The Well That Was Always There
(Parshat Vayeira, Genesis 21:14-21) Hagar and Ishmael are dying of thirst in the desert. In her despair, Hagar places her son under a bush and
November 6, 2025 / 15 Heshvan 5786
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Collapse of the wavefunction
From Superposition to Simchah: Sukkot and the Joy of Collapsed Doubt
“Ein simchah ke’hatarat ha-sfeikot”—there is no joy like the resolution of doubt. On the eve of Rosh HaShanah, our sages describe a cosmic pause: the
October 11, 2025 / 19 Tishri 5786
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Ten Days of Penitence
The ten days between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur are called Aseret Yemei Teshuvah (Ten Days of Penitence). As the prophet says: Seek G-d while
September 26, 2025 / 4 Tishri 5786
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Urim and Thummim as a Metaphor for Science
By Alexander Poltorak Introduction In the first installment of this essay, “Collapsing the Wave Function of Urim and Thummim,”[1] we discussed the inherent duality of
May 11, 2025 / 13 Iyyar 5785
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Collapsing the Wave Function of Urim and Thummim
By Alexander Poltorak Dedicated to the refuah shaleimah (a complete and speedy recovery) of David ben Leah And thou shalt put in the breastplate of
March 12, 2025 / 12 Adar 5785
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Upsherenish: A Defining Moment in a Boy’s Life
By Alexander Poltorak This essay is dedicated to the Upsherenish of our dear grandson, Tzemach Asher Noam, Sheyiḥiyeh, which took place today in Houston. May
February 3, 2025 / 5 Shevat 5785
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The Paradise: A Metaphor for Quantum Mechanics I
By Alexander Poltorak The Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge as Metaphors for the Wave Function and Measurement Summary This essay proposes a
January 25, 2025 / 25 Tevet 5785
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Sarah in a State of Superposition
And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife: “Behold now, I know
November 10, 2024 / 9 Heshvan 5785
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And there was Evening and there was Morning: Quantum Mechanics in Genesis
This essay explores a novel parallel between quantum mechanical principles and the biblical creation narrative through etymological analysis of the Hebrew terms “erev” (evening) and
October 30, 2024 / 28 Tishri 5785
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Gazing at the Shekhinah
In his commentary on this week’s Torah Portion, Yitro, Rabbi Chayim Vital, writing in the name of his teacher, the Ari-zal, states that Abel was
February 4, 2024 / 25 Shevat 5784
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Time and Space as Emergent Phenomena — Abstract
The current Torah portion Beshalach tells about the splitting of the Sea of Reeds. As I discussed in my essay, “Collapse and Revelation,” the splitting
January 25, 2024 / 15 Shevat 5784
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Creation—Destruction—Reconstruction
Structurally identical biblical accounts of creation, destruction, and restoration are viewed as a manifestation of dialectic triad thesis-antithesis-synthesis.
November 11, 2022 / 17 Heshvan 5783
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The Flood—a Quantum Metaphor
Noah’s flood was a cataclysmic event with no parallels in recorded history. All of humanity (along with flora and fauna)—except for Noah and his family
November 4, 2022 / 10 Heshvan 5783
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Collapse and Revelation
The collapse of the wave function is the process of revealing hidden possibilities. Reducing uncertainty reveals information. Until the wave function collapse, the system is
January 29, 2021 / 16 Shevat 5781
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Joseph’s Birth—A View From Quantum Mechanics and Biology
And afterwards she bore a daughter, and called her name Dinah. (Genesis 30:21) In my previous essay, “The Conflict Between Joseph And His Brothers—A Gender
December 23, 2020 / 8 Tevet 5781
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Steering Isaac’s Blessing
And Rebekah spoke unto Jacob, her son, saying: “Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying: Bring me venison, and make me
November 22, 2020 / 6 Kislev 5781
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Noah’s Ark—Three Layers of Reality
A light shalt thou make to the ark…with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it. (Genesis 6:16) We mentioned in the previous posts
October 28, 2020 / 10 Heshvan 5781
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Physics of Tzimtzum II — Collapse of the Wave Function
In the previous post “Physics of Tzimtzum I—The Quantum Leap”, we gave a general overview of the mystical doctrine of tzimtzum—the cornerstone of Lurianic Kabbalah.
