Could AI Make Shabbos Breakfast?

Answer

I like your question, and can see the logic behind it. We are not allowed to use technology on Shabbos, but we are allowed to preprogram technology before Shabbos. We can set a timer for our lights and air conditioners to switch on and off, just as we can light a candle before Shabbos and let it burn out during Shabbos. A Shabbos Robot sounds like the perfect solution to your breakfast dilemma.

But cooking food is different. Food that was cooked for a Jew on Shabbos is problematic. Whether the chef was a Jew or non-Jew, human or robot, food that was uncooked on Friday at sundown cannot be eaten if it was cooked for us on Shabbos.

We can still eat hot food on Shabbos. Cholent is a classic Jewish dish that is cooked before Shabbos, then kept warm until lunch on Shabbos. This method works great for a meat and vegetable stew. It may not work all that well for scrambled eggs. Maybe it’s time to find a special Shabbos breakfast.

With all the wonderful advances in technology, Shabbos will always be one step ahead. There is no way around it, Shabbos takes preparation. As our sages taught, “If you work before Shabbos, you will have food to eat on Shabbos. If you do nothing before Shabbos, what will you eat on Shabbos?”

This is an important lesson. The world we live in is called the World of Action, the arena in which we work hard and try to live a life of doing good. The world we enter after our lifetimes is called the World of Shabbos, where we experience the spiritual impact of the good we did. If you work hard before you get there, you’ll have plenty to enjoy. If not, you might be

a little hungry. So get to work now, you’ll have time to rest later.

Artificial intelligence cannot replicate the authentic wisdom of Shabbos. And a robot’s eggs cannot be as good as your mum’s.