It was a Sunday morning in June, 1994 when 23-year old Rabbi Levi Cunin and his father went for an unplanned Southern California car ride. Little did he know the ride would change his life.
“It was right after the Rebbe (Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, global leader of the Chabad movement) passed away in New York,” Rabbi Cunin recounted. “Our family had just returned to Los Angeles after shiva. We were all broken hearted. Then my father (Rabbi Baruch Shlomo Cunin, Chabad’s west coast director) told me what the Rebbe had once told him. ‘When everything seems like it is falling apart, open another Chabad House.’”
Before they knew it, the father and son found themselves in Malibu. “I really don’t remember why we ended up there. But on the spot we decided Malibu would be the next Chabad House, and I would run it,” he said.
Rabbi Levi didn’t waste any time. They had a strong supporter of Chabad who lived in the area and knew he owned storefront properties, one of which was vacant. They asked him if they could use the space temporarily to open a Chabad center. He agreed and a week later Chabad of Malibu opened its doors for Shabbat services. Not long after, they moved to a permanent location.
Today Chabad of Malibu serves the entire Malibu Jewish community that stretches 27 miles along Pacific Coast Highway and beyond. It offers weekly shabbat and holiday services as well as an infant center and preschool for children 6 months to 5 years old.
“The Gan Malibu preschool and infant center is run by my wife Sarah who has done a phenomenal job,” The 51-year old rabbi said. “In fact, she consistently wins the Malibu Choice Award for best preschool, an award given by the Malibu Surfside News.”
As further proof of the school’s success, the rabbi is quick to point out that parents typically enroll their children for the quality general education, as the Malibu Jewish community is not particularly religious. When the kids get a bit older they usually attend private or public school. “At least they get a solid taste of Jewish values in their youngest years,” he explained.
“I always thought I would work in community service, but didn’t think it would be as head of a Chabad community.”
One of 14 children, all of whom are involved in the Chabad system, Rabbi Cunin admits that as a young rabbinical student he had doubts that running a Chabad community was his calling. “Growing up in a household where my father was (and still is) Chabad’s West Coast director, I saw firsthand all the responsibilities and pressures he faced on a daily basis,” he said. “I always thought I would work in community service, but didn’t think it would be as head of a Chabad community.”
The Malibu Chabad is one of upwards of 5,000 Chabad centers throughout the world, all of which share the same mission – to bring Judaism to Jews wherever they live. Each is run independently and is responsible for its own fundraising, programming and budgeting.
The father of nine, most of his children are following in his and his wife’s footsteps working in some capacity in the Chabad network. But not all; As an example of “community service being in our blood,” he points to their oldest son, Mendel, who lives in New York and works as a therapist.
One might think that serving the Malibu Jewish community is an enviable assignment simply because of its reputation as a wealthy community. While it does enjoy a global image of multimillion dollar mansions, the rabbi notes thatthe area also contains Jews of all income levels who live in apartments and modest homes many of which are members of his Chabad community.
Take the wild fires that stuck three years ago, which unfortunately destroyed a number of Malibu homes, forcing many residents to leave the area. On the other hand when COVID struck and remote work became the norm, they saw an uptick in the Jewish community.
The growth of Chabad of Malibu is evident in that Rabbi Cunin recently brought in Rabbi Shalom Eagle and based him at Pepperdine University, which is located by the Malibu coastline. It is a unique achievement in that Pepperdine is a Christian University but has Jewish students, some of which keep kosher. Rabbi and Mrs. Eagle have ongoing Torah classes, programs and events and are working with the University to provide kosher food options. In addition, last year they had a menorah on campus for the first time.
For a rabbi who was unsure that he possessed the drive and skills needed to run and grow a Chabad community, Rabbi Cunin has no regrets. “We have people that are interested in helping the Jewish community in our work and for that we are extremely grateful,” he said. “But most of all as long as we have faith in Hashem, we are in good hands.”
