It’s All in the Name

Rosh HaShanah is usually translated as the New Year. When translated literally, it means the “Head of the Year.” In this essay, I suggest an alternative (almost literal) translation that reveals a new meaning.

The word “rosh” is cognate with “reishit,” meaning “beginning.” The word “shanah” is cognate with “shinui,” meaning “change.” Therefore, Rosh HaShanah can be translated as the Beginning of the Change.

Aristotle equated time with change (Physics). Change itself is unthinkable outside of time as change can only occur in time—first, there was something, and then, it became something else. So, change and time are essentially synonymous. Thus, we can translate Rosh Hashanah as the Beginning of Time. 

Moreover, what is the beginning? Any process extended in time has the beginning, the middle, and the end. However, what is the beginning of time itself? If Rosh Hashanah is the beginning of time, then presumably,  there was no time before Rosh Hashanah. Alternatively, perhaps there was another time or another cycle of time. Indeed, this is exactly what Kabbalah tells us. Each year is a different cycle of time. It starts on Rosh HaShanah when the new time descends into this world. Time ascends to its spiritual source at the end of the year. This creates a momentary pause called in Kabbalah istalkut haMalchut. With the sounds of the shofar heralding the beginning of the New Year, the new cycle of time begins.

However, there is another meaning of the word “beginning.” The Oxford Dictionary defines “beginning” as “The point of time and space at which something starts.” The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “beginning” as “The first part or stage of something.” In physics, all this means the same thing—the initial conditions. Thus, we shall translate the word rosh (of Rosh HaShanah) as the initial conditions and explore the new meaning of the Jewish New Year this translation uncovers.

Time Asymmetry and the Initial Conditions 

The Fallacy of Time Symmetry

Many authors assert that fundamental physics lacks the notions of past, present, and future, citing the time-symmetry of physical laws.^[i]

While the time-symmetry of physical equations is technically correct, it presents an incomplete picture. A more comprehensive analysis reveals a structure aligning with the tripartite temporal constructs of past, present, and future.

Time Symmetry

Time Symmetry (T-symmetry) is the symmetry of the physical law under time reversal transformation: T: t → −t. While macroscopic processes exhibit time asymmetry due to the Second Law of Thermodynamics, which states that entropy increases with time in closed systems, time asymmetries can be classified into three types:

1. Intrinsic to the physical (dynamic) law (e.g., beta decay)
2. Due to the cosmologic initial conditions of the universe and
3. Due to measurement (in quantum mechanics).

Most dynamic laws, except for the Second Law of Thermodynamics and beta decay, exhibit time symmetry. However, this does not mean physics leaves no room for the distinction between past, present, and future.

First, we note that in most physical equations, time is treated as a parameter, a variable that can be specified independently of the system being described. It is not a physical time, as we understand it. The t parameter in the physics equations lacks all prima facia indicia of time: time-flux, the arrow of time, and the distinction between past, present, and future. In the theory of relativity, where time is fused with space in a spacetime continuum, it is difficult to tease our time per se from the four-dimensional coordinates. Thus, the special and general relativity equations use a coordinate time—a parameter that, albeit mimics time, has no claim on representing physical time.

The apparent time symmetry appears to contradict the causal and cosmological arrows of time, as well as our mental conception of time, which includes a distinct time arrow, time flux, and division of time into past, present, and future. The typical argument posits that our mental conception of time is an illusion.

Initial Conditions

Philosophers and physicists have long acknowledged the importance of the initial conditions of the universe.^[ii]

Any initial conditions required for solving differential equations describing temporal evolution play a crucial role in the perceived time asymmetry. Solving differential equations requires initial conditions to select one solution from infinitely many. Like Newton’s second law, second-order differential equations demand two sets of initial conditions: position and velocity (or momentum).^[iii]

Many leading philosophers of science and physicists have emphasized the significance of initial conditions.^[iv] Although the critical role of initial conditions in describing physical reality is indisputable, it is often swept under the rug.

