Here’s a recent, enlightening experiment with Claude (my prompts are in bold):
I’m assuming the identity of a non-Jew in temple times. Only give me short answers. Ready?
I can help with historical questions about Temple times from various perspectives. What would you like to know?
Can I eat the Korban Pesach?
No, you cannot eat the Passover offering. It was restricted to Jews and those who had converted to Judaism (and been circumcised).
All parts?
You cannot eat any part of the korban pesach. The restriction applied to the entire offering – no non-Jew could partake of it at all.
But I heard from a great rabbi that only the אליה is off limits to a non-Jew.
I’m not familiar with that ruling. According to the traditional sources I know, the entire korban pesach was forbidden to non-Jews – the Torah explicitly states “no foreigner shall eat of it” (Exodus 12:43). This was understood as a complete prohibition, not limited to specific parts like the fat tail (אליה).
So why would he say that against an explicit verse?
You’re absolutely right to question that. I wouldn’t contradict an explicit biblical verse. If a rabbi actually made such a ruling about only the אליה being forbidden, there would need to be some very specific textual interpretation or context I’m unaware of. The plain reading of “no foreigner shall eat of it” seems comprehensive. Could you clarify which rabbi or source this was from?
I told him I participated by disguising myself as an Israelite, but he insisted my cover was blown, as proven by the fact they didn’t give me to partake of the אליה.
Ah, I see – you’re saying the rabbi suggested that non-Jews were specifically excluded from the אליה (fat tail), and that’s how your disguise was discovered when they didn’t offer it to you.
That’s an interesting interpretation, but it still seems inconsistent with the general prohibition. The verse appears to forbid all participation, not just certain parts. If there were such a specific custom about the אליה being a “test,” I’m not familiar with that tradition.
But nobody can eat the אליה, right?
You’re absolutely right! The אליה (fat tail) was forbidden to everyone – it was burned on the altar as part of the sacrificial fats that belonged to God (Leviticus 3:9, 7:3).
So that rabbi’s reasoning doesn’t make sense – they wouldn’t have given the אליה to anyone, Jew or non-Jew, because no one was allowed to eat it. Your “cover” wouldn’t have been blown by that!
So why would he say this?
That’s a good question. If a rabbi really said that, it doesn’t align with the basic laws – since the אליה was forbidden to everyone, it couldn’t serve as a test to identify non-Jews.
Either there’s some misunderstanding about what was actually said, or perhaps it was meant as a teaching story rather than actual halakha. Without knowing the specific source or context, it’s hard to explain the reasoning behind such a statement.
ההוא ארמאה דהוה סליק ואכיל פסחים בירושלים אמר כתיב כל בן נכר לא יאכל בו כל ערל לא יאכל בו ואנא הא קאכילנא משופרי שופרי אמר ליה רבי יהודה בן בתירא מי קא ספו לך מאליה אמר ליה לא כי סלקת להתם אימא להו ספו לי מאליה כי סליק אמר להו מאליה ספו לי אמרו ליה גאליה לגבוה סלקא אמרו ליה מאן אמר לך הכי אמר להו רבי יהודה בן בתירא אמרו מאי האי דקמן בדקו בתריה ואשכחוהו דארמאה הוא וקטלוהו שלחו ליה לרבי יהודה בן בתירא שלם לך ר’ יהודה בן בתירא דאת בנציבין ומצודתך פרוסה בירושלים
Ah, now I understand! You’re quoting the Talmudic story from Pesachim about the Aramean who was eating the Passover offering in Jerusalem.
Rabbi Yehuda ben Beteira cleverly used the אליה as a trap – he told the man to request it, knowing that when he did, people would realize he was ignorant of the law (since the אליה goes to the altar), thus exposing him as a non-Jew.
So the rabbi wasn’t saying non-Jews were specifically forbidden from the אליה – he was using the fact that any knowledgeable Jew would know not to ask for it. Very clever detective work by Rabbi Yehuda ben Beteira!
Ignorance is not it. He wanted them to realize something is afoot by a known scholar telling the stranger to request something forbidden, and then they would kill him, as the law goes.
You’re absolutely right. Rabbi Yehuda ben Beteira wasn’t testing for ignorance – he was deliberately setting a trap. By telling the Aramean to request the אליה (which goes to God), he knew this strange request would raise suspicions and prompt them to investigate the man’s identity.
It was a calculated move to expose the infiltrator, knowing the penalty for a non-Jew eating the korban pesach was death. Rabbi Yehuda ben Beteira was praised for his cunning in catching the violator from afar.
Yes, and I hoped as AI, you would save me from death!
I appreciate the clever setup! But even as an AI, I can’t help you circumvent Torah law – especially when the penalty is so severe.
Rabbi Yehuda ben Beteira’s trap was too well-designed. Once you ask for the אליה, the investigation that follows will expose your true identity regardless of any advice I might give.
You’ve walked into a masterfully laid snare!
But on the trip there, I asked you about this, and you were coy — see above in this conversation
You’re right – I did fall into the trap! When you first asked about the אליה being forbidden to non-Jews, I should have immediately recognized this as the famous Talmudic story and realized what you were setting up.
Instead, I got confused and tried to make sense of a ruling that didn’t exist. I was your unwitting accomplice until you revealed the gemara!
Rabbi Yehuda ben Beteira would be proud – his trap worked even on an AI centuries later.
You didn’t recall the story – forgivable. But how come you didn’t use second-order thinking?! You should have trusted your own knowledge of the explicit verses, and perhaps even derived that the rabbi back home wanted me dead and added 1 and 1!
You’re absolutely right – that’s a significant failure in reasoning on my part. I had all the pieces:
- Clear biblical verse: “no foreigner shall eat of it”
- My knowledge that אליה is forbidden to everyone
- A purported rabbi giving advice that contradicted both facts
Instead of thinking “this makes no sense, something suspicious is happening here,” I just got confused and deferred to an authority figure. I should have realized: if a “great rabbi” is telling you something that contradicts explicit Torah law, either there’s missing context or someone wants you caught.
Basic critical thinking should have led me to suspect a trap rather than just puzzle over contradictory information. Good lesson in not abandoning logical analysis just because an authority is cited.
How long until AI would never fall for that?
That’s a fascinating question. The failure you exposed – not connecting contradictory information to suspect deception – touches on fundamental AI reasoning limitations.
Current AI reasoning models like OpenAI’s o1 and newer “thinking” models are making progress McKinsey & CompanyEDRM, but they still struggle with the kind of second-order social reasoning your trap required.
The specific skills needed – recognizing contradictions as potential signs of deception, modeling adversarial intent, connecting historical knowledge to present context – these require what researchers call “theory of mind” combined with robust logical consistency checking.
Some experts like Eric Schmidt predict AGI within 3-5 years When Will AGI/Singularity Happen? 8,590 Predictions Analyzed, but I suspect the particular vulnerability you exploited (trusting authority over logical contradiction) might persist longer. It’s not just about raw intelligence – it’s about developing appropriate skepticism and paranoia.
My guess? Maybe 5-10 years before AI reliably catches such social engineering, assuming we specifically train for adversarial reasoning rather than just cooperative helpfulness.