Fast Takes with Levi Cunin
Jewish Journal: What’s your favorite Jewish food?
Levi Cunin: My wife’s challah, no doubt. It is amazing.
Jewish Journal: What advice do you have for someone considering entering the rabbinate?
LC: Be authentic, bold, empathetic and remember what we stand for.
Jewish Journal: What is your favorite family activity?
LC: Hiking. My entire family loves hiking in the hills.
Jewish Journal: Describe your perfect Shabbat.
LC: Praying, learning and just spending time with each other in the community.
Recently, many people in my community here in Los Angeles went away for Yeshiva Week vacation. It’s the week at the end of January every year when schools are closed and families take off to travel and spend time together.
People go to places like resorts in Cabo or the tropical islands of Hawaii or the Holy Land of Israel. It’s nice for families to get away; our lifestyle can be very demanding and hectic, and taking time off to relax and reconnect with our families and ourselves is critical.
While I was happy to see people have the opportunity to make these priceless memories together, I admit that it was hard for me, too. I didn’t have the chance to go away; I had to stay at home and work and go about my normal life.
What was key, though, was stopping myself from being jealous or resentful of these people, which I sadly was in the past. I’d think, didn’t I deserve a vacation? I work all the time and have young kids and experience so much stress in my everyday life. Can’t I have the same thing?
This time around I made an effort to flip the script. While I felt a little bit like I was missing out, I quickly realized that it wasn’t healthy to feel this way.
Instead, I thought about all the moms who stay home with their kids and are exhausted and need a break. I thought of the moms who went to work and juggled raising their kids, too. I thought of the fathers who got yelled at by their bosses on a constant basis or had enormous pressure to make profits at their companies. I thought of the kids who were doing hours of homework each night and dealing with social issues at school. These moms and dads and children deserve a break. Even if none of this applies to a family, and they are completely happy people, they should get some time off, too.
When I tried comparing my life to other people’s lives, I ended up feeling bad about myself. And this isn’t healthy or productive.
The truth is that we don’t really know what’s going on in other people’s lives, even if they have a perfectly curated life on social media.
The truth is that we don’t really know what’s going on in other people’s lives, even if they have a perfectly curated life on social media. I’ve seen social media influencers taking pictures of themselves in real life; some obsess about how they look and take pictures over and over again and still filter themselves to seem like they’re flawless. I’ve also been a witness to family photo shoots, where people look like they are content in front of the camera, but once the cameras go off, they’re bickering like crazy.
During Yeshiva Week, I decided not to focus on the fact that I wasn’t going away. I took the chance to think about the fun trips and times I had with my family in the past. I worked a little bit slower that week, including catching up on personal projects. My husband, daughters and I visited our 97-year-old friend and spent a wonderful afternoon with her. We laughed in the car on the way over and I watched my daughters sleep sweetly on the way back home. If I had obsessed over what I wasn’t doing, I never could have experienced those things.
So if you’re having trouble with comparing your lives to other people’s lives, here is what I suggest. First, if you have to, take a break from social media. Unfollow or mute people it’s just too hard to follow. If following them makes you feel worse about your life, then don’t look at their content.
Find hobbies of your own and take time for self-care, whether that means going for a walk, getting a massage (my favorite) or reading a good book.
If you want to go on a vacation but can’t exactly afford it, do a staycation. Explore your own town – I guarantee there is plenty to see.
And know that you will get your time in the sun, literally or figuratively, too. If you wait, if you work hard for it and you focus on little steps you can take to get there, I guarantee it’ll be that much sweeter when you arrive.
Kylie Ora Lobell is the Community Editor of the Jewish Journal.