Initial conditions play a vital role in understanding time asymmetry. They break time symmetry (at least, in quantum mechanics), determine the arrow of time, establish causality, and influence entropy. This relationship has implications for our understanding of physical processes, challenging the block universe view and supporting the triplet structure of the physical theory. I advocate for a novel representation of a dynamic process as a triplet〈I, M, E〉, where I is the initial conditions of the system, M is the measurement of the current value of the system’s observables, and E is the equation that describes the future evolution of the system. The initial conditions represent the past, the equation represents the future, and the measured state of the system is the present. This representation reveals the presence of the tripartite nature of time—past-present-future—not only on a macro level but on all levels, including the micro level.

Setting the Initial Conditions for the New Year

It is said that Rosh Hashanah is when one’s future is determined for the coming year. Is it fate? Not exactly. It is only part of the story. The future determined on Rosh Hashanah is analogous to the deterministic equations of physics that predict the future of the system. Another expression for the equations of nature is the laws of nature. Rosh Hashanah is called the Day of Judgment (Yom HaDin). As a result of this judgment, what is written in the Book of Life is the law that predicts everyone’s future, just like physics equations predict the evolution of the physical system. 

As I explained before, a differential equation used to describe the time evolution of a physical system has an infinite number of solutions—possible outcomes—only those outcomes selected that are compatible with the initial conditions. Our teshuvah (“repentance” or  “return”), prayer, tzedakah (“charity”), and good deeds accomplished during the month of Elul (the last month of the year), and our prayers during Rosh Hashanah set out the initial conditions, which together with the divine judgment—the law written in the Book of Life—determine our future. In the Kabbalah and Chasidic philosophy of Chabad, this is called arousal from above (the Almighty had down the law, Divine judgment) and arousal from below (using our analogy, it is setting up the initial conditions). 

On Rosh Hashanah, it is determined in a general way for the entire year. On every Rosh Chodesh (New Moon), the future is further delineated and concretized for the coming month. Moreover, it is further delineated and concretized every morning for the coming day. As we can see, every beginning allows us to create new initial conditions. Notwithstanding the judgment—the law—written into the Book of Life during the Days of Judgment, our prayers on Rosh Hashanah, our prayers on every Rosh Chodesh and every day, as well as our actions create new initial conditions, which determine specific outcomes of various possibilities allowed by the law. 

There is no doubt that our Heavenly Father, who is merciful, wants only good things for us and writes only good laws and judgments for us in the Book of Life. What is left for us is to create the initial favorable conditions for the desired outcomes.

References

Callender, C. (2011). The Physics of Time. Princeton University Press.

Carroll, S. (2010). From Eternity to Here: The Quest for the Ultimate Theory of Time. Dutton.

Gell-Mann, M., & Hartle, J. B. (1994). Time Symmetry and Asymmetry in Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Field Theory. Physical Review D, 50(10), 5545-5557.

Grünbaum, A. (1963). Philosophical Problems of Space and Time. Alfred A. Knopf.

Hawking, S. W. (1988). (1988). A brief history of time: From the Big Bang to black holes. Bantam Books.

Hawking, S. W., & Ellis, G. F. (1973). The Large-Scale Structure of Spacetime. Cambridge University Press.

Heisenberg, W. (1958). Physics and philosophy. Harper & Brothers.

Huibers, M. (2012). The Experience of Time.

Lakatos, I. (1970). Methodology of Scientific Research Programmes. In I. Lakatos, & A. Musgrave (Eds.), Criticism and the growth of knowledge. Cambridge University Press.

Nowotny, H. (1992). Time: A Philosophical and Historical Introduction. Blackwell.

Penrose, R. (1979). Singularities and Time-Asymmetry. In S. W. Hawking, & W. Israel (Eds.), General Relativity: An Einstein Centenary Survey.

Penrose, R. (2004). The road to reality: A complete guide to the laws of the universe. Alfred A. Knopf.

Popper, K. R. (1956). The logic of scientific discovery. Routledge.

