wavefunction

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 novel interpretation of the Edenic narrative through the conceptual framework of quantum mechanics, establishing systematic correspondences between biblical symbols and quantum-mechanical constructs. Through careful analysis of biblical texts and their mystical interpretations in Kabbalistic and Chassidic sources, combined with precise physical and mathematical formulations, I demonstrate how the Garden of Eden can be understood as a metaphorical representation of Hilbert space—the mathematical foundation of quantum mechanics. The essay develops four primary correspondences: (1) the Tree of Life as the quantum-mechanical wave function—representing superposition of all possible states; (2) the Tree of Knowledge as measurement—causing the collapse of the wave function to a single definite state; (3) Paradise as [...]

By Alexander Poltorak|2025-05-04T18:36:25-04:00January 25th, 2025|Bereishit, Bereshit, Collapse of the wavefunction, Creation, Genesis, Metaphysics, Parshah, Pentateuch (Chumash), Philosophy, Quantum Theory, Superposition, Superposition, Uncategorized, Wavefunction|2 Comments

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 that thou art a fair woman to look upon. And it will come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they will say: This is his wife; and they will kill me, but thee they will keep alive. Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister; that it may be well with me for thy sake, and that my soul may live because of thee.” (Genesis 12:11-13) This passage presents a perplexing scenario. Abraham (then Abram) asks his wife Sarah (then Sarai) to present herself as his sister upon entering Egypt. Classical commentators and the Zohar grapple with Abraham's motives, questioning why he would place Sarah in such a [...]

By Alexander Poltorak|2024-11-10T12:34:00-05:00November 10th, 2024|Bereshit, Collapse of the wavefunction, Fractals, Genesis, Husband and wife, Kabbalah, Lech-Lecha, Pentateuch (Chumash), Physics, Quantum Theory, Sefirot, Song of Songs, Superposition, Superposition, Tanakh, Uncategorized|0 Comments

And there was Evening and there was Morning: Quantum Mechanics in Genesis

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 “boker” (morning). The study reveals that these terms, which punctuate each day of creation in Genesis, carry meanings that remarkably align with fundamental quantum concepts. "Erev," rooted in the concept of "mixture," parallels quantum superposition, while "boker," stemming from differentiation and discernment, mirrors quantum measurement and wave function collapse.

By Alexander Poltorak|2024-10-31T23:40:03-04:00October 30th, 2024|Bereishit, Bereshit, Collapse of the wavefunction, Creation, Entanglement, Genesis, G‑d, Parshah, Pentateuch (Chumash), Quantum Theory, Science, Superposition, Uncategorized, Wavefunction|1 Comment

Gazing at the Shekhinah

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 punished for gazing at the Shekhinah—the divine presence.[1] But what relevance does this have to the Torah portion retelling the greatest event in Jewish history (and, indeed, the history of human civilization)—the Sinaitic epiphany—the giving of the Torah? This is the Torah portion, where we read the Ten Commandments. What is the relevance of the sin of Abel to the Ten Commandments? More generally, what is Abel’s connection to this Torah portion? That is easy to understand. The Torah portion Yitro starts with the story of Jethro (Yitro), Moses’s father-in-law, coming to Moses in the Sinai desert with his daughter—the wife of Moses—and her two children. Rabbi Chayim [...]

By Alexander Poltorak|2024-02-05T15:05:18-05:00February 4th, 2024|Bayesian probability, Collapse of the wavefunction, Exodus (Shemot), G‑d, Kabbalah, Neuroscience, Parshah, Pentateuch (Chumash), Reincarnation, Superposition, Superposition, Uncategorized, Wavefunction, Wavefunction of G‑d, Yitro|2 Comments

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 of the sea is a metaphor for the collapse of the wave function in quantum mechanics. The Alter Rebbe, the Baal HaTanya, taught us to leiben min hatzait (“to live with the time,” that is, to leave with the current reading of the Torah). Maybe this is why, this week, when we read in the Torah portion Beshalach about the splitting of the sea, I finally understood where time comes from. This question haunted me for more than forty years. Finally, this week, I got it—time emerges through the interaction of consciousness with the universal wave function, causing the sequence of wave function collapses that we perceive as [...]

