Directing Websites || Adam Gross

Torah 2.0

April 29, 2010 at 3:31 pm Leave a comment

This past weekend, I saw a great example of how new technology can enhance a traditional setting through community engagement.  No, I’m not talking about a doctor’s office.  But that where I’m going…

My wonderful niece Sylvanna became a bat mitzvah this weekend. So my family and I were in a synagogue both Friday and Saturday for the occasion. A bit of background:  in each week’s Jewish services, a section of the Torah is read aloud, usually by the rabbi.

During the Friday night service, the rabbi projected an image of that week’s Torah portion – taken with his iPhone earlier in the day – on the wall, and, while reading it aloud and providing interpretation, used a laser pointer to show us what he was reading.

Think about how radical a change this is for a second.  The weekly reading of the Torah is a custom literally thousands of years old. Yet, the rabbi experimented with this custom to bring his congregation closer. And it truly engendered a greater spirit of togetherness than a traditional sermon format.

It reminded me of an excellent post on The Health Care Blog a few weeks back about EHR etiquette.  (a-ha, back to healthcare!) It explored how much more engaged patients are when providers use an EHR as part of an active conversation, as opposed to robotically inputting patient’s information without making eye contact.  I encourage you to read the discussion.

Doctors and religious leaders are both held in similar reverential regard.  But both are more effective when they seem close to us, and both can use technology to do so.

It’s a great reminder of the role community and transparency can play as new healthcare technology is employed, whether it be an EHR or simply online medical information.  It’s also a great reminder to never stop asking “why not”.  Even processes thousands of years old can be adapted and improved.

Incidentally, I’ve never seen this idea in action before.  But admittedly, I’m not in synagogue too often.  A quick search did not turn up any additional examples. I would love to know if you’ve seen this in practice elsewhere, if you’ve seen something similar, or simply what you think.

Congratulations to Rabbi David Segal, who is the rabbi mentioned above and who can be seen here using technology more humorously, graduating from student rabbi to his own congregation in Aspen.

And Mazel Tov to my wonderful niece Sylvanna, who was simply brilliant this weekend!

Entry filed under: Reference. Tags: bat mitzvah, community, ehr, engagement, healthcare, iphone, Judaism, providers, rabbi, synagogue, transparency.