A friend recently questioned my interest in Sefer Yetzirah. He was puzzled by my interest in a work that maintained that all of Creation was formed by combinations of the letters of the Hebrew Aleph-Bet. Scientifically, he asked, we know that isn't true, doesn't that tell you that the whole work is incorrect?
I answered that actually science reaffirms my understanding of the Sefer Yetzirah. Think for a moment of diagrams of molecules. What are they made of? Letters connected in different ways that combine to form molecules with vastly different abilities. Think of strands of DNA which are also understood to be an alphabet spelling out the characteristics of every living being. Clearly the idea of Creation being built on an alphabet is not far-fetched from a scientific perspective.
If we look at the underlying principle of the Sefer Yetizrah it is simply that there are a finite number of basic forces that, when combined in a seemingly infinite number of ways, form the structure of existence. As we move deeper than molecules and strands of DNA to the realm of atoms and the particles of which they are constructed, we now know that they too consist of a relatively small number of particles with each combination create a unique element.
According to String Theory each of these sub-atomic particles is a vibrating strand of energy. The frequency of the vibration is what determines the nature of the particle. Yesterday I was reading Emek HaMelech, written over 300 years ago and one of the earliest published Kabbalistic works based on the teachings of the Ariza"l. It is credited with bringing the Ariza"l's teachings to the attention of the European Jewish communities. The author writes (שעשועי המלך 58) that all of the letters that form creation were themselves formed by vibrations. The synthesis of Kabbala
h and Science, about which we have written many times, is quite fascinating!
I answered that actually science reaffirms my understanding of the Sefer Yetzirah. Think for a moment of diagrams of molecules. What are they made of? Letters connected in different ways that combine to form molecules with vastly different abilities. Think of strands of DNA which are also understood to be an alphabet spelling out the characteristics of every living being. Clearly the idea of Creation being built on an alphabet is not far-fetched from a scientific perspective.If we look at the underlying principle of the Sefer Yetizrah it is simply that there are a finite number of basic forces that, when combined in a seemingly infinite number of ways, form the structure of existence. As we move deeper than molecules and strands of DNA to the realm of atoms and the particles of which they are constructed, we now know that they too consist of a relatively small number of particles with each combination create a unique element.
According to String Theory each of these sub-atomic particles is a vibrating strand of energy. The frequency of the vibration is what determines the nature of the particle. Yesterday I was reading Emek HaMelech, written over 300 years ago and one of the earliest published Kabbalistic works based on the teachings of the Ariza"l. It is credited with bringing the Ariza"l's teachings to the attention of the European Jewish communities. The author writes (שעשועי המלך 58) that all of the letters that form creation were themselves formed by vibrations. The synthesis of Kabbala
h and Science, about which we have written many times, is quite fascinating!
No comments:
Post a Comment