By Alexander Poltorak|2024-01-25T23:30:32-05:00January 25th, 2024|Beshalach, Collapse of the wavefunction, Creation, Exodus (Shemot), Parshah, Pentateuch (Chumash), Philosophy, Physics, Quantum Theory, Science, Shemot, Space, Time, Uncategorized, Wavefunction|3 Comments

Creation—Destruction—Reconstruction

Structurally identical biblical accounts of creation, destruction, and restoration are viewed as a manifestation of dialectic triad thesis-antithesis-synthesis.

By Alexander Poltorak|2022-11-20T10:39:28-05:00November 11th, 2022|Collapse of the wavefunction, Creation, Genesis, G‑d, Husband and wife, Kabbalah, Noach, Parshah, Pentateuch (Chumash), Physics, Quantum Theory, Resurrection, Sefirot, Time, Uncategorized|2 Comments

The Flood—a Quantum Metaphor

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 (and the animals he took with him into the Ark)—was wiped off the face of the earth. Some may call this catastrophic event the Great Extinction, others, the Great Destruction, but I would call it the Great Collapse. If we focus not only on what the Torah says but also on what it tells us, we notice that the Deluge is a metaphor for the collapse of the wave function—the key concept in quantum mechanics. We often talked about the wave function collapse on this blog. However, for those who come here for the first time or feel they need a refresher, here is a very short summary [...]

By Alexander Poltorak|2024-06-23T22:02:43-04:00November 4th, 2022|Bereshit, Collapse of the wavefunction, Genesis, Noach, Parshah, Pentateuch (Chumash), Quantum Theory, Superposition, Superposition, Uncategorized, Wavefunction|0 Comments

The History of Creation in Three Words

The History of Creation in Three Words

The history of Creation can be expressed in three words (not even words but mere conjunctions): “and,” “or,” and “and/or,” whereas the history of physics may be expressed in two of them: “or,” and “and/or.”

By Alexander Poltorak|2022-10-19T22:49:51-04:00October 3rd, 2022|Uncategorized|4 Comments

Collapse and Revelation

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 in an uncertain state—the state of superposition. The measurement that causes the collapse of the wave function eliminates this uncertainty revealing the state of the system. The collapse occurs as the result of an experiment or observation. It is the discovery of the state of the system. The process of discovery—revelation—in the terminology of Kabbalah—is the process of revealing Alma d’Isgalya (Revealed World) from Alma d’Iskasya (Hidden World). This is why the splitting of the sea can be seen as an allegory of the collapse of the wave function.

By Alexander Poltorak|2025-02-05T14:10:42-05:00January 29th, 2021|Beshalach, Collapse of the wavefunction, Exodus (Shemot), Kabbalah, Passover (Pesach), Pentateuch (Chumash), Quantum Theory, Sefirot, Superposition, Uncategorized, Wavefunction, Zohar|4 Comments

Noah’s Ark—Three Layers of Reality

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 that Noah’s ark was a microcosm.[1] As we discussed in the previous post, “Noah’s Ark—Three Layers of Being Human,” most structural parallels related to Noah’s ark are based on its tripartite structure —that is, its having three tiers. In Chasidic thought, the three levels of Noah’s ark correspond to three worlds of BiYA—Beriyah (the World of Creation), Yetzirah (the World of Formation), and Asiyah (the World of Action). In this essay, we will investigate how the tripartite structure of Noah’s ark is reflected in the structure of reality. We might say that the totality of existence comprises three layers—physical, informational, and spiritual. The classification of reality into three [...]

By Alexander Poltorak|2024-06-23T21:53:15-04:00October 28th, 2020|Age of the Universe, Bereshit, Collapse of the wavefunction, Fractals, Genesis, Kabbalah, Mathematics, Mathematics, Noach, Parshah, Pentateuch (Chumash), Physics, Sefirot, Space, Spirituality, String Theory, Superposition, Time, Uncategorized, Wavefunction|1 Comment

My Name Is G‑d, and I Am Pleased to Make Your Acquaintance

My Name Is G‑d, and I Am Pleased to Make Your Acquaintance

In the beginning, G‑d created the heaven and the earth...[1] (Genesis 1:1) Classical biblical commentators have given the first words of the Torah many different translations and have interpreted them to have many different meanings. That said, one simple aspect has received little attention—that G‑d is introducing Himself to us. If we take poetic license and change the order of the words, the first phrase in the Torah could be loosely translated as: “[My name is] G‑d—[Who], in the beginning, created the heaven and the earth.” G‑d is introducing Himself to us as the Creator of everything—heaven (i.e., the spiritual) and earth (i.e., the material). This interpretation of the first verse in the Torah may be helpful for the following reason. In truth, G‑d is entirely unknowable. The Creator of everything, including [...]