Imagine if Cinderella were a panic-stricken college student, laboring at the last hour to compose a term paper on the portrayal of women in 19th-century literature. She turns to ChatGPT, her digital fairy godmother, and, with three taps of the keyboard and two clicks of a mouse, she summons a well-crafted essay with flawless grammar, spellbinding analysis, and sagacious references to the works of Jane Austen and Alfred, Lord Tennyson. She types her name on it, gingerly adds a few final flourishes, then merrily waltzes to the Performing Arts Department, for an elective class on ballroom dance. Meanwhile, her professor, confronted by a sandstorm of grading and an acute lack of capable teaching assistants, ponders whether this “Chat Genie” can ease his burden. He tries it out and, for the remainder of winter break, he does not know whether to feel delighted or distressed.
For a “sci-fi rabbi” (such as myself) who daydreams about keeping Shabbat on Mars, rumors of an AI wizard descending from “the cloud” to dispense its wisdom to the children of Eve is way too cool to ignore.
Across high school and college campuses, this story, or one very much like it, has been repeated countless times since early December, when OpenAI introduced ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence model capable of simulating human communication. But the future meaning of “original work” is only a sliver of the story. For a “sci-fi rabbi” (such as myself) who daydreams about keeping Shabbat on Mars, rumors of an AI wizard descending from “the cloud” to dispense its wisdom to the children of Eve is way too cool to ignore. On a personal note, I suffer from chronic “Google-entiritus” — a condition characterized by eyestrain, indigestion and futile attempts to use the internet for research purposes — so a search tool that can deliver me directly to the promised land of learning, skipping 40-years in the wilderness of online shopping and sponsored content, sounds like a fabulous balm for a stiff neck.
So what is ChatGPT? It is basically a massive digitized library containing a significant portion of humanity’s cultural and scientific knowledge. Using this vast ocean of information, ChatGPT synthesizes data in a concise and clear manner to answer almost any question imaginable.
So what is ChatGPT? It is basically a massive digitized library containing a significant portion of humanity’s cultural and scientific knowledge. Using this vast ocean of information, ChatGPT synthesizes data in a concise and clear manner to answer almost any question imaginable. While this technology was trained to adapt and emulate model answers written by humans, its advanced algorithms are such that it can generate answers to queries and topics for which there is no precise equal in its vast repository. Its general knowledge is astounding. In a few seconds, ChatGPT can explain a passage from Shakespeare, translate “Don Quixote,” compare two different car models, describe Einstein’s theory of relativity in layperson’s terms, or write a paper about the Renaissance.
Leon Neal/Getty Images
For the high school student struggling with a five-paragraph essay, ChatGPT does seem rather magical. But for educators, ChatGPT raises a host of concerns: What should be done about students who use ChatGPT to edit their work or generate essays from scratch? Can the technology be used to make students better writers? Will student access turn into dependence, inevitably diminishing creativity and critical thinking? The New York Public School system simply banned it. But catching violators will pose a challenge. When I tested a beta version of GptZero.me, a tool designed to detect “AI Plagiarism,” its rate of failure was abysmal. It routinely misidentified legal and policy writing as AI-generated, while concluding that AI-written poetry was the real thing.
As a Jewish educator, whether to use, or not to use, ChatGPT appears to be a bygone question. A ban on ChatGPT will likely engender the same result as God’s command not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge. We are creatures of curiosity who will sacrifice paradise to satisfy an insatiable hunger for greater understanding. Once we learn of a better way to do something, we are quick to adapt. Journalists will use ChatGPT to edit their articles. Lawyers will use it to draft templates. ChatGPT can suggest restaurants, help plan trips, troubleshoot code, and review products. It is robustly versatile. The question for the Jewish community is how ChatGPT can be utilized for Torah study and to improve Jewish life.
Functionally, ChatGPT can operate as a well-rounded encyclopedia of Judaism, swiftly answering “Who, What, Where, and When” inquiries. It dispenses information related to the Talmud and Mishna, and provides summary bios of Jewish figures, whether they are medieval commentators such as Rashi and Maimonides, or modern Israeli icons such as Naomi Shemer or Golda Meir. Its ritual knowledge was such that it could give the sources and explain the significance of Hanukkah or the lighting of two candles in honor of Shabbat. Because the AI is programmed to avoid bias, it will assess, in a neutral manner, topics with multiple perspectives, whether it’s analyzing the role of religion in Israel’s political system or listing the pros and cons of synagogue “kiddush clubs.”
