The mitzvot of learned people - political, religious or scientific - was thousands of light years away from Albert Einstein, and this is only one explanation for his uniqueness as a scientist. The only complete document written by him documenting the theory of special relativity is displayed in the Israel Museum
The Israel Museum is currently presenting a rare document in the handwriting of the greatest scientist of our generation, Albert Einstein. The document, worth millions of dollars, was purchased by the Yaakov Safra Foundation at a Sotheby's sale and donated to the museum. What makes it unique is that it is the only complete document in the scientist's handwriting documenting the special theory of relativity - one of the greatest scientific revolutions in the last two hundred years. Einstein wrote the article in 1912, about seven years after the Torah had already become known in scientific circles, with the intention of creating an authoritative summary of his ideas. World War I interrupted the plans and the document never appeared in print. The script was revealed only last year, and we have the privilege of coming to Israel permanently. Many are familiar with the popular results of special relativity. The paradox of the twins - the brother returning in full power from a space flight and finds his twin already in the coming days - an illustration of the relativity of time. The impassable barrier of the speed of light - the enemy of the space travelers who want to reach distant windows. And above all - the famous formula E=MC2 that appears on every corner, from t-shirts to coffee mugs. This presents the revolutionary idea that the mass of matter can be turned into energy, and that the exchange rate is huge - the speed of light squared. As a result of this miraculous formula, the blessing and the curse of nuclear energy came into the world.
What distinguishes Einstein as a scientist and his theory as a revolution in human thinking? Special relativity is not complicated at all. Unlike many of the latest innovations in physics, which are mastered only by the best mathematicians, any high school student can understand Einstein's computational developments. Throughout his career, Einstein excelled in three qualities: unconventional formulation of questions, independent and uncompromising thinking, and the courage to accept results that at first glance seem improbable. Many of Einstein's innovations contradict what our senses tell us. The time measured by a clock, like the length of a spaceship, seems to be something that is not absolute. And here, Einstein's formulas taught him, that the observer from the outside in a spaceship approaching the speed of light notices that the moon slows down its course and that its dimensions shorten. Einstein did not shy away from the unthinkable conclusions. He continued to develop his theory and waited patiently until it was proven correct in experiments. This is how the Torah became a curiosity, the only acceptable description of the phenomena of physics.
As with the spiritual giant who preceded Einstein, the 17th century Isaac Newton, Einstein's genius far exceeded the field in which he was most famous. Only a few know that he was the first to formulate principles according to which light is absorbed and emitted by atoms of matter. This insight is the basis of the laser device found in everything - from CD players to shooting sights. It was Einstein who also studied and explained the photoelectric effect, the forerunner of the next revolution in physics - quantum theory. This effect is what activates sensors in elevator doors or a TV remote control. Einstein received a Nobel Prize in 1921 for researching this phenomenon, and not for the theory of relativity (which many still objected to at the time). To the award committee's credit, Einstein actually came up with the special theory of relativity while observing the properties of light: it all stems from one and only assumption, that light always moves at the same speed (300 kilometers per second), regardless of the movement of the lantern or the viewer. Einstein, a secular Jew, always sought to understand "how God created the world". This wish pushed him to develop the theory of general relativity. While the private Torah deals with spaceships and other bodies that move in a steady motion, his new interest brought him to the field that describes the orbits of the stars and galaxies in the universe, those whose motion is accelerated and slowed down by the influence of gravity. While performing thought experiments (which he was particularly fond of) on passengers falling inside an elevator that he had disconnected, he came to a far-reaching conclusion. He realized that gravity, the Newtonian force that dominates the entire universe, can be explained as arising from the curvature of space-time. One of the most exciting moments in the history of science was the confirmation of the prediction of curved space, as well as the entire general theory of relativity, achieved in Sir Arthur Eddington's experiment. In a solar eclipse in 1919, it was observed that the rays of starlight, passing near the Sun, bend exactly as Einstein had predicted three years earlier. As a result of this success, a new cosmological world picture was obtained, which allowed us to understand how the universe we live in can be finite, even if it has no visible end. This will enable the development of the Big Bang theory, which describes the expansion of the universe from its tiny beginnings about twenty billion years ago to its size and complexity today. Even black holes - those sites of infinite gravity from which not even light can escape - are predicted with the help of general relativity. Until the end of his days, Einstein aspired to crown his achievements and also create a unified theory of the forces of electricity, magnetism and gravity, a dream that scientists today are still trying to fulfill.
The mind does not perceive that all these were conceived and created by one person. Was Einstein superhuman? The answer seems to be negative. Albert Einstein was a warm and sensitive person, open and with a sense of humor, a music lover and a dedicated bicycle rider. What, then, explains his near-impossible creativity? After his death, his brain was examined, and some claim the finding that explains the miracle. Not a share or part of it. Einstein had an extremely high IQ, but no different than that of dozens and hundreds of super geniuses in all fields of knowledge, from stock market wizards to musicians. It seems that Einstein's uniqueness was in the combination of a brilliant mind and proper education, of unconventional perception and uncompromising freedom of spirit. The mitzvot of learned people - political, religious or scientific - was thousands of light years away from Einstein. Only a person who observes the world every morning with new eyes, and who tries to read the language of nature directly and directly, can achieve such achievements. His pacifism, his deep regret for the nuclear weapons he pushed for its development and his refusal to accept the position of President of the State of Israel despite his Zionism - all of these testify to a man whose concepts of holiness included nature, man and reason, and not power, state or nation. As we come to shape the education, research and technology systems of the next century, it is fitting that we carry Einstein's legacy with us. Only complete freedom of thought, broadness, openness and scientific literacy will enable the breakthroughs we seek to achieve. The manuscript now hanging on the wall of the museum is a silent witness to the greatness of the spirit that shaped the past century, and also a sign of hope for a new century full of surprises.
