During the High Holidays, we recite the prayer, “(God Almighty) … Be a King and reign over the entire world with Your honor, … let every created being recognize You as Its Creator.”
In contemporary times, with the advent of numerous scientific discoveries, the presence of God can be discerned universally if we merely open our minds and eyes.
Recognizing God's omnipresence is beneficial; it serves as a comforting reminder that we are never alone, and God Almighty is consistently at our side.
Maimonides, in his influential work Guide for the Perplexed, elucidates that the Torah commences with the account of God's creation of the world rather than directly with the laws to be adhered to, to facilitate our perception of God's greatness in His creation. The Torah’s opening does more than provide a historical or scientific overview; it fulfills a vital spiritual purpose: guiding us to recognize the divine grandeur underlying all existence.
The description of creation encourages both intellectual and spiritual connection with the divine essence. In contemplating the natural world—now understood through physics and science—we observe expressions of the principles of the Torah as revealed in Kabbalistic and mystical traditions.
Modern science supports the affirmation of God's presence within His creation. Interestingly, recent scientific discoveries continue to bolster these ancient teachings, highlighting a profound link between spiritual wisdom and scientific understanding.
Rosh Hashanah commemorates the creation of the world 5786 years ago. The Torah states at the outset of Genesis 1:16, “… And God made the two great luminaries: the great luminary to rule the day and the lesser luminary to rule the night, and the stars. And God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to shed light upon the earth. And to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate between the light and between the darkness, and God saw that it was good. And it was evening, and it was morning, a fourth day.” The sun was placed in its orbit on the fourth day of creation.
The sun is essential to both the universe and Earth for several significant reasons. As a massive, luminous star within our solar system, it serves as the primary source of light and energy. Its nuclear fusion process converts hydrogen into helium, releasing substantial energy in the form of heat and radiation. This energy sustains life on Earth by powering photosynthesis, regulating climate, and maintaining ecosystems.
Without the sun’s heat and light, Earth would be an inhospitable, frozen planet. Beyond Earth, the sun’s gravitational influence maintains the stability of planetary, cometary, and asteroid orbits, ensuring overall solar system stability. In a broader cosmic context, the sun exemplifies a typical star among billions in the galaxy, participating in the stellar lifecycle that creates and recycles elements vital for planetary formation and life.
Its activity influences space weather, which can impact planetary atmospheres and technological systems. Fundamentally, the sun functions as an engine powering both environmental conditions conducive to life on Earth and the larger cosmic processes shaping our segment of the universe.
Its operation, elegant yet fundamental, begins with hydrogen atoms—the simplest element on the periodic table, consisting of a single proton and electron. Hydrogen, number one on the periodic table, is simple yet incredibly important and powerful. Under intense pressure and heat, four hydrogen atoms fuse into one helium atom, releasing significant energy in the process. This nuclear fusion keeps the sun going, providing the heat and light needed for life.
The name of God, representing and embodying the concept of oneness, is articulated in the Shema prayer: “Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is ONE.” This divine name, composed of four Hebrew letters—Yud, Hey, Vav, Hey—embodies this principle.
Each letter signifies an independent expression that, collectively, creates a unified divine identity. This parallels the scientific explanation of the sun’s workings: the fusion of four atoms of the number one atom, hydrogen, into helium. This simple process of atomic fusion generates all the energy and light the universe receives.
Mathematically, the sum of the numerical values of the Hebrew letters in God’s name equals 26, corresponding to the atomic number of iron—the 26th element, noted for its very unique character of stability in nature.
In the context of stellar fusion, only elements lighter than iron and up to iron release energy when fused, which powers stars by sustaining ongoing fusion reactions.
However, fusion reactions involving elements heavier than iron do not release energy. This is because iron has the most tightly bound nucleus, and any attempt to fuse heavier elements results in a net energy loss rather than a gain.
Here's another unique property of the 26-element number: it is the iron in hemoglobin that carries oxygen throughout the body!
The fusion process starts with hydrogen (NUMBER ONE), specifically fusing FOUR atoms, building heavier elements up to iron (NUMBER 26), reflecting a divine cosmic order.
This extraordinary connection suggests that mathematics and numbers are not just abstract ideas, but, as our sages tell us in so many places, they are essential to the very structure and identity of reality, revealing an inherent design where spiritual concepts and physical phenomena are deeply intertwined.
Additionally, scientific observations reveal that the Earth experiences a pulsation or seismic vibration every 26 seconds—an unexplained yet captivating phenomenon linked to the number 26. This rhythmic cycle, which represents the complete number that signifies God's name of creation, can be seen as a reflection of the energy of the divine name manifesting within the physical universe. It reinforces the idea that the cosmos operates through repeating cycles that express spiritual truths. It highlights the ongoing process by which the universe reaffirms its unity and divine origin. This merging of science, spirituality, and numerology encourages us to recognize a remarkable harmony where the universe’s functions and sacred teachings come together in unity.
To recap. The number one atom fuses specifically in groups of four atoms to emit the energy and light of the sun, which is central to the entire universe, and this fusion of atoms continues only up to iron, number 26 of the periodic table, in a universe that pulsates every 26 seconds!
Modern-day science is the most excellent megaphone, showing us and proclaiming the thumbprint and DNA of God in all His creation.
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