I have never had any “extraterrestrial” experiences: I was not abducted by a UFO, I did not see strange lights in the sky, and I did not go through any unusual experience or alien abduction. Nor did I ever consciously believe or disbelieve in extraterrestrial life. I was simply curious about two very specific things. The first was to distinguish between evidence and imagination (or deception) in this subject. And the second was to find out whether the Torah, any contemporary rabbi, or any modern Jewish book seriously refers to the possibility of other forms of life beyond this world. To my surprise, I found very little — or almost nothing.
So I had to conduct my own research.
Let us begin with the basics: what is known about extraterrestrial life?
This weekend, a documentary will be released in the United States — and I believe also in the rest of the world — that will undoubtedly fuel the debate about extraterrestrial life and non-human intelligence. The documentary is called “The Age of Disclosure” and features testimonies from United States government officials, such as the current Secretary of State and National Security Advisor, Marco Rubio, military personnel; members of intelligence agencies; and high-level scientists, who for the first time in human history speak openly about the existence of “aliens,” non-human intelligences, and their possible interaction with human beings.
The use of the term NHI—non-human intelligence — more in use today than UFOs is not accidental. It is connected to the rise of quantum physics, which has increasingly demonstrated the primacy of “consciousness” — the observer — over the physical world. Over the past five to ten years, science has taken a radical and completely unexpected turn. It has moved away from the idea that the human mind is merely the product of chemical and electrical reactions in the brain, and toward the possibility — now far less disputed — that human consciousness is something much more primordial and profound than the physical universe itself.
Some of the most modern theories, known as “simulation theories,” view the physical universe — time and space — as an interface: a kind of screen or stage that allows consciousness to experience a “virtual reality,” an artificial reality created by a Higher Intelligence. This represents a 180-degree turn in the understanding of reality. Without exaggeration, it is a giant step by science toward a spiritual plane, in which reality is no longer defined by particles and atoms, but by “consciousness, perception, and meaning.” One might even say that, unintentionally, modern science is beginning to discover the dimension of the Divine.
Some of the most recognized scientists in the field of extraterrestrial life research, such as Jacques Vallée and Gary Nolan, insist that reducing everything to “spaceships” traveling from one planet to another is a very limited conceptual error. They argue that we are surrounded by non-human intelligences that can materialize in very diverse forms and that they do not necessarily come from other planets but from different levels of existence.
And this leads inevitably to my question: is there anything in the Jewish tradition that refers to this phenomenon?
Surprisingly, yes.
MAIMONIDES AND NON-HUMAN INTELLIGENCES
The great Sephardic rabbi, Moshe ben Maimon, or Maimonides, wrote nearly 900 years ago a text that, when read in contemporary language, is astonishingly relevant. In Chapter 2 of his monumental work Mishneh Tora — which contains exactly 1,000 chapters distributed across fourteen books — Maimonides describes the existence of what he calls “separate intellects” (tzurot nifradot): non-human intelligences or consciousnesses that have no physical body, do not occupy space, are not bound by time in the same way we are, and do not operate through physical senses.
For Maimonides, the existence of these non-human intelligences is an essential part of the Divine design of the universe. They are entities that exist on the highest planes of being, that can interact with our reality/simulation, but do not belong to our material dimension.
In Hebrew, this category of beings is called malakhim. I must note that translating malakhim as “angels” can be misleading, because those of us who grew up in a Western culture tend to automatically associate “angels” with chubby babies, curly hair, and rosy cheeks, as in the paintings of Goya or Botticelli. But for Maimonides and within Judaism, malakhim are forms of consciousness, bodiless intelligences, that can “descend” or temporarily materialize — as in the episodes of Abraham and Lot — in order to fulfill a specific function.
In other words, according to Jewish tradition, the universe is definitively multidimensional and is populated (or over-populated) by non-human entities that do not follow the biological rules of our species.
The idea of non-biological and non-physical intelligences has never been foreign to Jewish thought.
It is a concept so deeply integrated into Judaism that, although many people may not realize it, we mention it every morning in some of the most important parts of our daily prayer, when we refer to the different levels of the universe created by God.
It is difficult not to notice the conceptual affinity between what today is being discussed in scientific circles and what Judaism had already been articulating for centuries.
Perhaps it is time to reread what Maimonides and our Sages wrote with new eyes and once again marvel at how modern science is now beginning to discover what the Tora and Jewish thought declared so long ago.
