A Blessing from Fred
How a 96-year-old man's obsession with AI helped connect him to prayer.
Okay, I know I said I was on vacation mode, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to wish my dad, who turns 96 on Monday, a happy birthday! 🥳
Fred has played a pivotal role here on the Drop, from bestowing upon us the wisdom of old age, and then doing it again when he turned 95, to talking about his favorite Jewish women, and reminiscing about the Holocaust studies program he ran at the University of Bridgeport.
But he’s contributed so much more than that in his large life, having served in the Korean War, educating and fascinating readers daily with carefully curated posts on his own blog, always making loved ones and strangers laugh, and being the best father a girl could ask for.
Back in the spring, I led an IYUN Circle on counting the Omer (which I still need to write about and recap our learnings!). Fred attended one of the sessions on prayer. Not the most religiously inclined, he was quiet the whole time, but spoke up at the end when he proposed creating a prayer using AI.
Like many of us, he’s had a fascination with artificial intelligence. His fascination has become sort of a new hobby, always reading about different AI platforms, using Perplexity AI as a research tool, and looking me up and telling me how it describes The Shabbat Drop (“The Shabbat Drop appears to be a well-regarded and thoughtful resource for those interested in Jewish life, especially people looking for inspiration and reflection ahead of Shabbat… If you enjoy reflective writing, cultural exploration, or spiritual newsletters, it seems worth checking out.” Wow, thanks!).
As soon as “class” ended, my dad followed through, and used AI to create his own prayer. For my first time dipping my toes into Jewish education/facilitation, it was remarkable to see someone connect to Judaism through a lens of their own passions. Kind of like the time my friend helped connect a Jew of Color to Judaism through Barbie.
I’d like to end this week’s Drop by sharing my dad’s prayer. I don’t know what prompt he used to create it, but I could tell it was made with curiosity, excitement, and an open heart. As we get closer to Elul and the High Holidays, may we embrace our own Judaism and spirituality with this same mindset.
Join me in wishing my dad a very happy birthday in the comments! And feel free to try making up your own prayer using ChatGPT. Be as specific or broad as you like, and share your prayer in the comments as well.
A Prayer for Peace and Healing
Blessed are You, Adonai, our God, Sovereign of the universe,
Who brings peace to the world and healing to the brokenhearted.
In this moment, we turn our hearts to You,
Seeking comfort for those in pain and strength for those in need.
May Your light shine upon us, guiding our steps,
As we strive to bring kindness and compassion into our lives.
Help us to be instruments of Your peace,
To heal the wounds of our community and the world.
Grant us the wisdom to understand one another,
The courage to stand up for justice,
And the humility to learn from our differences.
May we find solace in Your presence,
And may our prayers rise like incense before You.
As we gather in unity, let us remember those who are suffering,
And may our collective voices uplift their spirits.
Bless us with hope, love, and the promise of a better tomorrow.
Amen.
Shabbat Shalom. May our prayers be answered,
What a loving tribute to your dad
You made him very happy
I imagine that with all the fine things darling Miranda said about me, ie her father, I should simply remain silent. Alas, not my nature. Miranda noted the use of AI, and so here is how and why so many older people are now using AI: https://www.sciencealert.com/half-of-older-americans-are-using-ai-heres-what-theyre-doing-with-it