20 May CAN YOU TEACH TORAH TO AI?

The rapid
development of
artificial intelligence
(AI) raises new
and sometimes
unexpected halachic
questions. Among
them is whether it is permissible to teach
Torah to an AI. On the one hand, what
could be wrong with it? After all, it is
like saving a Torah text on a hard drive.
To understand the question, consider a
humanoid robot sitting down with you
and learning Gemara as your chavrusa.
You read the text together, argue about its
meaning, debate possible explanations.
Is that permissible?
I. Two Reasons Not to Teach
The Gemara (Chagigah 13a) states that
a Jew may not teach Torah to a gentile.
The exact parameters of the prohibition
– which content and circumstances
fall under this prohibition and which
do not – are important but outside the
scope of this discussion. Let us discuss
whatever content and circumstances
that are forbidden. Tosafos (ad loc., s.v.
ein) ask that this passage sounds like

there is a prohibition for a Jew to teach
Torah to a gentile while another Gemara
(Sanhedrin 59a) states that a Jew violates
lifnei iveir (enabling another to sin) by
teaching Torah to a gentile. In other
words, the Gemara in Chagigah seems to
say that the primary prohibition is on a
Jew not to teach Torah to outsiders while
the Gemara in Sanhedrin says that the
primary prohibition is on a gentile not to
not learn Torah.
The reasoning for the prohibition against
teaching is that the Torah is the heritage
of the Jewish people. When we teach it to
others, we give away our unique heritage.
When a gentile studies the Torah that
was given to the Jewish people, he takes
from us something that is precious. Is the
prohibition on Jews not to give away part
of our heritage or on gentiles not to take
it?
With that framing, we can understand the
AI question. If a Jew is prohibited from
teaching Torah to someone outside the
Jewish community, then that may very
well apply also to AI. We are giving away
our heritage to a foreign intelligence. But
if the prohibition falls on a gentile not to

take our heritage, an AI presumably is
not bound by that prohibition. We are
suggesting that if the prohibition falls
on Jews, then we may not teach Torah
to AI. If the prohibition falls on gentiles,
and only indirectly through lifnei iveir
on Jews, then we are allowed to teach
Torah to AI.
Ultimately, Tosafos answer that both
sides are correct – Jews are forbidden to
teach Torah to outsiders and gentiles are
forbidden to learn Torah (within specific
parameters). But from the perspective
of a Jew, the teaching is prohibited both
inherently and because of lifnei iveir.
Therefore, even when lifnei iveir does
not apply, such as when other teachers
are available, the inherent prohibition
still applies. Based on Tosafos’ approach,
it would seem that we are not allowed to
teach Torah to AI. We may not sit down
with a robot chavrusa. And if it applies
to a humanoid AI, presumably it also
applies to an AI website or app, like
ChatGPT. Why would the robotic body
form make a difference?
II. Reasons to Teach
However, Rambam takes an entirely
different approach. Rambam (Mishneh
Torah, Hilchos Melachim 10:9) states
that a gentile may not create a new
religious practice that he performs as a
mitzvah. He is allowed to shake a lulav
out of curiosity but not out of a sense of
religious obligation. There is, however,
a middle ground between these two
intents: fulfilling an optional mitzvah.
A gentile is allowed to shake a lulav as
an optional mitzvah, a chosen way to
reach out to G-d. However, observing
Shabbos and learning Torah are
exceptions to this permission because
they represent Jewish uniqueness.
As Tosafos understand the matter,
gentiles may not learn Torah because
such study is an element of Jewish
identity. According to Rambam, they
may not learn Torah because it is a
Jewish act of devotion reserved only
for members of the faith. The practical
difference between these two reasons
is when a gentile learns Torah out of
intellectual curiosity. This should be
allowed according to Rambam but
not Tosafos. AI never intends to learn
information as a religious obligation.
It would only learn Torah to help the
person asking for assistance or to
acquire knowledge. Therefore, it would
seem that according to Rambam, it
would be permissible to learn Torah

with an AI chavrusa.
Rav Shmuel Eidels (17th cen., Poland)
writes that the prohibition only applies
to the “secrets” of the Torah (Chiddushei
Aggados, Chagigah, ad loc.). According
to this approach, we are allowed to
teach basic texts and laws to gentiles
but not the deep meanings and reasons
for the Torah’s laws. Rav Naftali Tzvi
Yehudah Berlin (19th cen., Russia) says
that this means learning in an iyun style,
in depth and conceptually (Meromei
Sadeh, Chagigah, ad loc.). Rav Yechiel

Ya’akov Weinberg (20th cen., Germany-
Switzerland) expands on this approach

(Seridei Esh, Yoreh De’ah 55-56 [in
old editions 1:174, 2:11]). While this
might help us a bit, often the learning
we exchange with AI is on an in-depth,
iyun level. If you merely upload an
essay, Rav Weinberg would consider that
permissible, like a college lecture. But
if you learn with a robot chavrusa, you
are likely learning iyun with him, which
would be problematic.
Rav Moshe Feinstein (20th cen., US)
writes that the prohibition only applies
when your intent is to teach Torah to a
gentile (Iggeros Moshe, Yoreh De’ah,
vol. 2 no. 132). If there is someone
gentile at your Passover seder, you are
allowed to read the Haggadah and discuss
in detail the Exodus miracles because
your intent is to study for yourself and
with the Jews in attendance. Perhaps that
also applies when you learn with an AI
chavrusa. Your intent is to understand
the material better and the AI is a tool
to help you accomplish that. You do not
care whether the AI understands it or not.
It seems that according to Rav Feinstein,
this would be permissible.
As the halachic issues with AI become
more pronounced, leading authorities
will begin to way in on these types of
questions. For now, we can tentatively
suggest that it is permissible to teach
Torah to, and learn Torah with, an AI
because your intent is for your own
learning and benefit.