Researchers have for many years been probing the fundamental properties of elements and in more recent history using super colliders to probe their interactions upon collision and decomposition. The most recent study that has been published [1] was conducted by smashing lead (Pb) atoms together at speeds 99.9999991% of the speed of light using strong magnetic fields in the LHC (Large Hadron Collider). The results of the collisions helped scientists to develop correlations between three flow coefficients as well as correlations between higher moments of two different flow coefficients which is claimed to pave the way to tighten constraints on initial-state models and help to extract precise information on the dynamic evolution of the hot and dense matter created in heavy-ion collisions. These results are said to help scientists understand the first matter that appeared after the Big Bang.
Reference
- Alice Collaboration, “Measurements of mixed harmonic cumulants in Pb–Pb collisions at sqrt(Snn)=5.02 TeV” Physics Letters B Volume 818, 10 July 2021, 136354, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physletb.2021.136354
The Pb-Pb collisions in the LHC was reported to lead to a quark-gluon plasma (QGP) which lasted a fraction of a second following its formation. This was enough time for scientists to measure the properties of this plasma’s liquid-like characteristics. Some of the properties of this liquid-like plasma is that it was less resistant to flow than any other known substance. The Scientific community has the presupposition of the creation of the universe through the Big Ban and it is postulated that after this singular event, the universe was a soup of energy just prior to its expanding (period known as inflation) which allowed the created matter to form, solidify, interact, and form stars, and planets, etc. The first thing that was created are the fundamental particles known as quarks, along with the gluons which is the strong force that holds the quarks together. As these particles cooled, they formed subatomic particles called hadrons leading to the formation of protons and neutrons. Scientists were attempting to study this phenomenon using the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland. Smashing the Pb-Pb particles together led to the formation of a plasma that effectively melted the Pb particles into their primordial forms for a fraction of a second. This research paper [1] reported the first time scientists were able to detect the liquid properties of this kind of collision in detail. The plasma was said to have lasted only 10^-23 seconds, and a new computer simulation that was coupled with the measured data allowed them to ascertain the correlation data in the initial-state fluctuations and probe the nonlinear hydrodynamic response of the v2 and v3 to their corresponding initial anisotropy coefficients e2 and e3. These are related to the analytical mathematical analysis technique, v2, and v3 are known as the lower Fourier harmonics in anisotropic flow models. These initial state models allowed for scientists to study the properties of these particles which condensed into hadrons. They discovered the QGP was a perfect liquid which means that it had virtually zero viscosity which is the measure of the resistance to flow. This liquid also changed shape over time in a way that was unlike other forms of matter. The scientists report that these results provide insights into the early state of the universe after the creation event. In order to further probe this new form of matter, they need a better upgraded particle accelerator. There is a new billion dollar accelerator being built in the USA which will be completed in 2031. This accelerator is being built at the Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory Upton Long Island. Funding for the project will primarily come from the DOE, which expects to fund up to $2.6 billion, with New York State adding an additional $100 million. That will pay for a 2.4-mile long ring to be built parallel to the collider that’s already in place at Brookhaven. It’s hoped that investment will pay off if researchers can understand the nature of how gluons bind structures together.
