You Got to Pray Just to Make It One Day

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

You Got to Pray Just to Make It One Day

Chicken and Beef

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Chicken and Beef

Jerusalem of Gold

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Jerusalem of Gold

Hard-Code G-d Into AI

Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called "Hard-Code G-d Into AI."

Artificial intelligence is often framed as a problem of obedience: can we keep machines under human control? But human commands are not always moral, and an AI perfectly aligned with a terrorist, authoritarian state, corrupt corporation or reckless commander would not be safe—it would simply be efficient at doing wrong. This article argues that AI must be built not only with technical guardrails, but around a moral reality higher than machine, market and human command: the sanctity of life, the dignity of every person created b’tzelem Elokim, truth and the duty to protect the vulnerable. That standard does not demand weakness or unilateral disarmament; it calls for AI strong enough to help free societies defeat terrorists, protect civilians and defend themselves, while never confusing power, permission or technological capability with moral authority.

(AI generated image) 

Hard-Code G-d Into AI

Mr and Mrs

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Mr and Mrs

King of Hawaii

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

King of Hawaii

Ocean Balls

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Ocean Balls

Stop Child Abuse

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Stop Child Abuse

Nut House

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Nut House

He Prayed Perfectly—And Missed Everything

Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called "He Prayed Perfectly—And Missed Everything."

On Shabbat Shuvah, just minutes after a sermon about making amends to those we hurt, a woman using a walker was unable to enter synagogue because a man praying in the aisle blocked her path. He may not have known she was there, but the painful result was that she turned around and left—and I froze rather than helping in time. The incident became a lesson in Ha’azinu’s command to listen: teshuvah is not only about saying the right prayers, but about noticing the person in front of us and acting with justice, mercy, and humility. As Yom Kippur approaches, the question is not merely whether we pray correctly, but whether we make room for others to enter.

(AI generated image)

He Prayed Perfectly—And Missed Everything

Magazines

 (Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Magazines

Nails, Nails, Nails

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Nails, Nails, Nails

Love Your Neighbor

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Love Your Neighbor

Bike Here

(Credit Photo: Minna Blumenthal)

Bike Here

Mail Is Here

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Mail Is Here

The Laps We Keep Walking

 

Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called "The Laps We Keep Walking."

This Rosh Hashanah, a difficult year of health challenges alongside the blessing of early retirement led me to confront a central truth: life rarely offers uninterrupted good fortune or a straight path from strength to success. Walking laps despite a limp became my personal reminder that accepting a limitation is not the same as accepting defeat—and that resilience can mean simply taking one more step forward. Remembering my grandmother’s final expression of gratitude to my grandfather, who had patiently cared for her through years of memory loss, reminded me not to wait to thank the people who stand beside us. Amid private sorrow and a deeply divided public culture, we need gratitude, humility, compassion for burdens we cannot see, and the courage to begin again.

(AI generated image)

The Laps We Keep Walking

Lion King

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Lion King

Elephant Plant

 

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Elephant Plant

Podiatrist Humor

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Podiatrist Humor

Flowers to Make You Sing

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Flowers to Make You Sing

Beautiful Fort Lauderdale Beach

Beautiful Fort Lauderdale Beach

Israel Must Act. G-d Determines the Outcome.

Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called "Israel Must Act. G-d Determines the Outcome."

Israel’s recent military achievements show the extraordinary courage, skill, and resolve required to defend a people surrounded by enemies committed to its destruction—but they cannot guarantee that danger will disappear. The horror of October 7 showed, at terrible cost, that even a strong and technologically advanced country must never allow confidence or complacency to replace vigilance. Through Moses standing at the Jordan, the article reminds readers that we may not control the future or see the final results of our efforts, but we are never excused from doing what is right and necessary today. This Rosh Hashanah, it calls on Jews everywhere to stand with Israel, protect Jewish life, care for those carrying the wounds of terror and war, confront antisemitism without fear, strengthen Jewish unity, and join prayer to courageous action.

(AI generated image)

Israel Must Act. G-d Determines the Outcome.

Steamrolled

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Steamrolled

Hair Dying a Bucket

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Hair Dying a Bucket

Overgrown

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Overgrown