Torah and Technology: Circuits, Cells & the Sacred Path

Torah and Technology

Circuits, Cells and the Sacred Path

What does Judaism teach about killer robots? Cultured meat? Genetically engineered people? What does it mean to rest on Shabbat when electronics are embedded all around? In a pandemic, whose life should be saved first? Can a person be declared dead after the brain has ceased to function, even if the heart continues to beat on life support? How can ancient religious norms address the radically transformed reality of a technocentric society? In this volume, Torah and Technology: Circuits, Cells, and the Sacred Path, Rabbi Daniel Nevins draws on 3,000 years of biblical and rabbinic texts to respond to pressing questions of contemporary life. These essays are presented in the form of responsa, or rabbinic guidance for Jews committed to practicing halakhah, but they are also of interest to any person who confronts ethical quandaries in our technocentric times. An online supplement provides free lesson plans and source sheets for educators to use in class.


Rabbi Daniel Nevins is Head of School at Golda Och Academy in West Orange, New Jersey. He previously served as Senior Rabbi of Adat Shalom Synagogue in Farmington Hills, Michigan, and as the Pearl Resnick Dean of the Rabbinical School of the Jewish Theological Seminary. A graduate of Harvard and of JTS, Rabbi Nevins is a scholar of Jewish law, and has served for twenty-five years on the Rabbinical Assembly’s Committee on Jewish Law and Standards. His focus is on finding guidance in ancient Jewish wisdom for our rapidly changing social and technological environment. As humanity contends with existential challenges unknown to our ancestors, how can their wisdom, faith, and resilience strengthen us to act with integrity and success?


"The responsa of Rabbi Daniel Nevins reflect the wisdom, knowledge, and insight of a deeply caring rabbi who is willing to wrestle with the cutting edge issues of our time. Readers, Jewish and non-Jewish, will be grateful for the paths that Rabbi Nevins forges for the ethical use of technology and medicine."

- Rabbi Pamela Barmash, co-Chair of the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards

"The readers of this book will be richly rewarded by Rabbi Nevins’ knowledge of both the Jewish tradition and technology, his unparalleled ability to explain both in clear terms to people who are not experts in either, and his wonderful ability to exercise judgment in a wise and compassionate way as he deals with the moral and ritual challenges posed by many forms of modern technology. One could not ask for a better guide, so read on!"

- Elliot N. Dorff, Rabbi, Ph.D. Rector and Distinguished Service Professor of Philosophy American Jewish University


"There is much for Orthodox readers to learn from Rabbi Nevins. The amount of care and research that went into each teshuvah in the volume is breathtaking. His sensitivity to broader concerns (be they protecting human dignity, the dignity of the environment, or the dignity of his thoughtful readers) and his commitment to Halakhah as a Divine path towards a holier life is evident. "

- Rabbi Steven Rohde Gotlib, from his Book Talk with Rabbi Steven Gotlib review

Rabbi Daniel Nevins is Head of School at Golda Och Academy in West Orange, New Jersey. He previously served as Senior Rabbi of Adat Shalom Synagogue in Farmington Hills, Michigan, and as the Pearl Resnick Dean of the Rabbinical School of the Jewish Theological Seminary. A graduate of Harvard and of JTS, Rabbi Nevins is a scholar of Jewish law, and has served for twenty-five years on the Rabbinical Assembly's Committee on Jewish Law and Standards. He finds guidance in ancient Jewish wisdom for our rapidly changing social and technological environment.