Will AI Re-Write the 39 Melachos?

Real questions, submitted by actual OU Torah followers, with their real answers. NOTE: For questions of practical halacha, please consult your own rabbi for guidance.

Q. We are now facing an enigma in which all weekday work activities will be performed by AI robots that will not require humans to perform any prohibited Shabbat work activities. Will this type of non-human Shabbat work be acceptable by Hashem to allow mankind a day of complete rest eliminating Rambam’s 39 melachot?

A. Thanks for your question. For starters, let me just say that they aren't the Rambam's 39 melachos; they were given by God to Moshe and are thoroughly discussed in the Talmud, which predates the Rambam by well over a millennium. The 39 melachos are part of the oral law, which is necessary to understand the written Torah.

As far as your question, halacha doesn't change, so the 39 melachos aren't going anywhere. Rather, our authorities determine how halacha applies to emerging technologies. This has always been the case. Can we turn incandescent lights on and off on Shabbos? No. Can we put our lights on a timer? Yes. Can we put our TVs on a timer? No, because doing so would be considered disgraceful to Shabbos (and for other reasons). Similarly, in our world of Siri, Alexa, Nest thermostats, etc. Torah scholars must evaluate how halacha applies to such new devices. (Don't worry; they consult with technology experts so that they have a full understanding of how such devices work!)

So, no, the 39 melachos won't be re-evaluated. The only question to be decided is which activities it might be permissible to automate. It's not a foregone conclusion that everything that can be automated may be automated for Shabbos use. Aside from the aforementioned TV-on-a-timer example, it's prohibited to turn on, say, a washing machine or a dryer shortly before Shabbos, allowing it to continue running after Shabbos has begun. This is because of hashmoas kol, i.e., the noise of the machine running – even on its own – is disrespectful to Shabbos. This is not a new concept; the Talmud (Shabbos 18a) doesn't permit putting wheat in a mill shortly before Shabbos for the same reason. I see no reason why this restriction wouldn't also apply to, say, letting Roomba vacuum your living room on Shabbos, even if the Roomba runs itself. (I'm not poskining; ask your rabbi for questions of practical application.) Similarly, there are other Shabbos laws that could mitigate what aspects of a "smart house" might or might not be permitted on Shabbos. People far greater than I will evaluate things on a case-by-case basis as new technologies continue to evolve.

I hope this helps.

Rabbi Jack's latest book, Ask Rabbi Jack, is now available from Kodesh Press and on Amazon.com.