I. Introduction

Modern physics has revealed a fascinating and perplexing reality at the quantum level, in which particles do not seem to occupy definite states until they are measured. This phenomenon—known as the “measurement problem”—remains one of the most enduring mysteries in quantum mechanics. Remarkably, a spiritual parallel to this quandary appears in the study of Torah and Kabbalah, specifically within the symbolism surrounding the building of the Tabernacle (Mishkan). In both realms—science and spirituality—there is a profound link between measurement and the actualization of possibilities.

This essay aims to explore the measurement problem in quantum mechanics alongside its “counterpart” in Kabbalistic thought, showing how each tradition grapples with the question of how nebulous possibilities become concrete realities.

II. The Measurement Problem in Quantum Mechanics

1. The Enigma of Collapse

At the heart of quantum theory lies the Schrödinger equation, which describes how a system’s wave function evolves deterministically over time. The wave function encodes the probabilities for a system’s measurable properties (e.g., location, momentum, spin), implying that a particle can exist in a superposition of states—possessing multiple mutually exclusive properties at once. Thus, a particle can appear to be in two places at the same time. Yet in practice, when scientists perform a measurement, the outcome is always a single, definite result.

This apparent leap from superposition to definiteness is known as the measurement problem. What triggers the collapse of the wave function? Is it a genuine physical event, or merely a reflection of how we update our knowledge upon observing a system? Physicists and philosophers continue to debate whether the wave function collapse is:

  • A real physical process (the Copenhagen view and related collapse theories),
  • A branching of reality itself (the Many-Worlds interpretation),
  • A consequence of entanglement with the environment (decoherence), or
  • Merely a subjective change in the observer’s state of knowledge (e.g., quantum Bayesianism, or qubism).

 

2. An Alternative Clock-Synchronization Interpretation

One novel perspective, the Futurist interpretation of quantum mechanics, proposed by me in 2002, is to ascribe the wave function collapse to the synchronization of clocks between an observer and the observed. Before their clocks align, the quantum system is in the observer’s “future,” meaning it remains in a superposed state. Upon synchronization, the system enters the observer’s “present,” picking out a definite outcome from the manifold of possibilities.[1]

Although this explanation is less known than mainstream interpretations, it shares a fundamental similarity with them: the idea that a measurement event selects, “actualizes,” or reveals one outcome from among many. Whether described in terms of collapse, branching, or knowledge-update, each viewpoint grapples with the same conceptual question: Why does measurement single out a particular reality when the underlying wave function suggests multiple possibilities?

Despite nearly a century of debate, the measurement problem remains unresolved, sitting at the boundary between quantum weirdness and our classical experience of reality. This is one of the hottest topics in the foundations of physics.

3. Why It Matters

These theoretical debates might sound abstract, but they strike at the very foundations of physics. The measurement problem compels us to ask:

  • What is the nature of reality itself?
  • What roles do the observer and conscious awareness play, if any, in shaping outcomes?
  • Are the laws of physics themselves incomplete, or does quantum mechanics simply force a new conceptual framework upon us?

For nearly a century, this puzzle has spurred new approaches to physics, from hidden-variable theories to quantum information perspectives. It remains a central topic in discussions of how our classical world emerges from quantum underpinnings.[2]

III. The Torah Portion of Pekudei: Counting and naming

1. The Tabernacle as Microcosm

The Torah Portion of Pekudei opens with this verse:

These are the accounts of the Tabernacle, the Tabernacle of the Testimony as they were counted, according to the commandments of Moses… (Exodus 38:21).

