Back to All Events

Rabbi Akiva, the Ger Tzedek, and Quantum Mechanics

  • Franciscan Community Center 214 West 97th Street New York, NY, 10025 United States (map)

Rescheduled from January 6th. Shaare Zedek member Dr. Irving Engelson takes us on a journey connecting two historical Jewish figures and the field of quantum mechanics.

Quantum mechanics suggest that the world of small particles is statistical in nature and not deterministic. A major part of quantum theory is called the Heisenberg Uncertainly Principle which shows that nothing can be certain, and we can only describe things in terms of probabilities. In life, we continuously make decisions whose outcomes are not predicable, and frequently not determinable. Other such examples are the lives of Rabbi Akiva and the Ger Tzedek, whose lives took unpredictable paths and shaped Judaism as we practice it today. Join Irv after kiddush lunch to learn about how these people and ideas are related.