New York – A Robot That Writes The Entire Sefer Torah.

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    Pinned News Nov. 1 2007

    New York – Robots and computers have been eliminating human jobs at what some might consider an alarming rate, but the sacred work of Torah scribes seems like something only humans could do.

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    A group in Germany, however, has created an industrial robot that has been programmed to write the entire Bible,on a scroll, using calligraphic lines similar to a font common in the 15th century.

    “Bios [Bible]” is an installation project by Robotlab, a group of artists that examines the relationship between humans and machines and envisions the roles that robots will play in the future. This recent work explores the ways in which technology and science intersect with faith and religion.

    “The title ‘bios’ [and] the writing on rolls of paper are inspired by the Torah,” Robotlab artist Jan Zappe wrote in an e-mail to The Shmooze. “The project picks up the central theme of spiritual texts to focus on the culture of printing and writing.” [forward]


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    24 Comments
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    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    16 years ago

    THe robot was made in China. All the Torahs will now be recalled.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    16 years ago

    I have my robot daven for me in the morning. Now I have 30 hours in my day.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    16 years ago

    te robot is writing this german ‘bible’ in english. search the web for closer pics and you will see its being done in english

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    16 years ago

    Does anybody notice that the Robot Sofer is writing left to right.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    16 years ago

    webmaster,

    The solution is easier than that. Since we are building these Robots to orders, we can order them already “GeMalt” … then all they will need is a “Tipas Dam” which can be provided by a built-in capsule.

    Of course, since we are providing the Tipa, we make sure it carries no diseases, so this way we can do Metzitza B’Peh…..

    Or… Hmmm the possiblities with a Robot Moihel….

    Of course, if they are heavy, we need really strong Kvater/Kvaterin… oh… no prob, they are robots too.

    But… the best use of all for them in in kashrus. We can solve the wordwide shortage of mashgichim.

    As you all know, we are deperate for mashgichim these days, now that we realize Mirsus is dead.
    He was killed by the first kashrus organization who caved, and believed the “Ooooops” story.

    Milhouse
    Milhouse
    16 years ago

    Such a machine was already invented centuries ago – it’s called the printing press! What’s the difference between this and a printed sefer?

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    16 years ago

    11:59 AM & 2:31 PM – You entertained me, I really needed it too, I have been laughing all afternoon re-reading your post.

    Thank you!!

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    16 years ago

    BigWheel,

    Well said. We will need to look into this.

    1:16 Sorry I did not entertain you. I guess it was all plain shtus. So what? I had fun, sorry you did not.

    webmaster
    webmaster
    16 years ago

    How do you do bris milah on a robot ger? With a can opener?

    biGwheeel
    biGwheeel
    16 years ago

    No one mentioned [yet] the infinite possibilities of having Robot Rebbes and Chassidim. The fights between the Robot-Rebbes and
    Robot Chassidim will entail flying Kugel, too.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    16 years ago

    11:59, you’re pretty unimaginative. Hope you didn’t expend too much time and effort drafting your prose.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    16 years ago

    11:59- Is the Israeli Rabbinute accepting robotic giyurim as Jews k’halacha in Israel?

    Or, like all other Diaspora Gerim, are they being rejected as halachic Jews in Israel because the Rabbinute doubts that the Batei Din in the US can tell the difference between a sincere ger who is committed to Torah and Mitzvot and one who is merely “programmed” to say the right things to the Beit Din?

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    16 years ago

    Hey… let’s be careful to not poke fun or discriminate against Robots. We all know it will not be long until we have Robot Geyrim. It is only a matter or waiting until they perfect them as 100% waterproof, so they can go to the mikvah for their giyur. We will then have Silocon-based Yidden.

    Then we will have Robots among klall yisroel. In fact, a rov who begins a very small kehilla, can maybe lease a few robots to be a core of mispallilim or to be mashlim a minyan. Then, as soon as he has enough carbon-based Yidden, he can send some of those back.

    Oy! But, once they are migayair, they will want total autonomy. In fact the Beis Din will surely require the Robot’s autonomy as a condition of giyur. Oh, well, no leasing of them. We could need to attract them.

    Now, we know there will be some group who will want to force some difference, “For Identification Purposes” … maybe like in their names. If a Silicon-based Yid is named Moishe Silver, we may be asked to place an “R” before his name, as Asimov used in his Robot novel. So he would be called R. Moishe, the “R” for Robot.

    That would work fine, until all the rest, the carbon-based Yidden would want their names to stop having the “R”… So, we could not write R. Yankel for Reb Yankel. We would always have to write it all out, so some do not accidentally mistake the R of Reb for the R of Robot.

    My G-d… why are we so prejudiced…

    Oh well… AS soon as we work out out the problems, and have a Robot Ger and a Robot Giyeres, we can then have a Robot Sofer. Why not? Most poskim hold that a Ger may write STaM, so why not a Silicon-based Yid who started off as a Robot?

    In fact, we can surely program in Yiras Shomayim.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    16 years ago

    We already do. It fits onto my nano. I also can get it onto an SD chip (size of a postage stamp).

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    16 years ago

    My Rabbi is a robot too.

    In 20 years from now we will have gantz shas on our fingernails.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    16 years ago

    Dear David,

    That ain’t such an outlandish price for a new sefer torah!

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    16 years ago

    Maybe it’s kosher for robots to use for kriyas haTorah. Sadly this would make it permissible for all too many of us….

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    16 years ago

    This robot was programmed to write in German.

    Also, the idea of having a machine “write” or print a Torah has been discussed along time ago. This is just a cute printer.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    16 years ago

    next we need to hire a robot baal koreh and rav

    Expatriate Owl
    Expatriate Owl
    16 years ago

    How about something even more basic — A robot to do Hagbahah and Geleilah?

    Or maybe we can train the shul Golem to do that!

    joe
    joe
    16 years ago

    posul

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    16 years ago

    Will the Robot go to the mikva before writing?

    Joseph
    Joseph
    16 years ago

    Will the robot have the correct kavuna and write it lishmo?

    David
    David
    16 years ago

    Now maybe our shul won’t have to contend with our one older Torah that is in much need of repair. When our board looked into purchasing a new Torah they were astounded at the price, ~$30,000.00 dollars for a new Sefer Torah.