Look forth from Thy holy habitation, from heaven, and bless Thy people Israel, and the land which Thou hast given us, as Thou didst swear unto our fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey. (Deuteronomy 26:15)

When I studied Quantum Mechanics at university, I was puzzled by its mysteries. Technically, it is not a complex theory. With elementary knowledge of linear algebra and some wave physics, one can get pretty far in studying Quantum Mechanics. However, the conceptual difficulties astound everyone who dares to grapple with this theory. It is unlike anything you have seen before.

Electrons simultaneously spin clockwise and counterclockwise, particles are in two places at once, cats are both dead and alive, and entangled particles remain connected no matter how far apart. Studying quantum mechanics makes you feel like Alice in Wonderland. Even today, almost one hundred years after its formulation, Quantum Mechanics remains as mysterious as ever, with no agreement on its meaning. Many proposed interpretations compete to give some sense to this theory, but the only one taught in universities today is called “Shut up and calculate.” Quantum mechanics works, but we do not know why, so calculate and do not ask any questions.

Like many others, I wondered: Why is Quantum Mechanics so counter-intuitive? Why does nature appear as a mystery wrapped in an enigma at its most fundamental level?

Since I started writing this blog some twenty years ago, I began to ponder another question: Why do we find such clear structural parallels between the ideas of the Oral Torah and Kabbalah on the one hand and ideas of physics, specifically Quantum Mechanics, on the other? Why are the Torah’s mysteries—previously known only to kabbalists and Chasidic Masters, the Jewish mystics—now revealing themselves in Quantum Mechanics, the most fundamental theory of the physical world? The Chasidic philosophy of Chabad provides an answer.

In the Torah portion of Ki Tavo (Deuteronomy 26:1–29:8), Moses prays to G-d:

Look forth from Thy holy habitation, from heaven, and bless Thy people Israel, and the land which Thou hast given us, as Thou didst swear unto our fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey. (Deuteronomy 26:15)

Why does the Torah call the land of Canaan the land of “milk and honey”? According to Kabbalah and Chassidism, the land of Israel (formerly known as Kanaan) represents the sefirah (divine emanation) of Malḥut (“Sovereignty”).[1] The Oral Torah (Mishnah, Talmud, Kabbalah, etc.) is also a manifestation of Malḥut.[2]

The phrase “land flowing with milk and honey” is used in the Torah to describe the promised land of Israel (e.g., Exodus 3:8,17). Milk is associated with kindness, nourishment, and the revealed aspects of the Torah. Linked to sweetness, honey represents hidden wisdom and the esoteric aspects of the Torah.[3] According to the Arizal, milk symbolizes the nurturing, maternal aspect of divine wisdom (Binah), while honey represents the paternal, authoritative aspect (Ḥokhmah).[4] Milk and honey are euphemisms for the reasons for divine commandments (ta’amei hamitzvot). Both milk and honey symbolize pleasure, which is the inner dimension of Atik—the highest partzuf (divine visage) corresponding to the sefirah of Keter (“Crown”)—the source of all secrets of the Torah. The Talmud states so explicitly: “The secrets of Torah are likened to milk and honey.”[5] In the ancient midrash, we also find that “The commandments are like milk and honey, hiding their deepest truths.”[6]

In his masterpiece, Likutei Torah—a collection of Chasidic discourses on the weekly Torah portion (parashah)—Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi asks a question: Why are the deepest secrets of the Torah, rooted in the inner aspect of Atik, expressed in the lowest form of creation, the land?[7] He explains this by using the principle, “The end result is first in thought” (sof ma’aseh maḥshavah teḥila).[8]

If you visit a construction site, you will hardly guess what it will look like when finished. However, a finished building occupied by people who live there is exactly what the architect had in mind when first considering the plan of the future building. Similarly, the divine plan of creation and its deepest mysteries first become apparent at the end of the creation, in its most concrete and tangible form. This is why it is the land, specifically, the Land of Israel, that manifests the deepest mysteries of the creation.

Now we can understand why quantum physics is so incomprehensible that it looks like a mystery wrapped in an enigma. Quantum physics describes the physical matter on its most fundamental level. Applying the principle, “The end result is first in thought,” we can see that it is no wonder why the deepest mysteries of the creation—as first appearing in the creative divine thought—manifest themselves at the most fundamental level of matter—the level of subatomic particles described by quantum mechanics.

This also explains the incredible parallels between quantum physics and the inner dimension of the Torah—Kabbalah and Chasidism. The latter reveal the inner dimension of the Torah, including divine creative thought. The former studies coarse matter—the lowest level of creation. However, “The end result is first in thought.” This is why this blog is called Quantum Torah—this is where Torah mysteries meet quantum reality, as they both reveal the initial intention of creation—sof ma’aseh maḥshavah teḥila—The end result is first in thought.

Endnotes:

[1] In Kabbalah, the sefirah of Malḥut is often associated with the Land of Israel. This connection stems from several key concepts: Malḥut is the lowest sefirah, representing the end of the divine emanation into creation and the actualization of the divine plan. Although present in all worlds, mainly, it signifies the manifestation of G-d’s will in the physical world. Similarly, the Land of Israel is the physical manifestation of G­-d’s presence on Earth. Malḥut is associated with the immanent divine presence, the Shekhinah. This is the aspect of G-d that is revealed within the world (Zohar, v.2, 216b). The Land of Israel is the dwelling place of the Shekhinah. Just as Malḥut is the bridge between the higher worlds and the lower world (Zohar, v.3, 161b) between spiritual and physical, the Land of Israel is seen as the gateway into heaven—this is where prayers rise up and where the blessings come down. Indeed, as the feminine sefirah, Malḥut represents a vessel for the divine energy received from higher sefirot. The land of Israel is also seen as the vessel for the blessing bestowed by G-d on the physical world. It is seen as a bridge between the divine and the earthly realms. Malḥut is often associated with the concept of redemption, as it represents the ultimate goal of creation. The Land of Israel is central to the Jewish concept of redemption, geulah, as it is where the Messianic era will be ushered in. The restoration of the Land of Israel is seen as a crucial step towards the ultimate redemption of humanity. Malḥut means “kingship” or “sovereignty” in Hebrew, symbolizing divine sovereignty. The Land of Israel is viewed as a kingdom ruled by divine authority. For an in-depth discussion of some of these topics, see the maamar (discourse) of Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, “Hayom Hazeh Havaya Elokecha Metzavcha” 5728, https://www.chabad.org/therebbe/article_cdo/aid/5959547/jewish/page.htm#footnote9a5959547, retrieved 9/25/2024.

[2] Patach Eliyahu, Tikunei Zohar p. 17.

[3] Zohar III, 257b; Likutei Torah, Parshat Eikev.

[4] Etz Ḥayyim, Gate 23, Ch. 6

[5] Tr. Yoma 39b, Chagiga 13a.

[6] Midrash Tehillim on Psalm 19:9.

[7] Likutei Torah, parshat Ki Tavo.

[8] Rabbi Shlomo Alkabetz, L’cha Dodi poem in the Kabbalat Shabbat liturgy. This is a later restatement of a principle, na`utz tachilatan b’sofan, v’sofan b’tachilatan (“The beginning is wedged in their end, and the end is wedged in their beginning”) (Sefer Yetzirah 1:7).