Five-Hundred-Year-Journey
Alexander Poltorak Abstract This essay addresses the anigmatic statement of the Jewish Sages, stating that G-d created this world with the letter Heh and the
August 11, 2025 / 17 Av 5785
1 Comment
atzilut
Bet HaMikdash as a Singularity in Space-time
Introduction In this essay, I intend to draw a parallel between the singularity in space-time, such as the putative point of origin of the universe
August 14, 2024 / 10 Av 5784
1 Comment
Principle of Least Action III — History
The spectacle of the universe becomes so much the grander, so much more beautiful, the worthier of its Author, when one knows that a small
September 10, 2023 / 24 Elul 5783
No Comments
Metaphysics of Time in the Eyes of Philosophy and Kabbalah
A-Series and B-Series as Zman and Seder HaZmanim McTaggart’s series A and series B are two conceptual frameworks proposed by the philosopher J.M.E. McTaggart[1] to
July 21, 2023 / 3 Av 5783
1 Comment
The Standard Model
Introduction What could the Standard Model of particle physics possibly have in common with biblical accounts of the Israelites’ travels in the Sinai Desert, Kabbalistic
May 25, 2023 / 5 Sivan 5783
1 Comment
Cartesian Dualism, Kabbalah, and Quantum Mechanics
Cartesian dualism, or mind-body dualism, formulated by the French scientist, mathematician, and philosopher René Descartes (1596–1650), holds that the body and the mind (which he
January 22, 2023 / 29 Tevet 5783
2 Comments
What is a Soul? III. The Many Souls of Man
…[H]e who tries to cure the soul, wishing to improve the moral qualities, must have a knowledge of the soul in its totality and
December 15, 2021 / 11 Tevet 5782
No Comments
What Is a Soul? II. Anatomy of the Soul
In the biblical story of the creation of Adam, the Torah states: Then the Eternal G‑d formed man of the dust of the ground, and
November 5, 2021 / 1 Kislev 5782
2 Comments
The Cosmological Problem of Initial Conditions and the Universe of Tohu
Now the earth was unformed and void. Genesis 1:2 We have a big problem in cosmology: the problem of the initial conditions of the universe at
September 30, 2021 / 24 Tishri 5782
2 Comments
Jacob and Esau—Thermodynamics of Order and Chaos
And these are the chronicles of Isaac… (Genesis 25:19) So Esau went unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives that he had Mahalath the daughter
November 23, 2020 / 7 Kislev 5781
2 Comments
The Surrounding Light and the Penetrating Light
The Torah portion Vayakhel deals with the construction of the Mishkan, i.e., the “Tabernacle.” In Kabbalah, the Mishkan is viewed as a microcosm that represents
March 23, 2020 / 27 Adar 5780
2 Comments
Sukkot — Bringing Time into Space
Jews have a very strange custom to take four species (Heb. arba’a minim)—a fruit of a citron tree (etrog), a branch of a date palm (lulav), boughs from the myrtle tree (chadassim),
October 18, 2019 / 19 Tishri 5780
3 Comments
Space – Between the Future and the Past
Meditations on the Maaseh Merkavah – I We do science by studying nature. We study physics in a lab, peering into space or working out
June 13, 2019 / 10 Sivan 5779
7 Comments
Ten Sephirot and Special Relativity
The Special Theory of Relativity, published by Albert Einstein in 1905, was a game changer. It ushered the era of new physics dubbed by some
June 2, 2019 / 28 Iyyar 5779
4 Comments
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
7 Comments
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
No Comments
The Fifth Force – Epilog
This post is a continuation and the conclusion of the previous post, THE FIFTH FORCE. Aside from the connection with the last week’s Torah portion,
October 13, 2016 / 11 Tishri 5777
5 Comments
Adam Kadmon and Holographic Universe
Dedicated to the memory of Professor Yaakob David Bekenstein The Torah opens with the word “Bereshit” – in the Beginning – whose first letter, Bet,
October 11, 2015 / 28 Tishri 5776
No Comments
Creatio ex Nihilo and the Number Theory
As we began this Shabbat reading the Fourth Book of Torah—Numbers, I thought, it would be appropriate to post on this blog an excerpt from
May 25, 2014 / 25 Iyyar 5774
2 Comments
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
1 Comment