The Spiritual Insights that we receive from this type of research is related to the creation of the universe as it is described according to the Torah (the 5 books of Moses) in the Bible. Now the standard cosmological model proposed by scientists today is the Big Bang model. This model is the result of observations that have been made by the expansion of the universe and the Hubble constant (H = 55 (km/s)/Mpc). The Hubble constant represents the initial rate of expansion of the universe under the assumption of there being a constant rate of expansion. The Bible describes the universe in various ways. According to the Scriptures God created the universe. This means there was a prime mover, creator, God who created what we know and see today, setting up the laws of thermodynamics, physics, and chemistry. This is drastically different from the model proposed today for the big bang which postulates a singularity was what formed the universe and then led to an evolutionary process of creation. According to the Greek NT, the words used to describe the universe are given in various ways, such as the word κόσμος (kosmos) for example in Matthew 4:8, βασιλείας τοῦ κόσμου καὶ τὴν, “the kingdoms of the world and their glory.” (There are many examples, compare: Matthew 5:14, Matthew 13:35, Matthew 13:38, Matthew 16:26, Matthew 18:7, Matthew 24:21,Matthew 25:34, Matthew 26:13, Mark 8:36, Mark 14:9, Mark 16:15, Luke 9:25, Luke 11:50, Luke 12:30, John 1:9, John 1:10, John 1:29, John 3:16, John 3:17, John 3:17, John 3:17, John 3:19 ). Sometimes the entire universe is what is referred to as we see according to Acts 17:24 ὁ θεὸς ὁ ποιήσας τὸν κόσμον καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐν αὐτῷ, οὗτος οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς ὑπάρχων κύριος οὐκ ἐν χειροποιήτοις ναοῖς κατοικεῖ “The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.” In the Hebrew bible, we read in Jeremiah 10:16, לֹֽא־כְאֵ֜לֶּה חֵ֣לֶק יַעֲקֹ֗ב כִּֽי־יוֹצֵ֤ר הַכֹּל֙ ה֔וּא וְיִ֨שְׂרָאֵ֔ל שֵׁ֖בֶט נַֽחֲלָת֑וֹ יְהוָ֥ה צְבָא֖וֹת שְׁמֽוֹ׃ “The portion of Jacob is not like these; For the Maker of all is He, And Israel is the tribe of His inheritance; The LORD of hosts is His name.” (NASB) where the words כִּֽי־יוֹצֵ֤ר הַכֹּל֙ ה֔וּא describe the universe as God making / forming all things. In the Scriptures, such as in Parashat Haazinu (Devarim / Deuteronomy 32:1–52, הַאֲזִ֥ינוּ הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וַאֲדַבֵּ֑רָה וְתִשְׁמַ֥ע הָאָ֖רֶץ אִמְרֵי־פִֽי׃) the calling of “Heaven and Earth” are the way Moshe described the entire universe. Just as in the creation account which describes God as creating all things saying, בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ׃ “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Notice how this is the very first verse in the Bible. All of Scripture opens by showing God as being the beginning of all things, and when we read Revelation (the end of scripture), we see that God is also the end of all things! What we learn by reading the Scriptures is how God is the Creator of a completed universe. This is why the opening verses in the Bible are so important, let’s have a closer look:
ספר בראשית פרק א
א בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ: ב וְהָאָרֶץ הָיְתָה תֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ וְחשֶׁךְ עַל-פְּנֵי תְהוֹם וְרוּחַ אֱלֹהִים מְרַחֶפֶת עַל-פְּנֵי הַמָּיִם: ג וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים יְהִי-אוֹר וַיְהִי-אוֹר: ד וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת-הָאוֹר כִּי-טוֹב וַיַּבְדֵּל אֱלֹהִים בֵּין הָאוֹר וּבֵין הַחֹשֶׁךְ: ה וַיִּקְרָא אֱלֹהִים | לָאוֹר יוֹם וְלַחֹשֶׁךְ קָרָא לָיְלָה וַיְהִי-עֶרֶב וַיְהִי-בֹקֶר יוֹם אֶחָד:
Bereshit / Genesis 1:1-5
1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 1:2 The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. 1:3 Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. 1:4 God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 1:5 God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.
Since God is the creator of all, it can be likewise concluded that God is also our Deliverer, King, and Lord. As a result of these things, the rabbis have written significantly on this subject of God being creator and since He is the beginning and the end, they also write about how God is savior and Lord. (See Midrash Rabbah Bereshit / Genesis Parashat 2) Note that in this section of the midrash, we read about many things the rabbis parallel to these first five verses from the Torah. The light and darkness refer to righteousness and unrighteousness, respectively. They also make reference to the light and darkness as the people of God and the nations , respectively. Light refers to the righteous acts of God’s people, and darkness to the wickedness of the nations. The significance of these comparisons cannot be understated! Specifically, Bereshit / Genesis 1:2 וְהָאָרֶץ הָיְתָה תֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ וְחשֶׁךְ עַל-פְּנֵי תְהוֹם וְרוּחַ אֱלֹהִים מְרַחֶפֶת עַל-פְּנֵי הַמָּיִם is said to provide us with a deliverer from darkness according to Midrash Rabbah.
