Shemot

Egyptian Exile as a Metaphor for Compactification in String Theory

Egyptian Exile as a Metaphor for Compactification in String Theory

And they made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and in brick…Exodus 1:14 On a literal level, the Egyptian exile (Galut Mitzrayim) is a story of the Jewish people’s enslavement in ancient Egypt, where they were forced to do hard labor making mortar and bricks, and building cities for the Pharaoh. On a deeper level, it is axiomatic in Jewish mysticism that suffering is usually a means to purify and rectify a sinner’s soul in this or past incarnation. It is also axiomatic that any sin damages the sinner’s soul and some supernal spiritual levels that obstruct the flow of the divine benefice into the world, impeding the blessing and, therefore, causing suffering to the sinner. Technically, it works as follows. When a sin committed below causes damage above, the resulting [...]

By Alexander Poltorak|2021-01-11T22:54:15-05:00January 11th, 2021|Exodus (Shemot), Kabbalah, Mathematics, Mathematics, Parshah, Pentateuch (Chumash), Physics, Reincarnation, Sefirot, Shemot, Shemot, Spirituality, String Theory, Topology, Uncategorized|0 Comments

I Am Who I Am: Conversation at the Burning Bush

…And behold, the thorn bush was burning with fire, but the thorn bush was not being consumed." (Ex. 3:2) Every theologian worth his salt along with many philosophers, from Plato and Aristotle to Descartes and Kant, attempted to prove the existence of G‑d. Tomas Aquinas, for instance, offered not just one but five “proofs”! Others, such as Hume and Nietzsche, tried proving the opposite. Little did they understand that proving the existence (or nonexistence) of G‑d is a fool’s errand. Here are at least ten reasons why G‑d's existence cannot be proven (or disproven): The existence of G‑d cannot be proven because… G‑d doesn’t “exist,” not in the ordinary sense of existence anyway. One can say that something exists only so long as it may exist or may not. By stating that something [...]

By Alexander Poltorak|2024-01-04T11:21:39-05:00December 23rd, 2013|G‑d, Names of G‑d, Parshah, Proves of G‑d, Shemot, Shemot, Uncategorized|1 Comment

Moses — the First Scientist

And the angel of the Eternal appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush; and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said: "I must turn aside, and investigate this wondrous phenomenon, why the bush is not burnt." Exodus 3:2-3 In this Torah chapter, Moses sees a strange sight – a burning bush not consumed by fire. His scientific curiosity is aroused and he does what any good scientist would do—he goes to investigate this “wondrous phenomenon.” Moses was the first scientist recorded by the Bible. We, scientists, chase after wondrous phenomena to investing their nature. However, we often do it with arrogance, caring our own agenda and preconceptions. Torah teaches us otherwise, as G‑d warns [...]

By Alexander Poltorak|2021-01-09T23:20:24-05:00December 21st, 2013|Parshah, Science, Shemot, Shemot, Uncategorized|2 Comments

Egyptian Exile as a Metaphor for Compactification in String Theory

I Am Who I Am: Conversation at the Burning Bush

Moses — the First Scientist

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