By Alexander Poltorak|2020-05-25T18:18:41-04:00May 25th, 2020|Bereishit, Bereshit, Creation, Entanglement, G‑d, Mathematics, Names of G‑d, Parshah, Physics, Quantum Theory, Science, Spirituality, Superposition, Uncategorized, Wavefunction|1 Comment

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 would not die. And they said: Anyone who says that Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi has died will be stabbed with a sword. (Talmud, tr. Ketubot 104a) We find an interesting example of the Wigner’s Friend paradox in the Gemara quoted above. The Gemara discusses the circumstances surrounding the death of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi (Juda the Prince, knows simply as the Rebbi), one of the greatest sages of Israel, who compiled Oral Torah in the Mishnah. Why did the Sages issued a death threat to “anyone who says that Rabbi has died” promising that he “will be stabbed with a sword”? The medieval Talmudist Rabbi Bezalel Ashkenazi (1520-1592), in [...]

By Alexander Poltorak|2023-03-23T18:17:23-04:00March 19th, 2020|Bayesian probability, Collapse of the wavefunction, Physics, Quantum Theory, Relativity, Superposition, Uncategorized, Wavefunction|2 Comments

It Is Not Good For Man To Be Alone

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) The end of this verse is rather puzzling. Why would the woman designated as a helpmate for Adam be opposite (literally “against”) him? One can perhaps soften things by translating the Hebrew eizer kenegdo as “counterpart.” However, in a literal translation, the question remains. A simple explanation is well known: if a man is worthy, his wife would be his best friend, ally, partner, companion, and helpmate. If the man is not worthy, however, his wife would be his opponent and antagonist. An esoteric interpretation offered by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, in his commentary on this verse in “Torah Ohr,”[1] provides a deeper meaning. He writes [...]

By Alexander Poltorak|2020-02-07T13:30:15-05:00February 7th, 2020|Bereishit, Bereshit, Collapse of the wavefunction, Creation, Genesis, G‑d, Isaiah, Kabbalah, Names of G‑d, Parshah, Pentateuch (Chumash), Physics, Sefirot, Space, Symmetry, Time, Uncategorized, Wavefunction, Zechariah|0 Comments

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 of the most successful theories of physics that withstood the test of time. Indeed, it is one of the best-tested theories known to science. Yet, we hardly advanced in our understanding of the meaning of QM since its inception almost a century ago. The indeterministic nature of the theory puts it at odds with both classical physics and our intuition, and continues to perplex physicists and philosophers of science today as it perplexed Einstein, who famously said, “G‑d does not play dice with the universe!” Superposition and entanglement seem to defy common sense and, yet, they have been confirmed experimentally time and again. The phenomenon known as the [...]

By Alexander Poltorak|2019-06-21T07:41:52-04:00June 19th, 2019|Collapse of the wavefunction, Physics, Quantum Theory, Randomness, Relativity, Science, Superposition, Time, Uncategorized, Wavefunction|5 Comments

The Entangled Tenth

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) This Shabbat, I was called up to the Torah for the last aliyah (lit. “ascent”, meaning the reading from the Scroll) of the book of Leviticus. This portion talks about tithing animals, giving the precise procedure for doing so – every animal is released from a pen one by one while being counted – one, two, three, … , ten. The tenth animal is touch by the rode and consecrated as the ma’aser – tithe. The Torah states that every tenth animal is holy unto G‑d. What is the state of the animals before counting? They have two possible states: (1) chulin, i.e., “not sacred” and (2) ma’aser, [...]