According to many classical sources,[3] the Tabernacle (Mishkan) is a microcosm of the entire universe—both physical and spiritual. Midrash Tanḥuma states explicitly: “The Tabernacle corresponds to the entire world and to the structure of the human body.”[4] It then draws detailed parallels between elements of the Mishkan and cosmic features. Similarly, Midrash Rabbah states, “The Tabernacle was equal to the creation of the world.” The Midrash proceeds to match each day of Creation with a corresponding element of the Mishkan.[5]

2. Zoharic Commentary on Measurement and Actualization

A pivotal Kabbalistic text, the Zohar, comments on this verse:[6]

Rabbi Chiya opened the discussion with the verse: “All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full…” (Ecclesiastes 1:7)… Yet all these rivers are the secret of the holy rivers and springs, the sefirot of Zeir Anpin, that filled and flowed to illuminate and fill this great sea, Malḥut. And when these rivers fill the great sea, it flows over and waters the field animals as it is written – “they give drink to every wild beast” (Psalms 104:11), which are the grades of Briyah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah.

The verse preceding, “They give drink to every wild beast,” is “He sends the springs into the valleys…” and after it, “They give drink to every wild beast: the wild asses quench their thirst.” These are the lower Chariots of Briyah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah, called ‘wild beasts’ and ‘wild asses.’ And when the sea, Malḥut, receives the springs, the lights of Zeir Anpin, it takes and swallows them inside, then let us water out on the other side, which is the Holy Chariots below in Briyah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah, and waters them and all are counted and numbered by name. For all the grades that Malḥut waters, she calls by name, as it is said, “He calls them all by names” (Yeshayah 40:26). Therefore, it is written: “These are the accounts of the Tabernacle.” For the Tabernacle is Malḥut, and the grades that she waters, namely the utensils of the Tabernacle, are accounted for and called by name. (Zohar, Parashat Pekudei, II:220b)

Simply speaking, all this means that divine beneficence flows from its source into Malḥut of every word of Seder Hishtalshelut (the ontological chain-like unfolding of Creation), where the sefirah of Malḥut counts, measures, and names the specific allotments of the divine beneficence, before passing it into the lower world.

Sefirah of Malḥut, or Shechinah—the female aspect of divine emanation—is the sefirah of actualization. Generally speaking, in Kabbalah, male and female genders are used as euphemisms, where male represents an abstract idea that inspires the female, and female represents the actualization of that abstract idea in a lower realm.

The Zohar quoted above elucidates how Malḥut actualizes the flow of divine beneficence that contains many possibilities —by counting (or measuring) and naming it. An amorphous plurality of possibilities cannot be named; for that, it first needs to be collapsed into a concrete actuality, which can be named. How does Malḥut accomplish this collapse of possibilities into a concrete actuality that can be named?—by counting or measuring it! The parallel between the spiritual process of measuring the divine effluence to actualize it (name it) and the collapse of the wave function in quantum mechanics is remarkable!

3. Bridging Quantum Mechanics and Kabbalah

While modern physics and Kabbalah draw on vastly different epistemic frameworks, intriguing conceptual resonances emerge in their discussions of measurement and actualization.

  1. Multiplicity of Possibilities
    In quantum mechanics, the wave function describes a multiplicity of possible states. In Kabbalah, the divine flow (shefa) that descends through the sefirot carries many potentials.
  2. Collapse vs. Selection
    Physicists debate the mechanism (if any) that collapses multiple quantum possibilities into a single outcome. The Zohar sees Malḥut as the agent that “selects” or “shapes” the flow, producing a specific outcome among the many potentials.
  3. Role of Measurement
    Quantum theory highlights the paradoxical role of measurement, which seems essential for producing definite results. Kabbalah speaks of Malḥut “counting” or “measuring” divine emanation, thus enabling finite reality to emerge.
  4. Actualization
    Both frameworks regard measurement as the gateway to actualized existence. For quantum theory, measuring a system forces a single concrete outcome; for the Zohar, divine possibilities crystallize through the counting and naming process of Malḥut.

Interestingly, these parallels suggest that what appears as a “problem” in physics may be regarded as a “blessing” in Kabbalah. Physicists wrestle with how to reconcile superposition and definite outcomes—often framing the transition as a puzzle. The Zohar, however, treats the analogous transition from potential to actual as a divinely ordained act that enables creation itself.

