“…neither take a bribe: for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise, and perverts the words of the righteous. Justice, only justice shalt thou pursue…” (Devarim 16:19-20)

The Sifrei, commenting on the verse, “bribery blinds the eyes of the chacham,” teaches that a judge who accepted a bribe will not leave this world before seeing the truth of the case he ruled on. The Ben Ish Chai (Yosef Hayim 1835–1909) asks: Why should a judge who took a bribe be rewarded with such clarity?

Currently, one of the great debates people have is how reliable is it to ask a question to “Rabbi Google” or to “Rabbi AI” I am not going to give a full drasha about this topic now. Instead, I would like to explore a related issue.

When communal questions came to the Beis Halevi (Yosef Dov Soloveitchik 1820-1892), the petitioners were often great Rabbis themselves. They would present many proofs from Torah sources supporting their position. The Beis Halevi would respond with his own sources, and then explain why the sources they brought were not relevant to the case at hand. What emerges is that even though the other Rabbis thought they had clear proofs, in the Torah, one can find a source for almost anything. The real question is not whether you can find a source, but whether the source you found is an appropriate support for the matter before you.

A clear example of this appears in Megillas Esther. If one were to search the Torah superficially, one might conclude that Mordechai should have avoided provoking Haman by appearing before him and refusing to bow. Yet we all know that Mordechai acted correctly. This teaches us that we can’t assume that our understanding of the Torah sources is automatically the right one. True understanding requires Mesorah — the transmitted wisdom of earlier generations that guides how Torah is properly understood.

Turning to the issue of asking a computer to resolve a Torah based question: When we rely on AI for halachic answers, we are removing the Torah connection from the sources. AI may possess enormous amounts of data, but it lacks the chain that runs from Moshe Rabeinu through the chachamim of every generation. It also lacks siyata dishmaya, granted to every Rav who answers with yiras Shamayim. Without these two elements, even correct information can lead to an incorrect conclusion.

The Ben Ish Chai answers his earlier question by explaining that the Torah is so large, with so many different opinions, that one can always find a way to justify a mistaken ruling by citing a great Rabbi of previous generations. The Judge who has been bribed isn’t necessarily lying; he may genuinely believe his verdict is based on Torah thought (like AI). Hashem therefore allows this judge to see the truth before he dies: That even though his answer was based on a legitimate Torah source, it was still incorrect. “Tzedek, Tzedek Tirdof” – Hashem will have true justice chase him, revealing that even though he was “right” he was wrong. A verdict must be based on how the laws have been passed down generation to generation.

As we prepare for our day of Judgement, we should examine whether the sources behind our life decisions are real. Are we being bribed to interpret the Torah in a way that suits us? Are our sources pointing us toward what Hashem wants? If we do this honestly, then when Rosh Hashana comes, we can proclaim wholeheartedly that He is our King.