Reichenbach, H. (1938). The Principle of Causality and the Direction of Time. Erkenntnis, 7(1), 30-44.

Reichenbach, H. (1956). The direction of time. University of California Pres.

Russell, B. (1948). Human knowledge: Its scope and limits. Simon and Schuster.

Schrödinger, E. (1951). Science and humanism. Cambridge University Press.

Smith, Q. (2019). The Problem of Time: A Philosophical Essay. Cambridge University Press.

Smolin, L. (2013). Time Reborn: From the Crisis of Physics to the Future of the Universe. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Wheeler, J. A. (1975). The nature of time. Cornell University Press.

[i] Here are some examples of the statements asserting time symmetry:

• Sean Carroll: “The laws of physics, with a few exceptions, are time-symmetric. That is, they look the same whether time is running forward or backward.” (Carroll, 2010, p. 123).
• Craig Callender: “Most of the fundamental laws of physics are time-symmetric, meaning that they are invariant under time reversal” (Callender, 2011, p. 34)
• Lee Smolin: “The fundamental laws of physics are, with a few exceptions, time-symmetric. This means they look the same whether time runs forward or backward.” (Smolin, 2013, p. 67)
• Michael Huibers: “The fundamental laws of physics are, with a few exceptions, time-symmetric. This means that they do not distinguish between past and future.” (Huibers, 2012, p. 56)
• Quentin Smith: “The laws of physics are, with a few exceptions, time-symmetric. This means that they do not distinguish between past and future directions of time.” (Smith, 2019, p. 123)
• Helen Nowotny: “The fundamental laws of physics are, with a few exceptions, time-symmetric. This means that they do not distinguish between past and future directions of time.” (Nowotny, 1992, p. 156)

[ii] Karl Popper noted, “The initial conditions of the universe… are the ultimate explanation of the arrow of time.” (Popper, 1956) Stephen Hoking emphasized, “The initial conditions of the universe would have had to be extremely special to lead to the complex structures we see today.” (Hawking, 1988), (Hawking & Ellis, 1973) Sir Roger Penrose stressed, “The initial conditions problem… is central to our understanding of the origins of the universe.” (Penrose, 2004) See also (Penrose, 1979) and (Gell-Mann & Hartle, 1994).

[iii] The significance of initial conditions can be seen in various physical systems such as the projectile motion, where initial velocity and angle determine the trajectory, the harmonic oscillators, where amplitude and phase set the motion, chaotic systems, like the Lorenz attractor, exhibiting sensitive dependence on initial conditions; quantum mechanics, where initial conditions determine wave function evolution, and cosmology, where initial conditions shape the universe’s evolution. These examples illustrate how initial conditions play a crucial role in determining the behavior of physical systems.

[iv] Here are quotes to illustrate the significance of the initial conditions:

-   Hans Reichenbach: “The initial conditions... are the decisive factor in determining the direction of processes.” (Reichenbach, 1956, p. 153) See also (Reichenbach, 1938). 

-   Bertrand Russell: “The laws of physics... require, for their application, knowledge of initial conditions.” (Russell, 1948, p. 272) 

-   Erwin Schrödinger: “Initial conditions... form the bridge between the reversible laws and the irreversible events.” (Schrödinger, 1951, p. 37) 

-   Karl Popper: “Initial conditions... are not derived from the laws, but are, rather, presupposed by them.” (Popper, 1956, p. 278) 

-   Werner Heisenberg: “The initial conditions... are essential for the description of physical phenomena.” (Heisenberg, 1958, p. 144) 

-   John Wheeler: “Initial conditions... play a crucial role in determining the direction of time.” (Wheeler J. A., 1975, p. 85) See also (Grünbaum A. , 1963). 

-   Imre Lakatos: “The initial conditions, which are arbitrary from the point of view of the laws, are thus not merely supplementary to the laws, but are, rather, an integral part of the explanatory mechanism.” (Lakatos, 1970, p. 173)