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17.2.21

 I wanted to mention that even though you have the space foam [little black holes] which are sort of like the Dirac sea of negative particles that fill space, still space is not quantized. There can not be any sudden jumps because of Max Born's four postulates. It has to be that way because otherwise there would be infinite momentum at the jump-off point. [However I am wondering if perhaps a Lipschitz function might fill the needs of the Max Born postulates. It would have a limited derivative even though space would not be continuous. And that might be helpful for the space foam which  seem to mean that space would not be continuous, [even if they are connected by worm holes as mentioned by Alsaleh]] [The original idea of worm holes connecting the quantum foam came from a paper  by Robert Penna]

I also wanted to mention something that was noted by Kelley Ross. That the uncertainty principle does not just mean a limit on what one can know. It requires that things do not have both classical values of position and momentum at the same time because otherwise the electrons would fall into the nucleus. And there are lots of hydrogen atoms in the universe that are not observed.[So it is not just Bell's inequality which shows that things do not have classical values until they interact with something big. Even the very existence of hydrogen atoms shows that.]



Things sacrificed to idolatry

Things sacrificed to idolatry are forbidden to be used. Rav Huna in the Gemara holds of one does an act on an animal that even someone else owns, the animal is still forbidden to derive benefit from. And that is the way the Raavad decided the law. But Rav Nahman, R.Amram, and Rav Isaac decided the law is that when one does an act on an animal that he does not own, then the animal is permitted. And that is how the Rambam decided the law. But when they say an "act" they mean slaughter, not just bowing down.

So that is what makes it a bit confusing when it comes to a different kind of prohibition that when an animal is worshipped even one that belongs to someone else, that animal forbidden to be brought as a sacrifice in the Temple. And there the Rambam holds that is even any kind of worship. But the Raavad holds there too there needs to be a physical act on the animal to make it forbidden.

Rav Shach has an explanation for the Rambam in this case. He brings that the prohibition of bringing a worshiped animal to the Temple is learned in two different ways. One way is from the beginning of Leviticus. "Bring from the sheep". That verse is extra since we already know you can only bring sheep or goats or cows as a sacrifice. So the Gemara learns that the verse is coming to exclude something. That is a worshipped animal. But there is a different teaching that that same prohibition comes from "their destruction is in the their defect is in them". Rav Shach shows that the Rambam holds from the second teaching and then that implies that any kind of act in which the animal is worshipped makes it forbidden to bring to the altar. 

15.2.21

 There is a paper by Alsaleh [ER=EPR] that suggests space time in connected by little worm holes. [https://inspirehep.net/literature/1496409] This might lead to a way of combining these little worm holes to create a large one by which space time travel might be possible. 

The paper is coauthored, but I think Alsaleh is the main author because he often has a characteristic way of spelling things which makes it clear to me that he was the one doing the writing.] 

13.2.21

 x81 F minor   x81 in midi  x81 nwc

 What is idolatry? Bowing, burning, bringing close, slaughter and service according to its way.[note 1] And it helps to have a clear idea of what idolatry is so that one is not tempted to use it as a general catch all phrase for whatever one disapproves of.

[So when I say that the religious world is doing idolatry, I am not saying going to Uman to pray in the merit of Rav Nahman is any kind of problem. Rather the issue is attitude. And even if one can not be legally guilty, it is helpful to have an idea of what the actual essence of the issue is. As the Gra said to judge any action one needs both to know the law and also the situation.

[note 1] These are the four services done in the Temple. If done for an idol, the one doing them is guilty of idolatry. Bowing is understood. burning is like in the Temple when one brings  a burnt offering. If that same act is done for an idol, it is idolatry. The rest are understood. The last one means this: sometimes an idol has a certain kind of service that is unique for that idol. So that is also idolatry if one does it. Now what is an idol? Anything. It does not need to be an object. But any object will do. So in the religious world when worship is done towards dead people, that constitutes idolatry.]