The dual nature of light—both wave and particle—serves as a powerful metaphor for the mysterious and shifting boundaries of reality itself. In quantum physics, experiments have shown that even after light is measured as a particle, it can still display wave-like properties. This is not just a scientific curiosity; it provides a strong lens through which we can understand our experiences and spiritual journeys. Just as light can exist in two forms simultaneously, we, too, shift between states of infinite possibility and concrete reality, with both being equally real, depending on our focus and perception.

This interplay between the undefined and the defined is mirrored in our spiritual lives. Trust in God acts as a spiritual mechanism that enables us to move between these states. Trust opens us to the endless possibilities that exist in the undifferentiated, while action grounds us in the finite realities of the differentiated. This dynamic interaction is similar to the quantum world, where energy from the quantum vacuum is omnipresent, limitless, and undifferentiated until it is channeled into specific forms.

Light, the most mysterious and fundamental aspect of all matter, embodies the idea that everything—even when it appears as a photon—has an underlying core with the miraculous qualities of light. These two identities—wave and particle, potential and actual—are constantly in a state of coexistence. Even the most solid and tangible objects, at the core of every atom, preserve this quantum trait of two seemingly contradictory states, enabling the object to emerge with surprises from the core of all potentials.

As wave energy develops, it takes form as waves, particles, and matter, but at its core, it remains limitless potential. Even when the quantum world collapses into a decoherent state, the fundamental quantum reality—the realm of the mysterious and the possible—still exists, although it may be harder to access as it transitions into the Newtonian world of classical physics for several reasons.

Chassidic philosophy offers a mystical parallel to these scientific insights. It describes two essential modes of divine energy: Sovev Kol Almin, the all-encompassing light, and Memaleh Kol Almin, the immanent, measured, and more defined filling light. Sovev Kol Almin is the transcendent, infinite energy of God, which is not limited by the constraints of creation, much like a wave........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)