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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Wavefunction
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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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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On Freedom of Choice, Divine Providence, and the Hard Problem of Philosophy
The story of Joseph and his brothers, described in the Torah portion of Vayeshev, presents many problems. Classical biblical commentators interpret the conflict between Joseph
December 10, 2023 / 27 Kislev 5784
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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
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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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The Akeida — The Binding of Isaac
And He said: “Take now thy son, thine only son, whom thou lovest, even Isaac, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer
November 6, 2020 / 19 Heshvan 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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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
May 25, 2020 / 2 Sivan 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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Primordial Serpent—the Incurable Atomist
Now the Serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Eternal G‑d had made. (Genesis 3:1) When G‑d placed Adam
February 14, 2020 / 19 Shevat 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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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 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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The Pilot Wave
And on the day that the tabernacle was reared up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, even the tent of the testimony; and at even there
June 11, 2017 / 17 Sivan 5777
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Entangled Cherubs
And thou shalt make two cherubim of gold; of beaten work shalt thou make them, at the two ends of the ark-cover. And make one
March 4, 2017 / 6 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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Hillel, Shammai and Richard Feynman
The Talmud (tr. Shabbat) discusses two opinions about the manner in which we are to light Chanukah menorah. According to Hillel, we light the first
January 1, 2017 / 3 Tevet 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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Covenant between the Parts as a Metaphor for Quantum Entanglement
And he took him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each half over against the other… And it came to pass, that,
October 25, 2015 / 12 Heshvan 5776
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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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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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Prophesy by Entanglement
…And they prophesied in the camp. (Num. 11:27) In the Torah portion Behaalotecha, there is an interesting narrative: And the Lord said unto Moses: ‘Gather
June 9, 2014 / 11 Sivan 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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Ye Shall be Disentangled
Ye shall be holy, for I, the Lord, your G‑d, am holy. Leviticus 19:2 This Torah portion begins with an astonishing statement: Speak unto all
April 25, 2014 / 25 Nisan 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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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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A curious Case of Retrocausality—Dead Inherit the Living
Pinchas You shall apportion the Land among these as an inheritance, in accordance with the number of names. To the large [tribe] you shall give a
July 5, 2013 / 27 Tammuz 5773
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Paradox of the Red Heifer
Speak to the children of Israel and have them take for you a perfectly red unblemished cow, upon which no yoke was laid… The cow
June 24, 2013 / 16 Tammuz 5773
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Holy Smoke
And the entire Mount Sinai smoked because the Lord had descended upon it in fire, and its smoke ascended like the smoke of the kiln…
May 17, 2013 / 8 Sivan 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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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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On the Nature of Time and the Age of the Universe
Presented at the International Torah and Science Conference in Miami International University on December 18, 2005 Alexander Poltorak Introduction. This is the third in
August 15, 2012 / 27 Av 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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