Ancient Jewish Texts Predicted Space Travel? Rabbi Daniel Glatstein

podcast. >> Okay, friends, uh this is the conclusion of this uh series, which uh part one, the series on UFOs, extraterrestrial beings, and space travel, contemporary halachic analysis. Part one, we did the earliest sources of whether there are life on other planets. We saw the opinion of Rabbi Yehudah Barceloni in his commentary to the Sefer Yetzirah, who even acknowledged the possibility that there is Torah uh elsewhere on the universe. We saw the opinion of Rav Hasdai Crescas, who also acknowledged that opinion, that there could be life on other planets, even intelligent life on other planets. The other view, the other extreme, the opinion of Rabbi Yosef Albo, who says that no, it is impossible that there is any life on any planets. He said, "Yoreh anokhi she lo yomar she ish el olam acherem." There is no There are no other worlds. There There is no life. There are no They don't have free choice. And then we had the in-between view of the Sefer HaB'rit, who said, "While there is other life, other life does not have free choice." Last week we saw the opinions in part two of Rav Tuvia Harofeh, Rav Tuvia Cohen, Rav David Nieto. We learned the opinion of Rav Pinchas of the Pardes Rimmonim. And this week in part three, we uh examined the seven contemporary views. One thing is for sure, and the one thing everybody agrees to, is that there are many, many worlds out there. We know Chazal say, "Atidah Hakadosh Baruch Hu lehanhil lechol tzaddik vetzaddik she olamot." >> And we know that Hashem created many, many stars, millions of stars, maybe trillions of stars. And there's a lot of discussion, what is the purpose of all of these various alamot? What do they exist for? And if you look in Tikunei Zohar, Tikunei Zohar teaches that the number of stars are without number, but each star is considered a separate world by itself. Tikunei Zohar is found on Yod Dalet Amud Bet. He says on the pasuk Ve'alamot ein mispar, he's going on the pasuk in Shir Hashirim, Ve'alamot ein mispar, says Tikunei Zohar. Ve'eilain alamot al tikrei alamot, ela alamot. Don't read it maidens, but rather read it worlds. In fact, Tikunei Zohar says that each one, each tzaddik will be given a star and have a world to himself. So the 18,000 worlds that we spoke about from the Gemara in Avodah Zarah, would be somehow the number of stars ruled over that uh by 18,000 tzaddikim that the pasuk in uh Yechezkel alludes to. Which may offer us a reason, suggested by Ari Kaplan, of why Hashem created all these worlds. Hashem created all these worlds as a place for the 18,000 tsadikim. In other words, the Earth perhaps does not have enough space to reward and award all of the tsadikim. And the various endless worlds in the shamayim are areas of reward for all the great tsadikim. Now, the question then is, once we know that the stars and the planets were created as a some kind of abode for the tsadikim, how are the tsadikim going to get there? How are these tsadikim going to reach and travel to all these various worlds? By the way, the the Midrash says in Pekudei, lo kol tsadik v'tsadik have a lay olam b'atzmai. Lo kol tsadik tsadik olam b'atzma. Each tsadik is awarded a world unto itself. So, there is an amazing Gemara in Sanhedrin, and we'll end this series with this. Uh Rabbi Ari Kaplan, in his article, breakthrough article on the topic of extraterrestrial life, he concludes with the following uh thought. The Gemara tells us in Maseches Sanhedrin, v'niskaf Hashem l'vado b'yom hahu, says the Gemara daf tzadi bet amud bet. Tsadikim mah in oisin? What will Hashem do to the righteous? Hakadosh Baruchu oiseh lahem k'nafayim k'nasharim. God will make them wings like the eagles. V'shatin al p'nei mayim, they'll float on the water, they'll hover over the water. Shenemar, al kein lo yira b'hamer aretz. b'mayd harim b'layv yamim. So, the Gemara says, "Well, maybe it will be painful. How are they going to hover?" V'sham they will grow wings like eagles. Yarutzu, they will run. V'lo yiga'u, they won't tire. Yelchu, they will walk. V'lo yeyafu, they won't weary. In other words, where exactly are these tzaddikim flying when the world is uninhabited? So, Rabbi Kaplan understands that these teachings of Chazal are a prediction of space travel. And this in a way indicates and alludes to the idea how space travel is inevitable as a prelude to the coming of Mashiach. And it also brings a very fascinating topic whether technology can be used and will be used as the way that the promises of the Nevi'im will come to fruition. The Chofetz Chaim seems to write that in fact that indeed the technology is the way with which we should visualize how all the promises of the Torah and the Nevi'im will come true. But, if we're living in an age where space travel is constantly being developed and taken to the next level, and Rabbi Kaplan says that all the trillions of Elamites, which Chazal understand are realms to reward the tzaddikim, that the technology of space travel at the very least helps us visualize and imagine how these will reach there. Uh and if not as a martial maybe even more than that maybe in reality how they will reach all these various mice. So, if you walk out into the night time sky and you see uh an unidentified flying saucer and you use your telescope and inside you see living forms teeming around will give you an opportunity to review the sheet of the hood of Barcelona and I press cast and I will be able and the safer race and the auto and to be a wife and the same sofa and the opinion of Abraham is going cook and the opinion of Kaminsky and about and the way check and the Miller and the home and Isaacson and I am going to ask you and when I know we come maybe one of the questions you'll ask Yahoo he should come he should be my best the toy voice voice in the comments and you'll ask what's going on in Neptune on Mars but until that great day so far the best information that has come to our attention is that the state department spent half a million half a billion dollars blowing up a kid's balloon that was determined to be an unidentified flying object. Anyway, have a great day everyone but I like that guy. >> [laughter] >> Thank you. Have a good day. >> Recording stopped. >> Yeah. I I am Yeah, let me see if I