An Orthodox Disrupter: Lessons for a Redemptive Tech Future
Tech Tribe Dispatch #306
💡 Think:
This Sunday, the 3rd of Tammuz is the yahrtzeit of the Rebbe. The Rebbe’s vision for society as a whole, and mission to transform it for the better is more critical than ever.
As society grapples with an AI driven future - how can we center human purpose in what we build?
I’ve selected many of the teachings I learned from the Rebbe. Ideas that have been influential in my own world view - and I believe of great urgency and importance for those building the future. Be it wisdom for an actual startup or the inner-startup, personal growth, these are the nuggets of wisdom inspired by the ultimate disrupter, the Rebbe.
Ground Every Day in a Moment of Purpose
We don’t live in the wilderness. Each and every one of us is a key player on the cosmic scene with the unique talents and abilities to create something truly impactful. Yes making the world a better place may be a Silicon Valley trope, but it’s also a universal Jewish truth. We will change the world, if not through canonical data models to communicate between endpoints but rather through imbuing everything we do with a G-dly purpose.
If so, take a moment each day to center yourself within the universe. Find a quiet moment to let the sound of silence, the small thin voice, encourage you to delve deeper in and ask the big questions needed to focus your purpose.Build Your Community With Purpose
A recent study found that 25% of young adults believe that AI has the potential to replace real-life romantic relationships. We live in the midst of a loneliness epidemic, one that will only be exacerbated by digital companions and AI. Build something that builds community, that reminds us that true fulfillment comes from engaging with the real, the physical, and the communal. Judaism teaches that we must work the land, engage with tangible mitzvot, and form minyanim in person—not just in the metaverse. The lesson: Purpose is found not in virtual connection alone, but in the sanctification of the everyday, the mundane, and the embodied.Channel Technology for Good
From a Jewish point of view, “don’t be evil” simply isn’t enough. The sages taught that gold was created not for its corrupting use, but to beautify the Holy Temple. This underscores the divine potential found in everything—the obligation to elevate and reveal that potential remains on us.Purpose Driven Tech
Technology’s raison d’être is to be harnessed for holiness. The Rebbe’s vision was to use every new medium—radio, satellite, the internet—to spread Torah, kindness, and connection. The internet’s redemptive power lies in its ability to bridge heaven and earth, to transmit spiritual wisdom, and to help those in need. The challenge for builders and users alike is to center sacred purpose, not just pragmatism or profit, in every digital interaction.Remove any barriers to adoption of your product.
Unique to the Rebbe’s approach to Judaism was the focus on using technology and innovation to make Jewish engagement and action accessible to everyone. When the Rebbe announced the Tefillin Campaign in 1967, he galvanized his followers to take to the streets offering Jewish men and boys ages 13 and up the opportunity to wrap tefillin — a sacred pair of small leather boxes containing biblical verses worn on the head and arm — and recite a prayer.
Riffing off the hippie buses, Chasidim created Mitzvah tanks, that could bring Shabbat candles, tefillin and other mitzvahs to people on the streets. Judaism was made public and immediate.Human Powered Can Never Be Usurped by Machine pPower.
The human process, with all its frailty and doubt, is precious. The halachic process values the struggle, the debate, and the possibility of error, because it is through grappling with uncertainty that we arrive at decisions that uplift and ennoble. In tech, this means valuing the messy, human side of innovation—listening, collaborating, and building together, even when the path is unclear.The Only Future-proofed Asset is Your Soul
As the world barrels toward automation and AI, we are reminded that the most future-proofed “job” is that of the yeshivah student—the one who dedicates themselves to inner growth and Torah study. The work of transformation, of avoda, is never obsolete. The lesson: In a world of rapid change, our deepest value comes from the work we do on ourselves and for others, not just from what we produce.Short Interactions Lead to Longtail Growth
Though the Rebbe focused on immediate often one time actions, these deeds were not viewed as isolated events. From the point of view of Chasidic thought, a one time mitzvah forges an infinite bond with G-d. Thus single actions, if discrete in their performance, have eternal results.
Even from a strictly psychological point of view, the personal judgement one makes to publicly take part in Jewish action on the street — don tefillin, attend a menorah lighting or simply respond to the query, “Excuse me, are you Jewish?” — is a deeply experiential moment, that causes the person to consciously claim and act their Jewish Identity..Go Viral with Goodness
Yes controversy can bring in clicks. But ultimately a brand or startup that thrives on toxicity will burnout its goodwill and lose. Instead, it is only through positivity that we can truly have transformational virality. The Rebbe used to distribute dollar bills for charity to all those who came to ask him for a blessing. When asked about his reason behind the custom, he replied: “When two people meet, something good should result for a third.” When we connect with others, that interaction shouldn’t stay limited to us, it should galvanize us to positively impact the life of someone else. The Rebbe saw the need to empower us as lamplighters, messengers and brand ambassadors, tasked with the mission of inspiring others. Goodness, like software, is infinitely copyable. By one person inspiring another, we can fulfill that vision to fill the entire world with goodness and kindness.And We Can Create Cosmic Change
Small acts that build upon each other can go viral with goodness. For the internet to realize its original, transcendent promise, we must be galvanized by a mission to tip the societal scales toward redemption for all.
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The recent Tech Tribe trip to the Ohel
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