How much does AI actually know about halacha? And how do different models stack up against one another?

In this episode of "Depends on the Context" I'm joined by Ben Niewood and Sam Weiss, two members of the five-person team behind HalachaBench, a project that put 24 leading AI models through real Israeli Chief Rabbinate semicha exams.

Ben, Sam and I get into the surprising results, why newer models sometimes perform worse than older ones, the challenges of having AI grade AI, and whether different models have their own halachic tendencies.

We also discuss the difference between knowing halacha and actually paskening, what the results mean for people already using AI to learn Torah or ask shailos, and where HalachaBench goes from here.

Links & Resources:

Website: https://halachabench.ai

X: https://x.com/HalachaBench

GitHub: https://github.com/halachabench/halacha-bench-results

Email: hello@halachabench.ai

*Results are preliminary and subject to further rabbinic validation.*

#DependsOnTheContext #HalachaBench #AI #Halacha

What connects the search for Israel’s lost tribes, learning Torah with an NBA star, and a run for the Knesset?

Rabbi Harry Rozenberg joins me on Depends on the Context to share his unconventional journey—from exploring communities with traditions of Israelite ancestry to building a friendship and learning partnership with Amar’e Stoudemire.

Harry and I have known each other for more than twenty years. We talk about the Vilna Gaon’s influence on his work, helping young men find their place beyond conventional educational paths, and the unexpected opportunities that shaped his life.

Along the way, we get into cannabis and psychedelics, Torah, sleep, the Yanuka, and his involvement in Israel’s Green Leaf party.

Links mentioned:

• Stat Academy: https://www.stat.academy/

• Letter to the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel: https://www.sefaria.org/Letter_to_the_Ten_Lost_Tribes_of_Israel

In this episode of Depends on the Context, I revisit the extraordinary story of Eric Martin, who spent $18,000 of his own money in 2015 trying to win a referral contest for Jet.com, an online retailer that hadn't even launched yet. He won 100,000 stock options. Just 18 months later, Walmart acquired Jet.com for $3.3 billion.

I've loved this story for years, so I recently contacted Eric to find out what happened afterward. He shared details about those three weeks, his conversations with Jet founder Marc Lore, and how the experience changed his life.

Drawing on original reporting and my own correspondence with Eric, I explore the gamble, the unexpected outcome, and what happened next.

Special thanks to Eric Martin for answering my questions and to journalist Kevin Roose, whose 2015 reporting first brought this story to light.

Links & Sources

• Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/E2Ky_AnOqKQ

• Kevin Roose's original 2015 article: https://web.archive.org/web/20171104084437/https://splinternews.com/this-guy-used-an-insane-get-rich-quick-scheme-to-become-1793845680