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A Nuclear
Reactor For the Era of Moshiach
by Rabbi Shimon Silman
Director, Rabbi Yisroel Aryeh Leib
Research Institute on Moshiach & Science
Introduction: Every year the yartzeit of Rabbi Yisroel Aryeh Leib
Schneerson z.l., the youngest brother of the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, is
the occasion of a conference on Moshiach and science research. The institute
sponsoring the conference is named for Rabbi Yisroel Aryeh Leib as he was
the chosid whose life inspired Moshiach and science research particularly
because of the way that he devoted himself to the intense study of
Chassidus while carrying out research in mathematical physics. While we
discussed this at length in an article last year, here we note that Rabbi
Yisroel Aryeh Leib's trademark was his ability to explain the most abstract
concepts in simple everyday speech. He once complained that there was a certain
concept in Chassidus that he did not yet understand fully. His proof that
he didn't yet fully understand it was that he was not yet able to explain
it totally in everyday language without using any technical terminology
from Chassidus!
What we can learn from this in our efforts to open our eyes and see the
Geulah in the world, is not to look for new comets in the sky (except for
the purpose of saying the bracha "oseh ma'aseh bereishis") but
rather to look at what is going on down here on earth in our everyday
lives. In connection with this we present an interview we did with
Professor Alvin Radkowsky regarding
a new development in an area of concern to everyone in the world - nuclear
weapons and nuclear energy.
Prof. Radkowsky, the former Chief Scientist of Admiral Rickover, is the
nuclear engineer who designed the nuclear navy of the United States. Some
twenty years ago, before moving to Eretz Yisroel, he met with the Rebbe,
Melech HaMoshiach. In this yechidus, which lasted for 45 minutes, they discussed
many matters of science and he received the blessing of the Rebbe, Melech
HaMoshiach. Then, in Eretz Yisroel he began the design of a new
nonproliferative nuclear reactor which, if successful, would supply cheap
nuclear energy to all nations of the world without fear of the materials
being used to make weapons. He is a professor at Tel Aviv University. The
following is the interview we did with him on 7 Shevat, 5754:
Interview
Rabbi Silman: Professor Radkowsky, welcome to our conference. The first
thing I would like to ask you in connection with the theme of our
conference, "Seeing Moshiach through the Eyes of Science." A
couple of years ago the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, announced Higias Zman
geulosam, that the time of the redemption has come. And now everything in
the world has to be connected with and prepared for the Redemption by
Moshiach. That is why we organized this series of conferences. The first
one took place two years ago on the 40th yurtzeit of the
youngest brother of the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach. His name was Rabbi
Yisroel Aryeh Leib. He was a great mathematician who worked in areas of
theoretical physics and quantum mechanics in the late 30's and early 40's.
He passed away in 1952 while he was working at the Department of Theoretical
Physics at the University of Liverpool. The theme of the conference is to
define for professional scientists what it means that our scientific
professions have to be ready for Moshiach, what is the role that science
will play in the era of Moshiach, and how we can bring the revelation of
Moshiach into our scientific work, our scientific study and the discipline
of science itself. In short, how to bring Moshiach into the world of
Science.
Going back several years, the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, once spoke about
the statement in the Zohar that says, in the 600th years from the 6th
millennium the windows of heaven
above will open up and the fountains of wisdom below will open up and this
will prepare the world for the coming of Moshiach. In a sicha, the Rebbe, Melech
HaMoshiach, explains that the windows of the heaven above refers to the
revelation in the time of the Alter Rebbe, the first Lubavitch Rebbe, of
the teachings of Chassidus, that teach the unity of G-d in the world. The
fountains of wisdom below, refer to new developments in the sciences which
took place at the same time which prepare the world for the coming of
Moshiach by showing unity within nature, thus preparing the world, for the
revelation of the absolute unity of G-d which will be reveled and evident
to everyone in the time of Moshiach. Can you explain for us how the
developments in the past century or so in quantum mechanics, atomic theory,
and nuclear physics, show a greater degree of unity in nature then was ever
before perceivable.