September 11, 2020 / 22 Elul 5780
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Wigner’s Friend Receives a Death Threat
It is related that on the day that Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi died, the Sages decreed a fast, and begged for divine mercy so that he
March 19, 2020 / 23 Adar 5780
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It Is Not Good For Man To Be Alone
And the Eternal G‑d said: “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helpmate opposite him.” (Genesis 2:18)
February 7, 2020 / 12 Shevat 5780
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The Tree of Life and Wave Mechanics
As we discussed in the earlier post, The Tree of Knowledge as a Metaphor for Superposition of States and Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle, the Heisenberg uncertainty
December 30, 2019 / 2 Tevet 5780
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Why the first humans were not allowed to eat from the Tree of Knowledge
As always in science, every answered question breeds new questions. Now that we understand that the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge are
December 26, 2019 / 28 Kislev 5780
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Chol Hamo’ed — Days in Superposition
Today is Chol Hamo’ed Sukkot – the intermediate days between the first and the last days of the holiday of Sukkot. These days are not
October 17, 2019 / 18 Tishri 5780
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Fitting Pieces of the Puzzle Together
Meditations on the Maaseh Merkavah – IV This is the fourth and the final installment in the series of posts related to Ezekiel’s prophesy, Ma’aseh
June 21, 2019 / 18 Sivan 5779
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Futurist Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics
(A popular summary of the paper “Towards Futuristic Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics” by Alexander Poltorak being currently prepared for publication) Quantum mechanics (QM) is one
June 19, 2019 / 16 Sivan 5779
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Collapse of the Wave Function
Meditations on the Maaseh Merkavah – III This is the third installment in the series of posts related to the Ezekiel’s prophesy, Maaseh Merkava, “The
June 18, 2019 / 15 Sivan 5779
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The Entangled Tenth
And all the tithe of the herd or the flock, whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the Lord.” (Leviticus 27:32)
June 2, 2019 / 28 Iyyar 5779
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Quantum Torah Film Premiere
Welcome to the premiere of our first film, Quantum Torah. You can watch the film here: Don’t forget to subscribe to my channel here:
February 28, 2019 / 23 Adar I 5779
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Quantum Torah — Film Premiere
I am excited to announce that the premiere of our film “Quantum Torah” is scheduled for this Friday, March 1st. You can see the trailer
February 24, 2019 / 19 Adar I 5779
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Quantum Torah with Alexander Poltorak film
Coming soon to a theater near you. Watch a trailer:
February 2, 2019 / 27 Shevat 5779
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Day Six – the State of Superposition
And G‑d saw all that He had made, and behold it was very good, and it was evening and it was morning, the sixth day.
October 10, 2018 / 1 Heshvan 5779
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Sabbatical Year – when the Wavefunctions are Collapsed
The Torah portion, Re’eh, talks about the Sabbatical Year—in Hebrew, Shemitah—the Seventh year. When the Sabbatical year comes, all loans are forgiven, and Jewish servants
August 17, 2018 / 6 Elul 5778
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Re’eh – the Power of Seeing the Blessings
The Torah portion Re’eh, begins with the verse: Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse. (Deut. 11:26) The first word
August 12, 2018 / 1 Elul 5778
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Abraham Meets Abraham From a Parallel Universe
And he [Abraham] lifted up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood over against him… (Genesis 18:2) On this blog, we often discuss
November 2, 2017 / 13 Heshvan 5778
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Symmetry and Love — Jewish Chromodynamics
Ye are standing this day all of you before the Lord your G‑d: your heads, your tribes, your elders, and your officers, even all the
September 13, 2017 / 22 Elul 5777
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Half-Shekel – Metaphor for Entanglement
This they shall give, everyone who goes through the counting: half a shekel according to the holy shekel. Twenty gerahs equal one shekel; half of
March 16, 2017 / 18 Adar 5777
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Five Worlds
Today, Yud Shvat, is the yartzeit (anniversary of passing) of the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, a.k.a. the Rebbe Rayatz, or the Frierdiker
February 6, 2017 / 10 Shevat 5777
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Miracle of Chanukah—Seeing and not Collapsing
As I wrote in my post, Schrödinger Menorah: Burning And Not Burning, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, explains the miracle of Chanukah as
December 26, 2016 / 26 Kislev 5777
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Standing and Moving
According to the Saadia Gaon, these two Torah portions – Nitzavim and Vayelech – are really one portion, which sometimes is split into two. In the
October 9, 2016 / 7 Tishri 5777
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When was the World Created?
