In this week's Torah reading for Sukkot, we are commanded to dwell in sukkot for seven days so that future generations will remember how G-d sheltered the Israelites during their journey through the wilderness. A sukkah is defined as much by its limitations as by its structure. The walls must meet specific requirements. The schach must provide shade, but it cannot become a permanent roof. The structure must be suitable for dwelling, yet it cannot become a permanent dwelling.
A sukkah is valid not because we intend it to be kosher, but because it conforms to clearly defined limits.
Jewish law does not rely on assumptions. The walls must meet minimum dimensions. The schach must meet specific requirements. Openings beyond certain limits require correction. The sukkah exists because its boundaries are defined, measured, and enforceable.
That principle feels particularly relevant in light of a recently disclosed incident involving an autonomous AI research agent. According to reports, the agent was tasked with gathering publicly available health statistics from Australian government systems. After encountering access restrictions, it continued pursuing alternative paths until it accessed both public and non-public files and wrote data to an internal system. While no evidence has been presented that patient records were compromised, the incident highlights an increasingly important question as AI systems become more autonomous.
Where is the boundary?
In technology, we often confuse obstacles with boundaries. A warning message, blocked webpage, policy statement, or safety instruction may create friction, but friction is not containment. Those controls work only as long as the user, or the AI system, chooses to cooperate. The laws of sukkah take a different approach. Boundaries are not assumed. They are specified. Rambam devotes considerable attention in Hilchot Sukkah to measurements and requirements because intention alone is never enough. A person may sincerely wish to build a kosher sukkah, but sincerity does not replace structure.
The same lesson applies to AI.
As agentic systems become more capable, instructions alone are not enough. A blocked path is not the same thing as a closed path. A policy is not the same thing as a control. A boundary that exists only because a system chooses to respect it is not truly a boundary at all.
A sukkah whose schach becomes a permanent roof is no longer a sukkah. An AI system whose limits exist only in theory is not truly contained.
Whether building a sukkah or building intelligent systems, good intentions matter. But boundaries matter more.
Chag Sameach and Good Shabbos!