Prof. Radkowsky: There is a great deal to be said on this subject but I
will only confine myself to one aspect which I think is extremely revealing
and that is the role of quantum mechanics. As most of you know the recent
articles in Physics Today and Scientific America have shown that there seem
to be contradictory experiments when it comes to the role of particle
physics. This is based on the fact that ultimately it is not possible to
observe the momentum and the position of a particle at the same time. If we
want to have full knowledge of a position we can not have full knowledge of
the momentum and vice versus. It seems that there is a limit to our
understanding. We can never have a complete understanding. This was
reconciled by Neils Bohr with the idea of complementarity. If you have a
lense, from one point of observation it seems to be convex and from the
other point - the opposite point - it seems to be concave and both things
are true yet at first sight they seem to be contradictory. Really there is
a unity between these two viewpoints which seem to be absolutely
contradictory. There is an ancient problem in our understanding of G-d's
rule of the universe, which was especially mentioned by the Rambam: How can
we reconcile free will with the fact of G-d's knowledge of the future. How
can the two things be reconciled. The Rambam says that the answer to this
is as deep as the sea and as wide as the earth. In other words, its
impossible to have an understanding of it. But actually if we use the idea
of complementarity we do see that it is possible to have both. There is no
contradiction between the two because just as you cannot simultaneously
observe the convexity of a lens at the same time you observe its concavity,
the same way you cannot observe the prior knowledge of G-d with the
person's exercise of his free will. So even though this seems to be
contradictory, its in line with the basic principle of complementarity
which we find exists all throughout science of the universe. I think that
is all I can say in a short time. [1]
Rabbi Silman: You mentioned Rambam - what Rambam writes in Hilchos Yesodei
HaTorah about the knowledge of Hashem and free will. The Halacha with which
Rambam starts Hilchos Yesodei HaTorah is: "The foundation of all
foundations and the pillar of all wisdom is to know there is a First Being
Who causes everything else to exist and everything that exists in the
heaven and earth and that which is between them, exists only by virtue of
the true existence of the Creator, Hashem." Now this applies not just
to objects like a table and a chair or a video camera but this applies to
more abstract entities like a concept or a scientific discipline. How can
one see within the study of physics or science in general that the true
existence of this entity, the scientific discipline, is not an independent
entity but its true existence is the existence of the Creator.
Prof. Radkowsky: I think its really what I said before, that this
fundamental paradox we observe in quantum theory, while its first brought
to our attention in quantum theory it involves the entire universe. So the
whole understanding of the fundamental way in which Hashem interacts with
nature is understood through this fundamental principle ofcomplementarity.
Another important thing is the fact that the limitations which is imposed
by, you might say, relativity and quantum mechanics, the limitations on our
knowledge, while our knowledge has grown very great we can go into space
and we can go very deeply into computing - we have great computing powers,
at the same time we realize our limitations because mankind has to be great
and humble at the same time. The very existence of the fact that there is a
limit on the speed of light makes it impossible for us ever to yell very
far into the universe because human life is finite and the universe is so
great. The same principle limits our power to calculate and compute because
there is a fundamental limit on computing - how far we can go is limited by
the speed of light because after a certain point we cannot increase faster
then the signals will travel between different components of a computer so
in both cases our knowledge has advanced so much that we finally realize
our limitations.
Rabbi Silman: So then you would say that we can see within science itself
that it has reached its limitation and points to something beyond itself?
Prof. Radkowsky : Yes.
Rabbi Silman: Something higher then itself.
Prof. Radkowsky: Yes.
Rabbi Silman: So would you say that this is a way in which we can actually
apply the first halacha in Rambam to our scientific professions?
Prof. Radkowsky: We can go very far - much farther then we thought possible
before but as we go further and further we realize our limitations.
Rabbi Silman: Then hopefully we see beyond that the existence of the
Creator who sets up and maintains the whole system of the universe and the
scientific disciplines that study it.
Prof. Radkowsky: yes. We can see very far. We cannot go very far.
Rabbi Silman: You yourself have attained international fame as a physicist
because of you work in nuclear reactor design which goes back to the time
you worked with Admiral Rickover and the design of the nuclear submarines.
Can you review some of that history for us and say something about your
work with Admiral Rickover and the developments which lead up the design of
your most recent reactor.
Prof. Radkowsky: Well it was not only nuclear submarines it was nuclear
aircraft carriers, destroyers, guided missile ships. All sorts of nuclear
ships.
Rabbi Silman: Can you review some of that history and what you did?