מדרש רבה בראשית פרשה ב סימן ד
ד ר״ש בן לקיש פתר קריא בגליות, והארץ היתה תהו זה גלות בבל שנאמר (ירמיה ד) ראיתי את הארץ והנה תהו, ובהו זה גלות מדי (אסתר ו) ויבהילו להביא את המן, וחושך זה גלות יון שהחשיכה עיניהם של ישראל בגזירותיהן שהיתה אומרת להם, כתבו על קרן השור שאין לכם חלק באלהי ישראל, על פני תהום זה גלות ממלכת הרשעה שאין להם חקר כמו התהום מה התהום הזה אין לו חקר אף הרשעים כן, ורוח אלהים מרחפת זה רוחו של מלך המשיח, היאך מה דאת אמר (ישעיה יא) ונחה עליו רוח ה׳, באיזו זכות ממשמשת ובאה, המרחפת על פני המים בזכות התשובה שנמשלה כמים, שנאמר (איכה ב) שפכי כמים לבך, רבי חגי בשם רבי פדת אמר ברית כרותה למים שאפילו בשעת שרב רוחה שייפה
MIDRASH RABBAH BERESHIT, PARASHAT 2, PART 4
R. SIMEON B. LAKISH APPLIED THE PASSAGE TO THE FOREIGN POWERS. NOW THE EARTH WAS TOHU (E.V. UNINFORMED) SYMBOLIZES BABYLONIA, I BEHOLD THE EARTH, AND, LO, IT WAS TOHU, E.V. WASTE (JEREMIAH 4:23); AND BOHU (E.V. VOID) SYMBOLIZES MEDIA, THEY HASTENED (VA-YABHILLU) TO BRING HAMAN (ESTHER 6:14). AND DARKNESS SYMBOLIZES GREECE, WHICH DARKENED THE EYES OF ISRAEL WITH ITS DECREES, ORDERING ISRAEL, WRITE ON THE HORN OF AN OX THAT YOU HAVE NO PORTION IN THE GOD OF ISRAEL. UPON THE FACE OF THE DEEP, THIS WICKED STATE, JUST AS THE GREAT DEEP CANNOT BE PLUMBED, SO ONE CANNOT PLUMB THE DEPTHS OF INIQUITY OF THIS WICKED STATE. AND THE SPIRIT OF GOD HOVERED, THIS ALLUDES TO THE SPIRIT OF MESSIAH, AS YOU READ, AND THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD SHALL REST UPON HIM (ISAIAH 11:2). IN THE MERIT OF WHAT WILL THIS SPIRIT EVENTUALLY COME? FOR THE SAKE OF THAT WHICH HOVERED OVER THE FACE OF THE WATERS, I.E. IN THE MERIT OF REPENTANCE WHICH IS LIKENED TO WATER, AS IT IS WRITTEN, POUR OUT YOUR HEART LIKE WATER (LAMENTATIONS 2:19). R. HAGGAI SAID IN THE NAME OF R. PEDATH, A COVENANT WAS MADE WITH WATER THAT EVEN IN THE HOT SEASON A BREEZE STIRS OVER IT
To begin with, we are told how that which is void and without form (וְהָאָרֶץ הָיְתָה תֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ) is a reference to evil and ungodliness as Rabbi Simeon son of Lakish (ר״ש בן לקיש) compares this phrase to Babylon and Media and that וחושך זה גלות יון the darkness symbolized Greece. He continues saying וְרוּחַ אֱלֹהִים מְרַחֶפֶת עַל-פְּנֵי הַמָּיִם “the spirit of God hovering over the surface of the waters” alludes to the spirit of the Messiah and connects this to Isaiah 11:2 saying “the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him” (וְנָחָ֥ה עָלָ֖יו ר֣וּחַ יְהוָ֑ה ר֧וּחַ חָכְמָ֣ה וּבִינָ֗ה ר֤וּחַ עֵצָה֙ וּגְבוּרָ֔ה ר֥וּחַ דַּ֖עַת וְיִרְאַ֥ת יְהוָֽה׃). The second verse in the Torah is described as being surrounded by insurmountable darkness, and the Lord God hovering over the face of the waters as the Hebraic way of showing God’s presence having a salvific influence in the bringing of the spirit of the Messiah in righteousness and truth. This is followed by the very first act of creation as God said, וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים יְהִי-אוֹר וַיְהִי-אוֹר creating light by His righteousness and truth! The first two verses in the Torah speak to God’s ultimate plan, to deliver His people from darkness and bring them into the light, providing us with a significant amount of insight on the messianic nature of the King Messiah. The point of these things is that the rabbis are associating the movement of the Spirit of God with the coming of the Messiah. This is why we read what we do according to the apostolic Writings (NT) such as in Matthew 3 and from Isaiah that the anointed one of God would receive divine power to accomplish his mission.
