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4-11 Nov Q: What is the kabbalistic parallel to continuous transformations of energy into matter and matter back into energy? A:
Matter in the form of particle-antiparticle pairs instantaneously comes into being and disappears. Although this fundamental dialectic is not directly observable, its manifestations become apparent in such phenomena as vacuum polarization, Zitterbewegung, and the Lamb Shift-phenomena which make Quantum Electrodynamics one of the most precisely verified theories in all of physics from an experimental standpoint.
This picture strikingly parallels the Torah perspective. In Jewish mysticism the ultimate dialectic of the physical universe is described as a continuous process of ratzoh and shov. The ratzoh signifies the mystical union of the finite with G-d-the loss of identity, sense of self, and ultimately voiding of the physical which accompanies a spontaneous plunge into the Infinite Transcendent Source of the universe. Shov signifies the return to physical reality, the coming back down into the material universe as a differentiated entity brought back into being by the dictates of the Divine Will.
BIO
Gedaliah Shaffer grew up in Boston and received an MA in theoretical physics at Princeton University. Living now in Brooklyn, NY, he works as president of the Automated Information Systems and has published numerous papers in physics and mathematics journals, as well as those on Jewish and hasidic thought. He and his wife Bronya started a family purity project in Long Island which became the model for similar groups throughout the United States.
ABSTRACT The reciprocal transformation of matter and energy is a major theme of both modern physics and Jewish mysticism. These thought-provoking parallels give us a holistic picture of ourselves as Jews participating in the greater universe.
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