A group of talmidim from Yeshivas Torat Etzion recently visited the Beis Medrash of the Rosh Yeshivah of Pnei Menachem, HaGaon HaRav Shaul Alter, and listened to a shiur in chassidus, Arutz Sheva reported.
During the shiur, the talmidim were surprised to hear the Rosh Yeshivah asking them a question about physics in order to glean a lesson about avodas Hashem.
The shiur revolved around the sefer of the Sfas Emes, with HaRav Altar expanding on the creation of the world, saying that every creation needs to receive chiyus (חיות) from Hakadosh Baruch Hu at every moment. The talmidim were surprised when he asked them if they know what “perpetuum mobile” [perpetual motion] is, referring to the ceaseless movement that physicists tried to find in creation.
“Perpetuum mobile” is a hypothetical machine that produces useful energy in a way that violates the laws of physics. In a practical way, it means a machine that will perform efficient work without consuming any external sources of energy. Perpetual motion machines are impossible to realize according to today’s scientific understanding.
HaRav Alter quoted the Sfas Emes as saying: “But the creations are not like that…they need to receive chiyus from Hakadosh Baruch Hu at every moment.” In other words, Hashem’s creations cannot endure independently without external power – the koach of the Boreh. He explained that that’s why Hashem created us with the need to eat and drink. Hashem could have created humans without the need for sustenance – external energy. But food contains “sparks” of the nefesh – when we eat properly – what is permissible to us and for proper intentions – to serve Hashem – we elevate the sparks in the food.
The talmidim spoke to the Rosh Yeshivah about other topics as well, including the Holocaust and the sins of the talmidim of Rebbe Akiva.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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21 Responses
its beautiful that he meets with other types of Yidden and does not insist on speaking in Yiddish a language that maybe 2% of Yidden know fluently today.
Feel free to elaborate.
Thanks for this!
Btw think in english it’s “perpetual motion”.
We say in davenen המחדש בכל יום תמיד מעשה בראשית Hashem renews everyday constantly the creation. Its like a balloon that loses air and needs to be refilled constantly. String Theory might demonstrate this where the strings of energy in every matter are reinforced.
Magnificent. More.
lakewoodbt,nearly every great yeshiva in the world has its best shiurim in yiddish…
if the language is too hard for you i understand but doesnt mean you have to start putting it down
The Imrei Emes of gur
His son the Lev Simcha 《 》his son the Pnei Menacham
The gerrer rebber Reb Shaul
הפך בה, והפך בה, דכולה בה
A spark is an incandescent particle, that we can perhaps translate here at the energy we get from the food.
Earth’s magnetic field occurs deep within the Earth’s interior, in a layer known as the outer core to be precise. Here the convective energy from the slow-moving molten iron is converted to electrical and magnetic energy. The magnetic field then induces electric currents which in turn generate their own magnetic field which induces more electric currents, in a positive feedback loop.
For a planet to generate its own magnetic field by the geodynamo process, it must have the following characteristics:
The planet rotates fast enough
Its interior must have a fluid medium
The interior fluid must have the ability to conduct electricity
The core must have an internal source of energy that propels convection currents in the liquid interior.
The magnetosphere is described as a shield to protect the earth from “solar wind” and prevent other harmful particles from entering the other’s protective layers.
Nonetheless, past studies showed that when the direction of solar wind is opposite to the magnetosphere’s magnetic field, magnetic lines from these two regions can [connect] This means that some solar wind particles can be directly transmitted to the space surrounding Earth.
The researchers were able to unveil solar flare effects on magnetospheric dynamics and on the electrodynamic [coupling] between the magnetosphere and the ionosphere. More specifically, they observed a lower Joule heating of the Earth’s upper atmosphere, a reconfiguration of the magnetosphere convection and changes in auroral precipitation.
The sun increases the earth capacity to protect itself, strengtens the earth and much more, there is a lot to study about this fascinating subject!
!לכשיפוצו מעיינותיך חוצה
He speaks mostly in Hebrew to his Chassidim
I don’t really understand his point from a perpetual motiom machine. According to the scientific understanding, the sun has been providing a ton of energy every day to all of us for thousands of years. We consume around two thousand kilocalories a day which is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of two thousand kilograms of water by one degree Celsius. We get that energy from food which is either animals who get that energy from plants, or plants who get that energy from the sun. And the sun gets it’s energy from the fusion of hydrogen atoms into helium. So, while this energy may not be truly infinite (in the mathematical sense of the term), according to the scientific understanding, it has provided the source of energy for life on earth every day.
Rav Asher Arieli also gives his shiur in Hebrew so that the Israeli bochrim can understand. It’s interesting that in Lakewood or Brisk they give shiurim in Yiddish to American bochrim when they can give it in English and they’ll probably understand it better.
Dan The, you really don’t understand.
Zetruth: how do you know all this physics?
Rav Ashet’ shiur is in Yiddish.
He gives a much smaller shiur in the evening in Hebrew for Israelis who don’t understand Yiddish.
Dan the : I do research and I can tell you that what was true yesterday might not be true tomorrow, things are constantly evolving.
One thing I’m concerned about is that we are not getting the same amount of nutrients from the food than we use to. Since 2013, many ailments are being ionized with gamma rays, it might be one factor, the other one is the soil is being depleted of essential minerals.
The bal shem tov asked אימת קאתי מר? – or when will the Lord come? – referring to the Messiah, but at the same time, to God. The Messiah then answered: לכשיפוצו מעיינותיך חוצה – which literally means – “when your rivers will flow outwards”. By that he meant, when God’s word, or more specifically, when the Hasidic word, will be wide spread.
Is this translation correct @חכם מה הוא אומר?
I thought that gamma rays were only found in outer space or in extreme events like nuclear explosions. They are the part of the EM spectrum which are most dangerous since they have the highest frequency (and therefore shortest wavelength) which means that that they have the highest energy (according to the Planck equation E = hf where f is the frequency and h is the Planck constant). These high energy particles can harm the cells of the body because they can ionize molecules. But the EM waves which are lower than Ultra Violet (UV) light, such as visible light and microwaves should be harmless.
@Zetruth
Along those lines.
“Perpetual motion machines are impossible, at least in our everyday world. But down at the level of quantum mechanics, the laws of thermodynamics don’t always apply in quite the same way. In 2021, after years of effort, physicists successfully demonstrated the reality of a “time crystal,” a new state of matter that is both stable and ever-changing without any input of energy.”
New article in Quanta