The Tech Tribe Dispatch

“The Long Journey Across the Galaxy” When the Torah lists the forty-two journeys and encampments of the Jewish people on their way to Israel, it refers to them collectively as the Exodus from Egypt. Yet, seemingly, only the first encampment was the Exodus - all subsequent journeys were already outside of Egypt. In Hebrew, Egypt is called Mitzrayim, a name related to the word for boundaries. The exodus from Egypt is the journey from our own inner Egypt, our self-imposed limitations and constraints.

We find ourselves just a day before the 250th birthday of the United States of America. The first July 4th, in 1776, took place on the 17th of Tammuz, the fast day we observed yesterday and the beginning of the three weeks, a period of mourning that culminates on Tisha B’Av, the saddest day on the Jewish calendar. Yet this month is also one of redemption, the very seeds of which were sown at the moment of destruction.

ā€œG-d came to Balaam at night and said to him, ā€œIf these men have come to call for you, arise and go with them, but whatever I tell you, you must do.ā€ ā€” Bamidbar 22:20 Thereā€™s a story I love When Rochel Leah Blachman was an older lady, she was told by the doctors that she needed surgery. It was a preventative operation, one that if done now, would prevent potentially more serious issues laterā€¦ But she was an older woman, and the thought of surgery frightened her.

January 1951 in Brooklyn. the Rebbe formally accepted the mantel of leadership for the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. 1955 the term Artificial Intelligence was coined to describe the so called Thinking machines being explored at Dartmouth. In the 32 years since the Rebbeā€™s passing, the field of AI has created a sea change in society. Suddenly questions of purpose, of the soul, of what makes us human have become of pressing urgency.

Caleb silenced the people to [hear about] Moses, and he said, "We can surely go up and take possession of it, for we can indeed overcome it." — Numbers 13:30 We can surely go up. even to heaven; if [Moshe] tells us,“Make ladders and go up there,” we will succeed in whatever he says. — Rashi At the dawn of the space race, scientists were faced with a challenge: On earth there are two ways to take flight: One could be light enough to simply float away.

“At the bidding of the Lord, the children of Israel traveled, and at the bidding of the Lord, they encamped.” – Behaalotecha 9:18 Everywhere we go, it’s part of the divine plan. When the Jewish people wandered the desert, it was at G-d’s bidding through Moses. They followed the clouds by day, the pillar of fire at night. They stopped when the clouds stopped. They journeyed when they moved.

Tech Tribe Dispatch #354 💡 Think: “Forever, O G‑d, Your word stands firm in the heavens.“ -Psalm 119:89 “Your word” which you uttered, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters...” -The Baal Shem Tov What is a miracle? From one angle, perhaps, the age of miracles has long since left us. Prophets once walked the streets, seas split, pillars of fire led us in the dark. Those things don’t happen anymore. Yet miracles are very much with us.

✨This month’s #ChaiSociety Dispatch gives a taste of our monthly Third Thursday Schmooze! The Schmooze, launched in 2024, brings together dozens of Jewish founders, engineers, investors and actors every third Thursday of the month. More than just a networking event, it’s become a vibrant community and a platform for professional - and spiritual - growth.

Dispatch #353 💡 Think: The Holiday of Shavuot begins tonight. While it is a mitzvah to eat a festive meal on every holiday (outside of Yom Kippur, when we eat the meal before the holiday) on Shavuot it’s an obligation to eat one. Seemingly, the holiday commemorating the Torah’s giving should be focused on spiritual matters - not the corporal pleasure of a physical meal. The reason for this unique obligation is connected to the very nature of the Torah itself.

ā€œTake the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, by families following their fathers' houses.ā€ ā€” Bamidbar 1:2 ā€œBecause the Israelites are so dear to G-d, He counts them at every pointā€¦ā€ ā€” Rashi, Bamidbar 1:1 Think about a special collection, stamps, coins, antique pencilsā€¦ Each time the owner counts them, it expresses how unique and precious each item is. But of course, itā€™s not the counting itself that makes the item unique.