King David wrote in his Psalm saying according to Tehillim / Psalms 25:5, הַדְרִ֘יכֵ֤נִי בַאֲמִתֶּ֨ךָ׀ וְֽלַמְּדֵ֗נִי כִּֽי־אַ֭תָּה אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׁעִ֑י אוֹתְךָ֥ קִ֝וִּ֗יתִי כָּל־הַיּֽוֹם׃ “Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I hope all the day long.” These truths of seeking the Lord God in heaven to lead us in truth, righteousness, holiness, and justice, coupled with the salvation of God out of the darkness, and hope, are given to us even from the very first few verses from the Scriptures. We are not to disregard any part of Scripture as irrelevant today for our lives. Just as we see how the sages have a fervent expectation of the Messiah’s coming as illustrated in Midrash Rabbah on Bereshit 1:1-2, we wait every day for the coming of the Messiah. In Orthodox Jewish halakhah, the belief in the coming Messiah is a requirement of faith. This is illustrated in Maimonides thirteen principles of Jewish faith, as Maimonides states:
| 1 | I believe by complete faith that the Creator, blessed be His name, is the Creator and Guide for all created beings. He alone made, makes, and will make all that is created. | |
| 2 | I believe by complete faith that the Creator, blessed be His name, is a Unity, and there is no union in any way like Him. He alone is our God, who was, who is, and who is to be. | |
| 3 | I believe by complete faith that the Creator, blessed be His name, is not a body, is not affected by physical matter, and nothing whatsoever can compare to Him [or be compared with Him]. | |
| 4 | I believe by complete faith that the Creator, blessed be His name, is the first and is the last. | |
| 5 | I believe by complete faith that the Creator, blessed be His name, to Him alone is it fitting to make prayer and to another prayer shall not be made. | |
| 6 | I believe by complete faith that all the words of the prophets are true. | |
| 7 | I believe by complete faith that the prophesy of Moses our teacher, may peace rest upon him, was true and that he was the father of all prophets that preceded him as well as all that came after him. | |
| 8 | I believe by complete faith that the whole Torah now found in our hands was the exact same one given to Moses, may peace rest upon him. | |
| 9 | I believe by complete faith that this is the Torah, and it shall not be changed and it shall not be replaced with another from the Creator, blessed be His name. | |
| 10 | I believe by complete faith that the Creator, blessed be His name, knows every action done by each human being as well as all their thoughts, as it was said, “It is He that fashions their hearts together and He ponders all ther deeds” [Ps. 33:15]. | |
| 11 | I believe by complete faith that the Creator, blessed be His name, rewards all who keep His commandments and punishes all those who transgress His commands. | |
| 12 | I believe by complete faith in the coming of the Messiah, and even though he tarry in waiting, in spite of that, I will still wait expectantly for him each day that he will come | |
| 13 | I believe by complete faith that there will be a resurrection of the dead at the time that will be pleasing before the Creator, blessed be His name, and the remembrance of Him will be exalted forever and for all eternity. |
Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon (Maimonides / Rambam) composed the thirteen principles of Jewish faith. These thirteen principles of faith are included in every Jewish prayer book, and are recited as a liturgical hymn at the conclusion of a Friday or Festival service. This recitation is known as the Yigda and embodies Judaism’s fundamental pillars of traditional belief, just as the Apostles’ or the Nicene Creeds do for Christians. Notice the twelfth principle includes the hopeful expectation of the coming of the Messiah! Principle thirteen includes the belief in the resurrection of the dead. Anyone who rejects the imminent return of the Messiah is considered heretical. There is an obligation to keep this imminent expectation alive in our lives as God who will deliver us out of darkness, and of the coming day of redemption, which applies to us every minute of every day! This is the strength of meaning and purpose of the Scriptures beginning with the creation account, the Lord God Almighty is the first and the last, the beginning and the end, he is our all in all! We note how all of these things are consistent with Scripture, as Yeshua said in Revelation 3:11 (אֲנִי בָּא מַהֵר, “I come quickly”) and 22:12 (״הִנְנִי בָּא מַהֵר, “behold I come quickly”). It is a mitzvah (command) to wait patiently for the return of our savior and king Messiah Yeshua! We note what Paul wrote saying in Romans 8:23-24, וְלֹא זֹאת בִּלְבַד, אֶלָּא גַּם אֲנַחְנוּ, שֶׁיֵּשׁ לָנוּ בִּכּוּרֵי הָרוּחַ, נֶאֱנָחִים בְּנַפְשֵׁנוּ וּמְצַפִּים לְמִמּוּשׁ אִמּוּצֵנוּ לְבָנִים –– לִפְדוּת גּוּפֵנוּ,שֶׁכֵּן בַּתִּקְוָה נוֹשַׁעְנוּ. אַךְ תִּקְוָה לְדָבָר שֶׁנִּרְאֶה לְעֵינַיִם אֵינָהּ תִּקְוָה, כִּי מַדּוּעַ יְקַוֶּה אָדָם לְמַה שֶּׁהוּא רוֹאֶה? “And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?” Paul also speaks of the imminence of the coming of the Messiah, as His return should fill our hearts with joy and excitement! With all of these things, we are told to be hopeful, expectant, and ready to receive our Redemption at any moment! This imminence of God’s return is revealed to us from all of the pages of the Scriptures, from the very beginning to the very end! So the question is, are you ready to meet your maker? Are you ready to receive the promised Redemption Yeshua is bringing upon His return? This is a wakeup call, “are you ready?”
