By Betzy Lynch in La Jolla, California
We often hear that technology has changed everything. It has connected us across continents, placed the world’s knowledge in our pockets, and given each of us the ability to reach millions with a single message. Never before have we been so connected, or so we think.
Jewish wisdom offers another perspective through the idea of zechut. It is often translated as merit, but that translation barely captures the depth of its meaning. Zechut is Judaism’s understanding of how goodness spreads. It is not simply the good we do, nor the reward we earn. It is the good that continues because we chose to do it. It is the light we leave behind in the lives of others, creating ripples we may never witness and shaping people we may never meet.
Long before computers, wireless networks, or artificial intelligence, Judaism imagined the world as an intricate web of relationships in which every encounter and every choice strengthens or weakens the fabric that binds us together. Technology did not create connection; it simply revealed what has always been true, that our lives are deeply interconnected.
Today we witness both the extraordinary power and the profound danger of networks. A single lie can circle the globe before the truth has a chance to respond. One act of hatred can embolden another. Fear spreads. Anger spreads. Loneliness spreads. Networks amplify whatever enters them.
But if hatred can spread through a network, why can’t hope? If fear is contagious, why isn’t courage? If outrage travels from person to person, why shouldn’t compassion?
Judaism has always answered with a resounding yes. Every act of kindness strengthens the invisible fabric that holds humanity together. Every generous gesture expands what is possible for someone else. Every time we choose welcome over suspicion, curiosity over judgment, or relationship over isolation, we add to the world’s zechut.
The world counts followers. Judaism counts neighbors.
The world asks, How many people know your name? Jewish wisdom asks, Whose life is better because you lived?
That difference has never mattered more than it does today. In an age when algorithms compete for our attention, Judaism competes for our presence. Technology can connect devices; only people can create belonging.
Perhaps that is why the work of our Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center has become more important, not less. Our J is often described by its preschool, camp, fitness center, arts and culture, Jewish learning, senior services, sports, and volunteer opportunities. But those are not our purpose, they are the pathways. Our real work is relationships.
Every child who discovers confidence at camp carries it into school. Every family that celebrates together creates traditions that shape future generations. Every senior who finds friendship reminds someone else what it means to care. Every volunteer, teacher, coach, donor, and neighbor strengthens a network that has sustained Jewish life for thousands of years. None of it stays within our walls. It travels around dinner tables, into classrooms and workplaces, across neighborhoods, and into generations we will never meet.
The internet may have revealed the power of networks, but Judaism reminds us that we have always been responsible for what we place into them. We may not change the whole world by ourselves, but every day we can strengthen the network through which the world is changed.
As Shabbat fades, may we remember that every act of kindness, every invitation, every relationship, and every moment of genuine presence contributes to the world’s zechut. Together, we can cultivate a community where belonging becomes contagious, hope travels farther than fear, and every relationship reveals a little more light in the world.
Shavua Tov.
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Betzy Lynch is the CEO of the Lawrence Family JCC.