What Defines Real?

Quantum physics changed the classic conception of the Newtonian “clockwork universe.” This first class in a series introduces the idea of scale, and relates it to the most basic of all Kabbalistic models, the four letters of the divine name.

A survey of four major theories that adopt different mathematical strategies for tackling the problems of the Quantum world. Each of these (Wave Mechanics, Matrix Mechanics, Transformation Theory and Sum Over Histories) is presented with a possible kabbalistic parallel.

If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to observe it, does it still make a sound? What is the nature of observation and measurement? Do we participate in the creation of reality? In this episode, we entertain this line of questioning and see how it can be mapped onto the kabbalistic system of four worlds.

There are six major interpretations of Quantum reality. Of these, the first and most famous is the Copenhagen interpretation which suggests that there is no independent qualities of things and that “consciousness creates reality.”

The kabbalistic dimension of Malchut refers to our ability to exercise a kind of self-mastery over reality. In the Zohar we learn that this dimension expresses an a-causal dreamscape world, wherein language engenders and defines objects and experiences.

Heisenberg’s notion of "ghost reality" as it pertains to the level of the emotions or Ruach in Kabbalah. From this perspective there are pre-existing tendencies that promise a specific reality that remains to be actualized. Additionally, Einstein’s theory of Neorealism is related to the quality of understanding in the soul.

The superconscious powers of the soul are generally depicted as a crown (keter) in Kabbalah. The crown itself has two parts: the lower aspect, called the long face and the higher aspect, called the ancient of days. This talk explains how the long face (which pertains to will) is the origin of a potentially infinite number of parallel universes, while the ancient of days refers to a primordial state of non-duality that relates to the Theory of Undivided Wholeness.

After grappling with the concepts of the origin of multiplicity and the origin of unity, we tackle the question of the nature of meaning within human experience. The ‘contrast theory of meaning,’ states that one can only appreciate one quality if one has its opposite as a basis of comparison. In the Messianic age, we will ascend to a new level of reality where the contrasts are all within relative levels of goodness.