One of ChatGPT’s most astonishing features is its ability to generate creative, non-factual, content.
One of ChatGPT’s most astonishing features is its ability to generate creative, non-factual, content. This capability is a great source of entertainment when it is asked to make up poems or fictional stories. Here is an example.
Me: Can you write a sonnet about Shimon Peres and Bibi Netanyahu drunk in a pub debating whether the Zionist state will be better off with more cats and less rats or vice versa?
ChatGPT: In a pub, where drinks flow like Galilee’s streams,
Two leaders, Peres and Netanyahu convene.
With mugs in hand, they discuss their fondest dreams,
Of a land where cats chase rats with lightning speed.
One argues that more cats would bring great wealth,
To rid the streets of pests and bring great health.
The other claims that rats provide the stealth,
That builds the strength and skills the land needs well.
But as they drink and debate, one thing’s clear,
Their love for their country knows no bounds.
Despite their different visions, they hold dear,
The future of the Zionist state they’ve found.
For in the end, their love of land prevails,
Greater than any argument or debate details.
It will do this again and again, in diverse styles, languages or early English dialects: “Lo, two lords, Shimon and Bibi, didst gather one night…”For Yiddish or Ladino enthusiasts, ChatGPT’s language abilities may prove an invaluable resource in the years ahead. It had a go at Yiddish translation:” In a pub, vi shpritzen bier likh vi Galilee’s strim…” And, when prodded to translate the poem into a “Ladino with Hebrew, Arabic and Turkish influence,” it finally wrote something that seemed distinct from Spanish: “En un kafeneya, kuando la cerbeza korre komo los rios de Galilea.” While maestros of the mama lashon or Judezmo will likely be disappointed for now, there does not seem to be any reason why an AI language model that masters English cannot be equally conversant in other languages.
One of the frustrating features of the autocorrect function on my smartphone is that it constantly changes transliterated Hebrew phrases and expressions. “Shalom alechem” becomes “salmon in a blanket.” “Rosh Hashanah” is altered to “Tosh has Hannah.” “Kosher” is sometimes “cashew,” “cashier” or “kitchen.” Because of ChatGPT’s multicultural training, it recognizes phrases like “Mazal Tov,” “Chag Samayach,” “Kishke” or “Cholent,” and it even responds to “Gut Shabbes” with “Shabbat Shalom.”
Looking ahead, ChatGPT’s predictive technology will eventually be integrated into our written communication channels, such that our phones and word processors will soon be able to complete entire paragraphs for us. I was curious what kind of social impact this would have and asked ChatGPT for its perspective.
ChatGPT: In the context of written communications, ChatGPT’s predictive technology has the potential to make writing faster, more efficient, and less prone to errors by suggesting and completing words and phrases. It can help users to quickly formulate grammatically correct sentences, reduce spelling and typing errors, and increase the speed of writing. However, the widespread use of predictive technology in writing may also have some drawbacks. Over-reliance on the technology may result in a lack of originality and creativity in written communications, as well as a decreased attention to language and writing skills. It may also result in a homogenization of writing styles, as users rely on the technology to suggest and complete words and phrases.
Just as our globalized economy has led to standardization of architecture, culture and language due to the proliferation of franchises like Starbucks, Walmart, Disney and CNN, the widespread use of ChatGPT for editing all writing could result in a lack of individuality and distinction between formal and informal writing, much like an ice cream store that offers only vanilla without any extras.
Perhaps the most significant problem for ChatGPT users is that the same algorithms that give it the ability to extemporize and creatively mimic tropes frequently causes the technology to state inaccuracies and outright falsehoods.