By Alexander Poltorak|2019-06-02T11:37:10-04:00June 2nd, 2019|Bechukotai, Collapse of the wavefunction, Entanglement, Leviticus, Parshah, Pentateuch (Chumash), Physics, Quantum Theory, Sefirot, Superposition, Uncategorized, Wavefunction|0 Comments

Wigner’s Friend Paradox

Wigner’s Friend Paradox

Amicus est Socrates, magister meus, sed magis est amica veritas. “Socrates is my friend but a greater friend is truth” – Plato c. 428-348 BCE. Amicus Plato, sed magis amica veritas. “Plato is my friend, but a greater friend is truth" – Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, 350 BCE. Amicus Plato amicus Aristoteles magis amica veritas. “Plato is my friend, Aristotle is my friend, but a greater friend is truth.” – Isaac Newton, Cambridge Student Notebook, 1661 You are my friend, but what is truth? – Eugene Wigner, 1961 If Isaac Newton summed up the aphorisms of Plato and Aristotle in his student notebook, exactly 300 years later, Eugene Wigner put this notion on its head. Although taking a poetic license, I put Wigner's words above in quotation marks, I do not know if he [...]

By Alexander Poltorak|2023-03-23T18:18:41-04:00March 17th, 2019|Uncategorized|4 Comments

Quantum Torah with Alexander Poltorak film

Coming soon to a theater near you. Watch a trailer: https://youtu.be/Qzr3Ynrpkkk

By Alexander Poltorak|2019-02-02T14:55:48-05:00February 2nd, 2019|Collapse of the wavefunction, Entanglement, Physics, Quantum Theory, Randomness, Resurrection, Science, Shabbat, Soul, Spirituality, Superposition, Wavefunction, Yom Kippur|2 Comments

Day Six – the State of Superposition

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. (Gen. 1:31) The Biblical narrative of creation concludes with the above verse. Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki (a.k.a. Rashi) comments on this verse: the sixth day: Scripture added a “hey” on the sixth [day], at the completion of the Creation, to tell us that He stipulated with them, [“you were created] on the condition that Israel accept the Five Books of the Torah.” [The numerical value of the “hey” is five.] (Tanchuma Bereishith 1). Another explanation for “the sixth day”: They [the works of creation] were all suspended until the “sixth day,” referring to the sixth day of Sivan, which was prepared for the giving of the Torah (Shab. 88a). [...]

By Alexander Poltorak|2018-10-10T14:40:55-04:00October 10th, 2018|Bereishit, Bereshit, Collapse of the wavefunction, Deuteronomy, Parshah, Pentateuch (Chumash), Quantum Theory, Superposition, Uncategorized, Wavefunction|1 Comment

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 go free. This is difficult to understand. Why would a lender forgive a loan just because it’s the seventh year in the Shemitah cycle? Why would slaves be set free just because it’s the Sabbatical year? Another question is why do we translate Shemitah as the “Sabbatical year”? Besides the fact that it is the seventh year, and Shabbat is the seventh day, what connects the word “shemitah” with Shabbat? As Rabbi Yehoshua Steinberg writes in Biblical Hebrew Etymology, (see Re’eh: The Slippery Year? – The Wonders of the Holy Tongue), the three-letter root of the word “shemitah” – Shin-Mem-Tet – connote falling, collapsing, slipping, weakening, or disintegration. The two-letter [...]

By Alexander Poltorak|2018-08-17T12:28:16-04:00August 17th, 2018|Collapse of the wavefunction, Deuteronomy, Devarim, Parshah, Passover (Pesach), Pentateuch (Chumash), Re'eh, Superposition, Uncategorized, Wavefunction|0 Comments

Re’eh – the Power of Seeing the Blessings

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 of this verse, re’eh, literally means “see” in Hebrew. So, literally, this verse should be translated as: See, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse Spoken words are heard, not seen. Why did Moses implore people to see, as he was about to set before them a blessing and a curse? To understand this, we need to look at the following verses defining the blessing and the cure: The blessing, if ye shall hearken unto the commandments of the Lord your G‑d… (Deut. 11:27) …and the curse, if ye shall not hearken unto the commandments of the Lord your G‑d… (Deut. 11:28) Does this [...]

By Alexander Poltorak|2019-08-26T16:42:26-04:00August 12th, 2018|Collapse of the wavefunction, Deuteronomy, Devarim, Parshah, Pentateuch (Chumash), Quantum Theory, Re'eh, Superposition, Uncategorized, Wavefunction|6 Comments