MAIMONIDES
Mishne Tora, Yesode haTora, Chapter 2: 4-6
והמלאכים אין להם גוף וגוויה אלא צורה לבדה נפרדת זו מזו. ואינן שווים במעלתן, אלא אלו למעלה מאלה. כולן קיימים, ויודעים הבורא וגדולתו ביותר מדעת בני אדם ומן החכמים.
שמות המלאכים נחלקים לעשרה שמות לפי מדרגות מעלתן, והן:
חיות הקודש, אופנים, אראלים, חשמלים, שרפים, מלאכים, מלכים, אלהים, בני אלהים, כרובים.
וכל אחת ואחת ממדרגה יש לה מדרגות אחרות ומספרן אינו ידוע לאדם.
כל המלאכים הם בעלי צורה בלבד ואין להם גוף וגויה, ואינם תופסים מקום, ואינם מקבלים משקל ולא גבורה, ולא חולשה ולא שינוי, ולא יכולים לראות אותם אלא בנבואה בלבד.
Angels have no body or physical form, but only form (i.e., categories), which distinguishes one from another. They are not equal in their level; rather, some are above others. All of them know the Creator, and their perception of God is at a higher level than the knowledge of human beings and even of the wise.
Angels are divided according to ten names, corresponding to the level of their category, and they are:
Chayot HaKodesh, Ofanim, Arelim, Chashmalim, Serafim, Malakhim, Melakhim, Elo-him, Bene Elo-him, Kerubim.
Each one of these levels also has further subdivisions, and their number is not known to man.
All angels are purely entities of form, without body or physical substance. They do not occupy space, they have no weight, no strength or weakness, no decay, and no change of any kind, and they can only be perceived through prophecy.
Rabbi Yosef Bitton
Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, z”l, was one of the only modern Rabbis who wrote on extraterrestrial life.
I copy here his article:
Extraterrestrial life
by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan
[Article from Innernet]
Excerpted with permission from “THE ARYEH KAPLAN READER” Published by ArtScroll/Mesorah Publications Ltd., Brooklyn, NY
One of the unique aspects of Judaism is its far reaching universality. Not only does Judaism provide a lesson for every human being, its teachings extended to the very boundaries of the universe.
It is an axiom of Judaism that the entire universe was created for the sake of man. In one place, the Talmud reckons that there are some [10 to the 18th power] stars in the observable universe, and explicitly states that they were all created for the sake of man. It goes further to state that all the angels and spiritual worlds also only exist for this purpose.
Of course, this immediately raises a question that many find quite difficult. How is it possible that man, living on a dust mote called planet Earth, should be the center of the universe? Our Sages realized the vast number of stars in the universe, and also realized that many of them were many orders of magnitude larger than the earth. (Maimonides – Foundations of Torah 3:8)
…It should be quite simple to understand that size and quantity alone are meaningless to an infinite God. There is absolutely no question that the human brain is vastly more complex than the greatest galaxy, and furthermore, that it contains more information than the entire observable inanimate universe. Beyond that, man is endowed with a divine soul that towers over even the highest angels.
Although the creation of such a vast universe for the sake of man does not defy logic, we still need to seek out a reason for its necessity. Some sources state that by contemplating the greatness of the universe, one can begin to comprehend that of God, and thereby fear Him all the more (Maimonides – Foundations of Torah 2:2).
However, if we speak of the possibility of extra terrestrial life, we must explore the question somewhat further.
THE FREE WILL QUESTION
One of the first to discuss the question of extraterrestrial life in general was Rabbi Chasdai Crescas (Or Hashem 4:2). After a lengthy discussion, he comes to the conclusion that there is nothing in Jewish theology to preclude the existence of life on other worlds.
As possible evidence for extraterrestrial life, he quotes the Talmudic teaching (Avoda Zara 3b) that “God flies through 18,000 worlds.” Since they require His providence, we may assume that they are inhabited.
Of course, this Talmudic quotation is by no means absolute proof, for it may be speaking of spiritual worlds, of which an infinite number were created.
One could also attempt to support this opinion from the verse (Psalms 145:13), “Your kingdom is a kingdom of all worlds.” However, here, too, this may be speaking of spiritual universes.