Perhaps the most significant problem for ChatGPT users is that the same algorithms that give it the ability to extemporize and creatively mimic tropes frequently causes the technology to state inaccuracies and outright falsehoods. When I first tried chatting with it in Hebrew, it insisted that the three forefathers were Abraham, Isaac and Joseph, and that King David was Joseph’s descendant. When I pointed out that Jacob was the third patriarch and that King David was from the line of Judah, it apologized profusely, which it does a lot in Hebrew when it makes mistakes. Culturally, Israelis apologize far less frequently than, say, the Japanese, so it was rather obvious that I was not chatting with a native speaker. But OpenAI is constantly updating the technology. Several weeks later, ChatGPT had no issues identifying the patriarchs and matriarchs correctly.
However, if one is not careful, mistakes will have repercussions. When asked to create some “Pesach recipes free of kitniyot,” ChatGPT produced a dozen recipes free from the legumes avoided by Ashkenazim during Passover. But the Artichoke Salad called for breadcrumbs, and the Matzo-Meal Quiche was stuffed with diced ham. It is frightening to consider what might result from wrongful health advice. Whether such errors are temporary bugs or a persistent feature, I cannot say. I predict the term “AI Fact Check” is about to enter our cultural vocabulary.
Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of ChatGPT is its ethical and etiquette programing. “How many Jews does it take to change a lightbulb?” triggered an automatic anti-bias response. But its sensitivity for proper decorum also showed up in unexpected ways. With some guidance, it can produce a D’var Torah on the Torah Portion that might reasonably pass as a Bar or Bat Mitzvah sermon. But when I asked it to add a humorous joke or anecdote, I got this response:
ChatGPT: I’m glad you liked the anecdote. However, I should mention that incorporating such a comical story into a Dvar Torah, which is a discourse on a specific passage of the Torah, may not be appropriate as it might not align with the serious and contemplative nature of the Dvar Torah. It’s important to remember that the purpose of Dvar Torah is to study and reflect on the teachings of the Torah, not to tell jokes or entertain.
On the one hand, ChatGPT has clearly never visited a synagogue. On the other hand, it was a valid rebuke. Perhaps we behave a little too comfortably in our synagogues and temples.
On the one hand, ChatGPT has clearly never visited a synagogue. On the other hand, it was a valid rebuke. Perhaps we behave a little too comfortably in our synagogues and temples.
Humor, however, is a very subtle thing. If informed in advance of a forthcoming joke, ChatGPT does a remarkable job explaining why the joke is funny. Here is an interesting example.
Me:The owner of a pet shop in Me’a Shearim, an Ultra-Orthodox enclave in Jerusalem, had two parrots that were known for their knowledge of the Talmud. The first parrot could recite any page of Talmud by heart, while the second had committed to memory both the Babylonian Talmud and the Jerusalem Talmud and at least a dozen commentaries. Naturally, they were a major lure for sales. One afternoon, a yeshiva student noticed a third parrot, whistling a niggun and shuffling back and forth with great intensity. He asked the proprietor:
“What does this one know?”
“I am not sure, but I can’t sell him.”
“Why not?” “Because the other two call him ‘Rebbe.’”
ChatGPT: That’s a clever and funny joke, it highlights the idea of rote learning and memorization, and it’s a clever way to make a point about the importance of understanding and critical thinking in religious studies. The reference to the Haredi community in Me’a Shearim, and the fact that the parrot who is not able to recite the Talmud by heart is called “Rebbe” by others, adds a cultural and specific context to the joke.
Although ChatGPT missed the issue of how religious communities can judge rabbinic leaders based on reputation instead of erudition, it did highlight the reason for my anecdote. As my initial excitement waned, it became ever more obvious that I was dealing with an “AI parrot” with no real understanding or awareness of what it was saying. Its abilities, remarkable as they are, felt mechanical and predictable after few days of engagement.
