Like many observant Jews with some science background, I was often challenged by how to reconcile the differences between the Torah’s account of creation and the approach of modern science. I turned to books and lectures which offered some perspectives, but nothing quite clicked for me. I know many Jews despair at that point, either seeing it as a reason to give up or somehow compartmentalize their worldviews. I tried that too but then decided to adopt the attitude but not the perspective of secular scientists: They don’t experience any despair over discovering phenomena they cannot understand. On the contrary, they get excited over research opportunities. Consequently, I turned to focus on what our tradition and modern science were in absolute agreement over—the words of the Torah are literally words and they are words which have been with us for thousands of years. I’ll let others contemplate the significance of a fossilized brontosaurus while I go to pull out my thesaurus.

So when the parshat Bereishit rolls around each year, I focus on how I can apply my understanding of the scientific and tech world to the latter half of the parsha rather than the first.

My approach is to ask not what science has to say about the Torah’s account of Adam and Chava, but rather how the Torah can shed light on the way we currently view science and technology. Given that the Internet has made our world into a complex garden with many opportunities for both good and bad, I feel it’s worth some contemplation beyond what current proponents and opponents debate.

Everyone knows the Internet has posed both tremendous challenges and opportunities for the Jewish community and the world at large. There have been various responses—a call for strong filtering and monitoring on the one hand, while increasing large repositories of shiurim on the other. However, the discussion focuses mainly on addressing content and accessibility. I suspect many feel that if there was a worldwide effort to block all destructive content, malicious activity, hateful speech and distracted browsing while leaving open ways for meaningful communication, safe commerce and research, then the Internet would become one of the greatest achievements of mankind. While I’m in the tech world, I disagree. And I think the parsha is on my side.

The classic commentators debate over what was the fundamental sin behind Adam and Chava eating from the Tree of Knowledge. Some say it was that Chava was totally taken in by the snake’s words that she would become divine. Others suggest it was more rooted in physical desire. This is supported by the first half of the verse in Bereishit 3:6 that she saw “the tree was good for eating and a delight to the eyes.” But the verse continues and states that she noticed the “tree was desirable for intellect.” Is judging the intellectual appeal of something similar to judging any physical attractiveness? I think this may be another understanding of the sin. Chava saw that whatever power the Tree of Knowledge had, it was immediately within reach, just like its fruit. That is, what tipped the scales and led to the sin was the allure of immediate knowledge acquisition.

And so it is with us. With a little bit of thought, I think we can see that every identifiable challenge the Internet poses is rooted in this desire for immediate knowledge. Wanting something and wanting it right away. This is not just an issue of distraction, difficulty with concentration or a decreased attention span. Rather it’s a feeling that everything we want to know should be available to us immediately and if it is not, it is simply not worth knowing. While there used to be a general consensus that learning new things required effort, I think many feel now that this effort can be totally delegated to the Internet. Maybe it’s not such an interesting novelty to consult the Internet every time we have a trivia question we can’t answer right away. Maybe it decreases our sensitivity to important knowledge and the study it requires.

But this is not just an issue of trivia. Some of the aspects of the Internet we consider as blessings also fall under this category. Maybe streaming a shiur given by a well-known and inspiring rabbi isn’t as beneficial as attending an in-person shiur, even if the rabbi isn’t as famous or dynamic. Of course there is definite truth in the adage “better that people come to this kosher site rather than some other one.” But wouldn’t it also be nice if these websites hosting shiurim could at least have a section dedicated to extolling the virtues of learning in person? As schools are realizing now, virtual classrooms cannot take the place of real ones.

I am not advocating for a change in Internet use but rather a greater awareness of all the hidden challenges it poses. With the Internet making so many tasks more convenient and immediate, it is natural to think that all tasks can and should follow. Chava’s actions suggest otherwise. She did achieve an amazing amount of knowledge in a short amount of time, but it was precisely this knowledge which made life challenging in ways she could not have fathomed. And we are still picking up the pieces.

I can think of a few ideas which might help.

Children should be told they are enhancing their real time rather than limiting their screen time. Although stopping any Shabbat cell phone use should go without mention, shuls could also make a stronger effort to stop cell phone use during the breaks in weekday minyanim. There could be shiurim on how Torah was studied during each era of technological development, from the printing press to today. The Internet has changed the way we live our tradition now, but the approaches of previous generations are still very relevant.

Ironically, I’m drawn back to my earlier conflict between science and Torah. The Internet has raised a new philosophical conflict between these two worldviews. It’s now not a dispute over the development of our physical world, but rather over the continued development of our spiritual world. Let’s avoid the mistake of Adam and Chava. Otherwise, we turn a one second moment to look up something into a process 5783 years long and counting.

Ari Blinder is a mathematician and educator living in Highland Park.