 15 years and has taken two years to compile. But with AI, now books can be written in seconds.

The same goes for all the time I spent writing a ketubah for a couple whose marriage I recently officiated. AI will be able to do this for me in a matter of seconds.

Any research or writing task is a piece of cake.

This week, my team spent hours researching potential donors who may be inclined to help our wounded IDF soldiers. With AI, eventually this too will be done in seconds.

Think of the singles crisis … soon AI will be able to reliably tell us who is most compatible with whom! There are programs such as “Met at Chabad” already doing this, but AI will make it that much more sophisticated.

Think of AI being able to identify every potential anti-Semite and terrorist before they’ve had a chance to hurt anyone.

AI will be able to predict and diagnose medical conditions, while also speeding up the discovery, production, and approval process for new treatments and cures.

It’s fascinating, life-changing, but also frightening. So many jobs will change or become redundant. Of course people are scared! Life will look completely different.

But perhaps Hashem put this revolution into play to encourage us to dream bigger.

My dreams, for example, involve fundraising to help our wounded soldiers. But what if we could heal them instead?

What if we could solve every nonprofit's mission, from hunger to poverty to shelter, clean water, and mental health?

What if instead of just finding matches for singles, we could create technology to help people stay married?

What if we could bring Putin and Zelensky to a meeting where they would resolve their issues and end the war?

What if you could not only stop a terrorist, but change the way he thinks about Jews in the first place?

What if we could cure all illnesses and ensure no one ever dies?

Well, think no more, because Moshiach is on his way and he will herald in the greatest revolution of all—greater even than AI—and all this will become reality in the most unimaginable way!

Maybe, just maybe, that is why G-d has introduced this new AI revolution—to expand our thinking so we can dream further, bigger, broader … dream Moshiach and the final Redemption. It’s already unfolding; may it come to full fruition without delay!

Do You Delete My Emails?

Thursday, February 16, 2023 - 7:57 PM

In shul last Sunday morning, Simon* came up to me and asked, “Rabbi, did you prepare your speech on Shabbat morning?” Hmm…where is this conversation headed, I wondered. How should I respond?

“Yes, Simon, I spent many hours preparing my speech as I do every week,” I explained. “I consider it a duty but also a privilege to inspire people on Shabbat morning. There are so many other places they could be; if they’re dedicating their time to shul, the least I can do is respect their time and prepare a good talk.”

Well, Simon started ripping into me. “Your speech made no sense! You need to spend more time preparing. You don’t really know what you’re talking about and your ideas don’t flow or connect.”

Gotta love how comfortable my congregants feel to share their thoughts and feelings!

The truth is, after shul on Shabbat another congregant, Yankel*, came over and said, “Rabbi! That was one of the best sermons you’ve ever given. I’m so inspired! I’m really going to try and change because of what you said.”

Now, here’s the thing. Of course, Yankel’s feedback is any rabbi’s dream. Inspiring people is one of the most challenging tasks, and getting people to take action just from a speech is virtually impossible. So Yankel’s feedback was deeply gratifying.

But was I upset at Simon? Not at all. You see, their responses seem completely opposed, but you’d be surprised just how close they actually are. The common denominator is that they were both listening attentively. Probably 95 percent of people go directly into snooze mode whenever they hear a sermon, Torah class, or lecture. Their eyes may be open, but their minds are far away. Yankel and Simon, however, were both in that minority 5 percent paying close attention!

In life, there are three categories. The Yankels who listen and get inspired. The Simons who listen and argue. And then the remaining vast majority who simply snooze.

When your spouse screams at you, do you nod attentively, do you scream back, or do you ignore?

When you hear a lecture, when you attend a conference, when you go to school, as you live your life, who are you? A Yankel? A Simon? Or the 95 percent of people?

Even this email … the Yankels love it, the Simons don’t agree with a word it says, and 95 percent of people hit delete as soon as they see the subject line!

Judaism demands passion, chayus, energy. Whether you agree or disagree, at least you’re engaged. The danger lies in apathy and nonchalance.

So be a Yankel, or even be a Simon. Just don’t let yourself fall into the disengaged majority.

*Names changed to protect privacy

‘You’re Not a Real Rabbi!’

Thursday, February 9, 2023 - 12:56 PM

Late in the summer we had a beautiful Kiddush in our shul after Shabbat morning services. At the Kiddush, Moshe’le* asked me if he could speak. Of course I agreed.

He stood up and announced, “Rabbi Vigler is not a real rabbi! We need to check if he is even Jewish.”

