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There is a well known and popular interpretation of quantum mechanics known as the Many-worlds interpretation (MWI) interpretation of quantum mechanics.

It says that, "... all possible outcomes of quantum measurements are physically realized in some "world" or universe.[1]"

The many-worlds interpretation implies that there are very many universes, perhaps infinitely many. MWI views time as a many-branched tree, wherein every possible quantum outcome is realised... every possible outcome of a quantum event exists in its own universe.[2]

Is it possible that MWI is in accordance with the Torah?

I spoke to a few people who know their Halacha/ Kabbalah and they disagreed with me and said that there can -not- be 2 or more Matan Torah's nor can there be 2 or more Avrahams. They also argued that there is only one Torah and the MWI would mean there are multiple Torahs.

This is where I disagree with them.

I believe that MWI is possible and still not violate Torah.

Let us say that it is the year 2171 and Issac just blessed Jacob. Later during the day a new world was created due to some sort of fluctuation in the quantum realm. (I don't want to focus on the quantum fluctuation too much; it will take this post off topic )

After the quantum fluctuation, a new world comes into place and now we have 2 worlds with 2 Jacobs, 2 Isaacs, 2 Rebeccas etc. doing their thing and living normally. In one world Rebecca is wearing a green rob and in the other she is wearing a blue robe to shul.

But in BOTH worlds one of the main truths is eventually realized. ( The Torah has hundreds or Thousands of these truths )

The truth is that Timna ends up being Eliphaz's concubine in both worlds.

Timna becoming Eliphaz's concubine is absolutely imperative since the Torah is the absolute truth and the concubinage of Timna to Eliphaz must occur in both; which is possible.

As far as MWI is concerned, the other semantics like what Issac ate for breakfast on the 14 of Elul, 2171 is irrelevant.

It seems that MWI can hold water and not contradict the Torah.

I would like you guys's opinion too on this.

Thank you for the replies!

[1] Tegmark, Max (1998). "The Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics: Many Worlds or Many Words?". Fortschritte der Physik. 46 (6–8): 855–862.

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Many-worlds_interpretation

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The Midrash says that God created many worlds before ours, then destroyed them because He "did not like them". The Zohar says that God destroyed them because they would not follow the Torah. He asked, and no one would. In our world, only Israel did:

The Torah is the salvation of the world... [We must understand that] God created worlds and destroyed them in the following way: Those who do not keep the precepts of the Law [destroy themselves of their own account]. It is not that God destroys His own works, as some fancy. For why indeed should He destroy His own children? [Zohar Bereshit 1:25a]

So a world without Torah will destroy itself. It is not God who will do it. Along those lines, the Midrash notes that bereshit can also mean “with reshit”, that is “with the beginning”, “the beginning” being the Torah. So the first phrase should read: “With the beginning (that is, with the Torah) God created the world.” [Gen. R. 1:1]

We conclude that God will not allow the existence of a world without Torah. This does not invalidate the theory of parallel universes. It just removes some of these universes from the mix.

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  • I heard the idea before that G-d created other cultures before the present one and destroyed them. However, we can't take midrashim literally. There are many midrashim with all kinds of imaginative stories, a kind of science fiction. On the other hand, it's theoretically possible that there are parallel universes. Science has been posturing the multiverse, like little bubbles, uncountable.
    – Turk Hill
    Dec 17, 2021 at 0:12

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