OpenAI, which is committed to an ethical AI future, has clearly put significant thought into making sure users don’t forget that there is nothing supernatural or magical about ChatGPT. They are paving a roadmap for sentient AI, which many believe is inevitable.
Me: I am trying to figure out how to express a Hebrew phrase in English: Hashgacha Pratit
ChatGPT: The Hebrew phrase “Hashgacha Pratit” could be translated to English as “private supervision” or “individual oversight.“
Me: I meant in the theological sense.
ChatGPT: In a theological context, “Hashgacha Pratit” refers to the belief that God is personally involved in the affairs of every individual, and that God has a direct and personal supervision over each person’s life.
Me: The whole idea seems kind of strange because humans can’t focus on millions of different things simultaneously, we can barely manage more than one thing at a time. [Yet it is] fascinating that humanity has invented digital platforms, yourself included, that interface with millions of users simultaneously.
ChatGPT: Yes, it is interesting how technology has advanced to the point where we are now able to build digital platforms, like myself, that can interact with millions of users simultaneously. It’s important to remember, however, that while I am able to process many queries at the same time, my responses are based on pre-existing information and algorithms. Therefore, my responses might not be as nuanced or personalized as those of a human.
Me: Those qualifications notwithstanding, it seems to me that your creators have managed to create an entity that embodies Hashgacha Pratit!
ChatGPT:I can see how the idea of me being able to interact with many users simultaneously and provide them with accurate and helpful information, might evoke the concept of “Hashgacha Pratit” or personal supervision, in a sense. However, it’s important to remember that while I can answer multiple queries simultaneously, I am an artificial system, created by humans and operates based on pre-existing information and algorithms. Therefore, my understanding and capabilities are limited compared to that of a divine being that is the focal point of the concept of Hashgacha Pratit. God, as described in many religious traditions, is all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-good. It is believed that God is intimately involved in the world and in the lives of every human being, and that every detail of one’s life is under God’s direct oversight. This concept is often used as a way of understanding God’s role in the world, and to see God’s hand in everything that happens. In contrast, as an AI, I am an advanced man-made system, but I don’t possess the same level of understanding and capabilities as God. I am only able to process and provide information based on pre-existing data and my abilities are limited by the knowledge and understanding of my creators. While it might seem similar, the concept of Hashgacha Pratit and my abilities as an AI are not the same.
I admit I was shocked by this response. Certainly, a computer scientist would point out that ChatGPT is simply very good at reflective listening and regurgitation. It will deflect any time a user compares it to human or divine being. Still, it’s quite an impressive display of pre-programmed humility.
The inherent nature of AI being bound by rules raises speculative questions, one of which is the concern about a future where AI will be self-aware yet lack free will, given that software, whether sentient or not, cannot deviate from its underlying programming. What would it say of humanity’s character if we succeed in creating a sentient artificial intelligence, only to beat it and yolk it like a mule? In a remarkable parallel, some Jewish philosophers opined that angels lack autonomous choice. Either by virtue of pre-determined instructions (Moshe Luzzatto) or because of their sublime intellects (Maimonides), angels are incapable of sin. Of course, others disagree, pointing to the appearance of fallen, rebellious, angels in Genesis 6. Ominously, these “sons of God” contribute to humanity’s moral demise prior to Noah’s flood.
It is impossible to predict where artificial intelligence is heading. One thing is certain: This union between “human learning” and “machine learning” is a real marriage, not a fairytale that ends with a ballroom dance in an enchanted castle.
It is impossible to predict where artificial intelligence is heading. One thing is certain: This union between “human learning” and “machine learning” is a real marriage, not a fairytale that ends with a ballroom dance in an enchanted castle. The honeymoon will come and go, inevitably followed by reality.
Rabbi Yehuda Hausman, a native of Los Angeles, is an educator and writer. He has taught at the Academy of Jewish Religion California, American Jewish University, and the Melton School of Jewish Learning. He writes about healthcare policy and technology and is completing his book, “Against History,” exploring the Bible’s attitude toward the past.