I was flabbergasted. What could I have possibly done to warrant this? I mean, I’m used to complaints. As a Chabad rabbi I’ve had to develop a thick skin. But this was unexpected. I’ve known Moshe’le for a long time; he’s been a shul regular and I’ve helped him personally a number of times throughout the years. What had I done to upset him like this?

“Rabbi Vigler has decided to move our shul to a German music hall,” he continued. “My family are Holocaust survivors and this is totally forbidden. How could he do this?”

Now I understood. I saw the deep pain on Moshe’s face and in his heart. His Chabad rabbi was moving his regular shul to a German music hall, and he felt betrayed.

As I’ve written in the past, finding a space to rent or to buy in Manhattan is extremely difficult. Over the last 17 years we’ve rented so many different spaces, it’s hard to even keep track. For the High Holidays this year, we were fortunate to find a beautiful space on East 87^th Street – a beautiful music hall with fantastic acoustics that suited our needs very well, including a separate area for our kids program.

And yes, it happens to be a German music hall, owned by a German foundation that has existed for 175 years (long before the Holocaust).

Now, what about Moshe’s pain? I empathized. I explained to him that my grandfather was also a survivor of Auschwitz, where he suffered unimaginable horrors and saw his entire family decimated.

But despite the fact that my grandfather was tortured by the Nazis, I certainly don’t consider having our shul in a German-owned building to be showing support for Nazis. G-d forbid! If anything, I view it as a small victory.

In this week’s parshah we receive our mandate and mission, which is to spread G-d’s teachings to all corners of the world and permeate the entire universe with spirituality. What better way to do so than to have the walls of our shul (in this case, a German music hall) absorb hours of davening and Torah? What better victory than to show how we are thriving, filling up a giant German acoustic hall with proudly visible Jews, less than a hundred years after the Nazis murdered 6 million of us? I can’t think of a better way.

I hope to see Moshe’le back in shul very soon, sharing a l’chaim at the Kiddush.

*Name changed to protect privacy.

My Wife Is Away for the Week!

Thursday, February 2, 2023 - 12:54 PM

My wife went to London this week, taking some of our girls to a family wedding over winter vacation. I’ve been home with the triplets and our eleven-year-old son.

My new title appears to be: Briber-in-chief. Father-and-mother-in-chief. And 24-hour-a-day-head-security-guard.

“If you get into pajamas, you can video call Mommy.” (Highly effective motivation!)

“If you go to bed without pinching your sister, you can have a treat in the morning.”

“If you stop hitting your brother over the head with your negel vasser bowl, you can ride your scooter to school in the morning.”

“If you get dressed nicely, you can watch a video.”

“If you shower now, I’ll play Stratego with you.”

Meanwhile, there’s a running countdown in my head. “Shevy is coming back in 6 days and 3 hours.” Then 5 days, 4 days, and as I write this, I have another 19 hours, 36 minutes, and 6 seconds to go!

Every hour there’s another incident. One morning a child wanted to go outside, but it was freezing so I said no. What did he do? He protested by kicking his shoes off!

Another child lost his toy and proceeded to blame me, even though I was miles away when he’d been playing with it! He roped me into searching for it for two hours, and thank G-d, and with numerous prayers, we finally located it.

And every hour I tell myself, “You’ve got this! Only x amount of hours left to go!”

I’m on duty every hour that they’re awake. (Luckily, I was able to convince them that it was bedtime two hours early so I could have a little time to myself!)

I’ve been taking care of all their needs, all day. I’ve had to be constantly engaged and present: What are they having for breakfast before school? Are their backpacks ready? Are they dressed for the weather? Do they have what they need for school? And then after school it starts all over again.

It dawned on me that this is what our Father in Heaven does for us all day, every day, for our entire lives. I was on duty for one week, and it has been quite overwhelming. Meanwhile, He is tuned in to each individual every day with no break. No one’s coming back in a week to take over for Him.

He is our parent, our guard, our director, taking our needs and wants into consideration all day, every day, for our entire lives.

We complain to Him, we ask for things He hasn’t given us, and let’s be honest—we’re not always that good about showing our gratitude. Nevertheless, His love for us is infinite, and he lovingly takes care of our needs regardless.

How can we repay Him? How can we show our appreciation? By making this world a comfortable place for Him. The more mitzvot we do, the more spiritually we uncover in the world, the more He feels at home here. So light Shabbat candles this week. Come to shul. Invite a friend for Shabbat or reach out to someone you know is having a tough time. Make a blessing before you eat or say Shema before bed at night. Each small act we do shows we acknowledge and appreciate G-d’s involvement in every moment of our lives.

And having done it for a week, I can now say I have a whole new appreciation for my wife too!