The exact opposite opinion is that of Rabbi Yosef Albo, author of the “Ikkarim.” He states that since the universe was created for the sake of man, no other creature can exist possessing free will. Since any extraterrestrial life would neither have free will nor be able to serve a creature having free will (as terrestrial animals and plants serve a terrestrial man), they would have no reason for existing and therefore be totally superfluous.
One could bring some support to the second opinion from the Talmudic teaching that every land where it was not decreed for man to live was never subsequently inhabited. However, here again, it is not absolute proof, since this may only refer to our planet.
THE STAR OF MEROZ
Between these two extremes, we find the opinion of the Sefer Habris who states that extraterrestrial life does exist, but that it does not possess free will. The latter is the exclusive possession of man, for whom the universe was created. The 18,000 worlds mentioned earlier, in his opinion, are inhabited physical worlds.
The proof that he brings for his thesis is most ingenious. In the song of Deborah, we find the verse, “Cursed is Meroz… cursed are its inhabitants” (Judges 5:23). In the Talmud, we find the opinion that Meroz is the name of a star. According to this opinion, the fact that Scripture states, “Cursed is Meroz… cursed are its inhabitants” is clear proof from the words of our Sages for extraterrestrial life.
Of course, even this proof is subject to refutation, for the Zohar also follows the opinion that Meroz is a star, yet states that “its inhabitants” refers to its “camp,” that is, most probably, to the planets surrounding it. Nevertheless, the simple meaning of the verse seems to support the opinion of the Sefer Habris.
The Sefer Habris goes on to say that we should not expect the creatures of another world to resemble earthly life, any more than sea creatures resemble those of land.
He further states that although extraterrestrial forms of life may possess intelligence, they certainly cannot have freedom of will. The latter is an exclusive attribute of man, to whom was given the Torah and its commandments. He proves the latter thesis on the basis of the above-mentioned Talmudic teaching that all the stars in the observable universe were created for the sake of man.
WINGS TO ESCAPE THE EARTH
…The basic premise of the existence of extraterrestrial life is strongly supported by the Zohar. The Midrash teaches us that there are seven earths. Although the Ibn Ezra tries to argue that these refer to the seven continents, the Zohar clearly states that the seven are separated by a firmament and are inhabited. Although they are not inhabited by man, they are the domain of intelligent creatures.
We therefore find the basic thesis of the Sefer Habris supported by a number of clear-cut statements by our Sages. There may even be other forms of intelligent life in the universe, but such life forms do not have free will, and therefore do not have moral responsibility.
Freedom of will, however, is not at all an observable quantity. Even its existence in man has been hotly debated by the secular philosophers. Indeed the main proof that man does indeed have free will comes from the fact that God has given him moral responsibility, namely the Torah. It is in this sublime, yet unobservable quality, that man is unique.
However, if we assume this to be true, we would return to the basic question of Rabbi Yosef Albo, mentioned earlier: If such creatures never have any utility for man, what is their reason for existence?
We find a most fascinating answer to this question in the Tikunei Zohar. Speaking of the verse (Song of Songs 6:8), “Worlds without number,” the Tikunei Zohar states: “The stars certainly are without number. But each star is called a separate world. These are the worlds without number.”
The Tikunei Zohar further states that every tzaddik (righteous person) will rule over a star, and therefore have a world unto himself. The 18,000 worlds mentioned above would therefore be that number of stars, presided over by the 18,000 tzaddikim that are alluded to in the verse (Ezekiel 48:35), “Around Him are 18,000.” However, these may only refer to those worlds visited daily by the divine presence, but there may be innumerable worlds for the lesser tzaddikim.
We therefore have a most fascinating reason why the stars were created, and why they contain intelligent life. Since an overcrowded Earth will not give the tzaddikim the breadth they require, each one will be given his own planet, with its entire population to enhance his spiritual growth.
Once we know that the stars and their planets were created as an abode for the tzaddikim, we might naturally wonder how they will be transported to them. However, the Talmud even provides an answer to this question. Discussing the passage (Isaiah 40:31), “They shall mount up with wings as eagles,” the Talmud states that in the future world, God will grant the tzaddikim wings to escape the earth. The Zohar goes a step further and states that “God will give them wings to fly through the entire universe.”
In a way, this teaching predicts the advent of space travel. But more than that, it provides us with at least one of the reasons why space flight would be inevitable as part of the prelude to the messianic age. This, of course, could bring us to us general discussion of the role of modern technology in Torah perspective, a lengthy subject in its own right.
