Jewish Law as Prompt Architecture

Prompt Engineering as Halacha

I write prompts for a living.

System prompts, invisible instructions shaping how AI responds.

My work has changed how I see Jewish law (Halakha).

Halacha, which translates literally as way or path is akin to the Greek, method, which means the same.

In Taoism, Tao, means Way.

Halacha = Method = Tao.

Yet while every culture has a fundamental word for Path (John 4:16 has Jesus say “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Light”), Jewish culture is distinguished by its equation of path and legal path. Kafka dramatizes his own alienation from this tradition in his short parable, “Before the Law.” Sadly, Kafka grew up in an assimilated home that saw Law merely as an hollowed out form, not a living tradition.

Judaism’s legal system fascinates me with its peculiar mix of cosmic vision and microscopic detail. When is an object considered lost, engendering a responsibility to return it? What counts as witnessing a crime? Why remove mirrors in a house of mourning? Why does greeting a bride take precedent over joining a funeral procession? What constitutes a valid Sukkah? Why is tying a sailor’s knot forbidden on Shabbat? How should one portion out one’s charitable giving?

Prompt engineering has me approaching Halakha in a new way.

Think about how we direct others:

“Be kind” vs. “Send a thank-you note.”

“Write concisely” vs. “Keep it under 50 words.”

“Sound professional” vs. “Include one data point per paragraph.”

General principles give meaning.

Specific rules give guidance.

You need both.