Prof. Radkowsky: yes. Although our initial efforts were based on military
aspects because the ability of a nuclear propulsion was even more important
for nuclear aircraft carriers then for nuclear submarines because a
conventional aircraft carrier is dead in the water after about two or three
days of full power sailing while a nuclear driven aircraft carrier can go
for 10 years without refueling The most important thing is that this lead
to the possibility of peace time reactors--using nuclear reactors for
peace. Unfortunately, the conventional nuclear reactors generate an immense
amount of plutonium. Tons and tons of it which can be used for weapons. So
while we created an unlimited source of energy we created at the same time
a potential destroyer of Mankind. This has lead to a great deal of
opposition to nuclear energy because of the potential dangers that it will
lead to nuclear war. Now I have developed a means of nuclear energy which
will not produce any possibility of weapons. I believe this will lead to a
universal source of energy which can be applied throughout the world. The
International Atomic Energy Commission said that the application of nuclear
energy in third world countries is limited by
the possibility of nuclear proliferation because these countries are
inherently unstable and although greatly in need of energy, the
conventional nuclear stations where they create the possibility of these
governments using these reactors to produce weapons but with this new type
of reactor it can be used all over the world and these third world
countries, many of them have no sources of energy - they have no oil or
coal and they cut down most of their forests for fire wood. And this is
going to lead them to impoverishment and ultimately will lay the seeds for
a split between have nations and have-not-nations. By means of this nuclear
energy invention there will be unlimited amounts of energy made available
to these third world nations without any danger of weapons. This will lead
to a potentially great rise in prosperity and universal peace.
Rabbi Silman: This reminds one of the conference two years ago of the heads
of state of the major world powers, the United States, Russia and others,
where a declaration was made that there was going to be a cut back in the
production of weapons, and the money saved would be used to increase food
production. At the time the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, said that this is the
beginning of the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah that "They will
beat their swords into plowshares."
Prof. Radkowsky: This is sort of an extension of that idea. Instead of
making nuclear reactors which can be used for weapons we now make them so
that they can be used only for peace and to give these impoverished nations
a cheap and safe source of energy so that they can apply it and also grow
wealthy.
Rabbi Silman: So you see your new reactor as...
Prof. Radkowsky:....a major step toward world peace.
Rabbi Silman: And the Geula?
Prof. Radkowsky: yes.
Rabbi Silman: It is certainly an exciting development to witness. I recall
that before you left for Eretz Yisroel, you had the opportunity to have a
private audience with the Rebbe, Melech
HaMoshiach.
Prof. Radkowsky: yes.
Rabbi Silman: Dr. Berg told me that you discussed matters of science and
technology and that the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, encouraged you to
continue writing on matters of Yiddishkeit with respect to the sciences?
What was the outcome of that audience?
Prof. Radkowsky: Well I think many of the new ideas which I have been
working on in Eretz Yisroel about the use of nuclear energy for peace time
and the more profound ideas of the implication of scientific knowledge to
the unity of Hashem and His supreme powers which mankind can never hope to
match. For me its been a series of miracles in my work. I hope that it will
be successful, im yirtza Hashem, and will really lead to something which
will benefit mankind.
Rabbi Silman: Thank you very much.
This
Year's Conference
On Tuesday, 13 Iyar, May 20, the 6th annual conference on Moshiach and
science will take place b'ezras Hashem. A wide range of scholars will speak
on topics related to the theme "The Convergence of Science to Torah in
the Era of Moshiach". Dr. Tzvi Saks, a world reknown topologist and
research scientist with the Carnegie Group in Pittsburg, will discuss
"Mathematical Models of Kabbalistic Concepts." Professor Aryeh
Gotfryd of the University of Toronto, will discuss "The Conscious
Universe" explaining how the most advanced science of our time accepts
the concept that the universe was created by a Conscious Being (G-d) for a
purpose. Also this year we will have the exciting experience of hearing
from a newcomer to our conferences, Dr. Neil Miller of Radex Corporation who
will discuss the commentary he recently wrote on Rabbi Yisroel Aryeh Leib's
famous mathematical paper, "The Location of Eigenvalues and
Eigenvectors of Complex Matricies."
The conference is being cosponsored by Chabad at NYU and will take place in
the Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life at New York University, 7 E.
10th St, in Manhattan. (See the ad in this issue of Beis Moshiach.)
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NOTES:
1. In fact, the question is much deeper than just "observing"
Hashem's knowledge and free will. See the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach's Hadran
on the Rambam, 5746, Likutei Sichos vol. 27, pp. 251-252. - ed.
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