Unified Currents: The Spiritual Science of Torah, Tzedakah, and Mitzvah
Across the worlds of spirituality and science, certain patterns emerge that reveal a more profound unity beneath their apparent differences. This unity in principle affirms the statement that God looked into the Torah and created this universe. Everything in this universe receives its input from and through God’s wisdom and intellect, as expressed in our Holy Torah • By Rabbi Shlomo Ezagui • Full Article
By Rabbi Shlomo Ezagui
Across the worlds of spirituality and science, certain patterns emerge that reveal a more profound unity beneath their apparent differences. This unity in principle affirms the statement that God looked into the Torah and created this universe. Everything in this universe receives its input from and through God’s wisdom and intellect, as expressed in our Holy Torah.
One such pattern is the three-tiered system found in both Jewish mystical thought and the fundamentals of electricity. At first glance, the concepts of Torah, Tzedakah, and Mitzvah, on the one hand, and volts, amperes, and watts, on the other, seem to belong to completely separate domains—one spiritual, the other physical. However, upon closer examination, they reflect each other in meaningful ways, with each illustrating how potential transforms into reality through a process of channeling and actualization.
In the spiritual tradition, the Torah is often described as the most comprehensive source of divine energy and wisdom. It is the most powerful, all-encompassing light—what mystics call the “makif harachok,” or distant aura. For this reason, Torah has the special ability to protect and save those connected to it in all situations.
That is one reason why the Psalms are so powerful, as they embody both the qualities of Torah and the particular strength of the mitzvah of prayer. Reciting Psalms is a highly effective way to draw blessings from the all-encompassing God to the specific need you’re praying about.
Just as voltage is an essential component of electricity, representing the overall pressure or force that pushes electrons through a circuit, the Torah is the fundamental source of spiritual potential and influence. It is not limited or narrow to a single impact, act, or moment, but rather encompasses and empowers all of Jewish life, setting the foundation for everything that follows.
As we move closer to taking specific action, the concept of Tzedakah, or charity, emerges. Tzedakah is described as a “close aura,” a makif. While it surrounds the specific mitzva and is more closely related to it, it hovers above and is more focused and approachable than the Torah’s distant light, yet it remains broad and influential.
In the language of electricity, this is similar to amperes, which measure the flow of the more narrowly defined electric current—the volume of electrons moving through a circuit per second. If voltage is the overall pressure, amperage is the more specific measured flow, channeling the potential into a directed stream.
Tzedakah, too, channels the general spiritual force into a more specific, actionable form, preparing the way for individual acts of holiness. For this reason, it is always advisable for someone to give Tzedakah before performing any mitzvah, as the energy of Tzedakah represents a focused help to facilitate the mitzvah that follows.
Finally, at the most specific level, there is the individual mitzvah—the individual commandment or act. Each mitzvah is a concrete expression of divine spiritual energy, transforming potential and flow into a tangible specific impact in the world. Mezuzahs, for example, generate protection for the inhabitants of the house in which this mitzvah was performed.
In the scientific analogy, this is the role of watts, which measure the actual work done by electricity, such as lighting a bulb, powering a device, or running a motor. Watts are the product of volts and amps, just as the power of a mitzvah is the outcome and result of both the general potential of the Torah, the extra push and flow of tzedakah, and the actual deed of the mitzvah itself. Only when both the overarching force and the channeling flow are present can real, practical work and benefit be achieved.
The interaction among these three levels is crucial in both systems. In Jewish thought, performing tzedakah before a mitzvah is viewed as a means to channel the overall, all-encompassing energy of Torah into the specific act, thereby amplifying its spiritual impact. In electricity, a device can only do work when both voltage and current are present and correctly aligned. The formula is straightforward: watts equal volts times amps. The specific, transformative result is only achievable when the general potential and the focused flow work together.
This parallel between spiritual and scientific systems is more than a clever analogy. It suggests that the process by which potential becomes reality—by moving from an all-encompassing source, through a channeling flow, into a specific act—may be a universal principle, echoing across both the seen and unseen dimensions of existence. Whether in the world of mitzvot or in the circuitry of electricity, the journey from possibility to actuality follows a similar path: from the distant aura of potential, through the channel of flow, to the specific work that changes the world. In this way, the spiritual and the scientific are not so distant after all, but rather two languages describing the same underlying truth.
Rabbi Schneur Zalman, in Tanya and in many other places, explains the relationship between the Divine essence and its revelation in the world. The laws of nature can never conflict with Torah, but rather are a garment or expression of Divine wisdom. The commandments and mitzvot of the Torah are always in sync with the happiest, healthiest, and most successful ways of living.
Photo credit unsplash.com Ren Ran
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