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The Garden of Eden was a place where, paradoxically, G-d was both present and yet hidden. That same tension appears in our world: we inhabit a reality whose core is divine, but it is easy to live as though G-d does not exist. In a sense, we are each still walking through Eden — faced with a choice to recognize the Creator or remain oblivious.

Simulation Theory and Absolute Intelligence

A modern way to conceptualize G-d's relationship with the world is through "simulation theory." Traditionally, this theory suggests that humans might one day create artificial worlds so advanced that conscious beings within them wouldn't realize they're simulated. In this view, the simulation is run by limited programmers existing outside it, implying a higher but still physical reality as its foundation.

A deeper perspective considers that rather than being simulated by an external civilization, we are sustained by an Absolute Intelligence — an infinite mind intrinsic to reality. Just as AI can generate virtual worlds, G-d continuously wills every detail of existence into being. This aligns with the view of an immanent Creator, not a distant architect but a divine presence actively shaping reality at every moment. Nature itself is not independent but an unfolding expression of G-d's will.

When you realize the "Programmer" is behind every detail, the notion of "miracle" becomes less shocking: it is simply the Master of the simulation overriding the usual rules. Similarly, prayer makes sense; if the Programmer is attentive to every possibility, then turning toward Him and asking for help is not a small act. It is a declaration of acknowledgement that He runs the world and is simultaneously interested in His creation.

The Virtual Machine Analogy

A further metaphor is "cloud computing" and "virtual machines." A single powerful computer can spin up many isolated virtual machines. Each VM "feels" autonomous — yet it is actually just a slice of resources from the larger system. Similarly, each person is like a VM running on G-d's infinite "hardware." We feel like separate entities, but everything we think, feel, and do still exists through the One providing the underlying life force.

This awareness can change our response to challenges and conflicts: even events that seem to go "against" divine goodness still only happen if G-d, at some level, allows them. It is all part of a bigger cosmic plan.

The Singularity as Precursor

The technological singularity refers to a hypothetical future point when artificial intelligence surpasses human intelligence, leading to an era of rapid, unpredictable technological growth. The recent rapid advances in AI help give a tiny glimpse of the unimaginable intelligence that sustains existence.

There is talk of AI eventually running farms, factories, and nearly everything else, freeing humanity from mundane labor. People ask, "So what will we do all day?" The answer: we will be occupied with wisdom and deeper goals of existence.

The anxieties about AI's potential dangers vs benefits (dystopia vs. utopia) highlight how important it is to orient technology around G-d's purpose. Eventually, in a redeemed world, technology would serve as a tool for spiritual and moral progress, rather than a source of fear or oppression.

The End of Material Scarcity

With AI handling production, distribution, and logistics, we could eradicate poverty, hunger, and homelessness. Food and housing would be abundant, freeing people to focus on spiritual, intellectual, and communal pursuits. Work would be done out of kindness, not raw necessity.

This ideal might seem distant, but the seeds are already visible: the more technology can do, the more time people have to learn, pray, connect, and refine themselves.

VR in the Garden: Building the Third Temple Digitally

Because our daily life is already a "virtual" experience (in the sense that G-d is the hidden Programmer), new virtual and augmented reality technologies can help us glimpse how our physical world might be overshadowed by a higher reality.

One application is a virtual Beis HaMikdash (Temple). We could use cutting-edge 3D engines, headsets, and carefully mapped "physical scaffolding" that maps to the floor plan so that a person wearing VR goggles could walk around and see and hear the Temple rituals as if they were actually standing in the Third Temple.

Creating such a project would:

• Let us "visit" the Temple in a powerful, immersive way
• Awaken a yearning for the real thing
• Symbolically anticipate the reality that once G-d "lifts the veil," the real Beis HaMikdash can appear in our tangible world

All of this underscores: if the world is fundamentally divine, then we can anticipate future revelations — like a fully built Temple — to come in ways we cannot even fathom now.

Read the full Simularity framework →

Next: Pillar II — The Tree of Life →