There is a dispute in the Talmud as to when the world was created. According to Rabbi Eliezer, the world was created in the month
January 25, 2016 / 15 Shevat 5776
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Fig of Rabbi Akiva
What came first, the Schrödinger cat or the fig of Rabbi Akiva? You be the judge. Today we present a guest post by Rabbi Dr. David
June 21, 2015 / 4 Tammuz 5775
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Septuagint—Collapsing the Wave-function of the Torah
Today is the eighth day of the month of Tevet. On the 8th of Tevet of the Jewish year 3515 (246 BCE), the Torah was
December 30, 2014 / 8 Tevet 5775
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On Tzimtzum, Sefirot and Cardinal Numbers
Today is Yud Tes Kislev — Rosh HaShanah of Chasidut. Today I received two gifts, which I’d like to share. Lately, while learning Samach Vov,
December 11, 2014 / 19 Kislev 5775
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Schrödinger May Have Been Born Today
A man once came to a rabbi with said news – his cat just died. Rabbi politely expressed his sympathy to the owner of the
August 12, 2014 / 16 Av 5774
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Phinehas – the Slayer of Uncertainty
A strange episode at the end of the last Torah portion, Balak, where Phinehas (Pinchas) slain a Jewish prince caught in the act with a
July 11, 2014 / 13 Tammuz 5774
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Secrets of the Talking Ass
And G‑d opened the mouth of the ass, and she said to Bilam: “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these
July 6, 2014 / 8 Tammuz 5774
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G‑d Collapses Sotah’s Wave Function
The story of Sotah, a suspected adulteress, is very troubling on the first blush. Why would a woman be subjected to such humiliation? The Lubavitcher
June 1, 2014 / 3 Sivan 5774
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Suspected Adulteress as a Schrödinger Cat
In quantum mechanics, the state of a physical system is described by the so-called wave function (or the “wavefunction”). All attempts by Schrödinger, who first
May 30, 2014 / 1 Sivan 5774
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Second Adar – The Month of Quantum Physics
Today is Rosh Chodesh Adar Bet – the New Moon and the beginning of the second month of Adar. If we ever to have a month
March 3, 2014 / 1 Adar II 5774
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Thou Shall Not Be a Flipper
Reading the Haftorah this Shabbat brought to mind scenes from the 2004 Republican National Convention in Madison Square Garden in New York City where attendees where
February 18, 2014 / 18 Adar I 5774
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Manna – Superposition of All Tastes
And the house of Israel called the name thereof manna; and it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers
January 13, 2014 / 12 Shevat 5774
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Splitting of the Sea
Do you like riddles? Here is a riddle – what do these two figures represent in the context of Exodus? No Idea? How about
January 12, 2014 / 11 Shevat 5774
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Carpe Diem
As we have discussed in the post, It’s the time, stupid, Pharaoh never got the message that it’s all about mastery of time. To make
January 2, 2014 / 1 Shevat 5774
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Witnesses – See and be Seen
By the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall the one liable to death be put to death; he shall not be put to
August 11, 2013 / 5 Elul 5773
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Witnesses
Massei — Bamidbar-Numbers 35 Whoever kills a person, based on the testimony of witnesses, he shall slay the murderer. A single witness may not testify
July 7, 2013 / 29 Tammuz 5773
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Thou Shall Not Collapse G‑d’s Wavefunction
Acharei Mot 1. And the Lord spoke to Moses after the death of Aaron’s two sons, when they drew near before the Lord, and they
April 22, 2013 / 12 Iyyar 5773
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Schrödinger Pots
Vaikra-Leviticus 14:35-36 (Metzora) 35. and the one to whom the house belongs comes and tells the kohen, saying, “Something like a plague has appeared to
April 14, 2013 / 4 Iyyar 5773
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Two Beginnings
B’reshit bara Elokim et hashamaim v’et haaretz… In the beginning, G‑d created heaven and earth… Alternative translation: With two beginnings G‑d created heaven and earth…
October 12, 2012 / 26 Tishri 5773
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On the Age of the Universe in the Many-Worlds Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics
On the Age of the Universe in the Many-Worlds Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics[*] Alexander Poltorak Abstract The present paper addresses the apparent discrepancy
September 15, 2012 / 28 Elul 5772
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Towards Reconciliation of Biblical and Cosmological Ages of the Universe
Towards Reconciliation of Biblical and Cosmological Ages of the Universe[1] Alexander Poltorak Abstract Two opposite views of the age of the universe are considered.
August 15, 2012 / 27 Av 5772
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Matos-Massei – Annulment of Vows
A story is told about a bachur (an unmarried young man) who came in the 60s to the Lubavitcher Rebbe for the yechidus (private audience)
July 23, 2012 / 4 Av 5772
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Tale of Entangled Goats
And he shall take the two he goats, and place them before the Lord at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. And Aaron shall
May 4, 2012 / 12 Iyyar 5772
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Leprous Cats and Angry Birds
In the Torah portion Tazriah (Leviticus 13), the Schrödinger cat[1] gets leprosy. Well, it’s not really leprosy, it’s a mysterious supernatural disease called tzara’as, nowadays translated
April 30, 2012 / 8 Iyyar 5772
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