4. Implications and Reflections

Ontological vs. Epistemological

In quantum mechanics, some interpretations maintain that wave function collapse is purely epistemological (it reflects a change in our knowledge) rather than a literal change of state. By contrast, the Zohar speaks of a genuine ontological process in which divine influx becomes a stable reality. That said, certain Kabbalistic perspectives could be read in more symbolic, epistemic terms, making these distinctions less rigid than one might suspect.

Free Will and Determinism

The process of selecting a single outcome from a range of possibilities touches on broader philosophical questions like free will vs. determinism. From a mystical standpoint, the act of “measurement” might highlight humanity’s co-creative role with the Divine. Meanwhile, quantum theorists debate whether our observations (choices of measurement) play a fundamental role in shaping the physical world.

Science and Spirituality

Although science and spirituality operate with different methods and aims, such analogies and parallels show that each domain strives to answer a core question: How does the seemingly boundless potential in the universe come to exhibit the concrete forms we observe? Kabbalistic and quantum perspectives offer complementary lenses that can enrich our imagination of what constitutes “reality.”

Conclusion

What theoretical physics labels the measurement problem—the collapse of a wave function from many possible states to one observed state—finds a mirror image in Kabbalah’s depiction of Malḥut. Here, we see measurement not as a puzzle or contradiction, but rather as the blessing that makes tangible existence possible.

By means of measuring, counting, and naming, the boundless potential of divine energy is shaped into discrete, lived reality. Paradoxically, the very process that scientists call the “problem” is, from a spiritual perspective, the divine “solution” ensuring that creation remains stable, perceivable, and meaningful.

Quantum mechanics and Kabbalah ultimately converge on a critical insight: without something akin to measurement, no definite outcomes would ever emerge. The “collapse” or “actualization” of possibilities is thus a fundamental act of creation—whether within the fabric of physical law or the divine process described in the Torah. Far from being merely a conundrum, measurement is, indeed, the bridge between the infinite and the finite—a blessing that allows us to experience a concrete universe filled with variety, order, and purpose.

Endnotes

[1] A. Poltorak, “Futurist Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics,” QuantumTorah.com, June 19th, 2019 (https://quantumtorah.com/futurist-interpretation-of-quantum-mechanics/); A. Poltorak, “Towards Reconsiliation of of Biblical and Cosmological Ages of the Universe,” Presented at the Third Miami International Conference on Torah & Science in Dec. of 1999 and published in B’Or HaTorah, 13 (2002) p. 19 (see also at https://quantumtorah.com/towards-reconciliation-of-biblical-and-cosmological-ages-of-the-universe/).

[2] For further reading, see standard physics texts (e.g., J. von Neumann, “Mathematical Foundations of Quantum Mechanics”) and interpretative works (J. Bell, “Speakable and Unspeakable in Quantum Mechanics”).

[3] In his commentary on Exodus 25:1, the Nachmanides (Ramban) explains: “The secret of the Tabernacle is that the glory of G‑d which rested on Mount Sinai should rest upon it in a concealed manner… And the Tabernacle and its vessels all allude to supernal matters.” Rabbeinu Bachya (Bechaye ben Asher), in his commentary on Exodus 25:8, elaborates on how each vessel and dimension of the Mishkan corresponds to cosmic and spiritual realities. Zohar, Terumah, II:162b-163a states, “When the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded Israel to make the Tabernacle, He said to Moses: ‘Observe carefully, for I am showing you the pattern of the supernal mysteries.’” Rabbi Moshe Cordovero, in  his Pardes Rimonim 23:8 systematically maps Mishkan components to different spiritual worlds and divine attributes (sefirot).

[4] Midrash Tanḥuma, Pekudei 3.

[5] Midrash Rabbah, Numbers (Bamidbar Rabbah) 12:13.

[6] Sefer ha-Zohar (The Book of Splendor), Parashat Pekudei, II:220b. In: The Zohar: Pritzker Edition, Vol. 8. Translated by Daniel C. Matt. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2014.

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