Physical Impossibility
A Jewish Reflection on Scientific Mystery
1. Inexplicably Beyond
Text, Translations, & Notes for the entire Physical Impossibility: Jewish Reflections on Scientific Mystery, from which comes "Inheritance"
[God] is truly beyond all acknowledgment and praise, or any expressions of gratitude or consolation ever spoken in the world.
Physical Impossibility: A Jewish Reflection on Scientific Mystery looks at unsolved questions and theories in need of further exploration in various branches of science, and juxtoposes them with excerpts from the Musaf prayer service of Jewish Shabbat ritual. This first movement, "Inexplicably Beyond," pairs the Hatzi Kaddish prayer with a poem about the unexplained incompatibility of classical physics and quantum physics.
2. Our Ancestors
Blessed is God, our God and God of our ancestors (mothers & fathers), ... who remembers the loving deeds of our ancestors.
"Our Ancestors" pairs the Avot prayer with a poem about the linguistic theory that spoken language originated only once, in Southern Africa. The decreasing number of phonemes in languages further from Africa is presented as proof for this theory. Critics of this theory argue that the rapid pace of phoneme changes makes it a poor source of evidence for ancient evolutionary processes. This monogenesis theory of spoken language development appeals to me, as it suggests a fundamental source of unity across peoples of disparate geographic and racial heritage.
We understand our phones are made Of silicon, plastic, glass; We know our carbon fiber wings Fly due to lift and drag; We know the force of gravity Will keep us near the sun.
We understand a particle May also be a wave; We know entangled photons can Connect light-years apart; We even know a tiny thing Can be both here and there.
We understand the movement of the things we see and feel, And yet we know the very small can act in different ways. But understanding why the rules are different due to size
Is inexplicably beyond our grasp.
My ancestors, Your ancestors, All ancestors
Came from Southern Africa.
My ancestors, Your ancestors, All ancestors
Spoke one hundred Phonemes.
His ancestors, Her ancestors, Their ancestors
Dispersed to every Continent
Where bit by bit They lost the sounds They used to know.
karensiegel.com/contact
3. Inheritance
You give life to the dead— Great is your saving power.
You are faithful in giving life to the dead. Blessed is God, who gives life to the dead.
"Inheritance" pairs the Gevurot prayer with a poem about theories of inherited trauma in both psychology and genetics. It tells true stories of persecution and violence against my husband's relatives in Russia and Europe, and its impact on his parents' generation.
4. Glorious Journeys
God's glory fills the universe. One angelic chorus asks, "Where is the place of God's glory?" Another responds: "Praised is God's glory wherever God dwells."
"Glorious Journeys" pairs the Kedushah prayer with a poem about a recently discovered quasi-moon of Venus that is subject to what is known in astronomy as the Three Body Problem, wherein it is impossible to predict the path of a celestial body that is influenced by the gravitational fields of three larger celestial bodies.
5. Interdependence
May peace be bestowed from heaven and life to us
May the one who creates peace on high bring peace to us
"Interdependence" pairs the Kaddish Shalem prayer (in both Hebrew and English) with a poem about interdependence in the ecosystem, including interaction among trees and between trees and fungi. Perhaps these completely different species helping each other out can be an inspiration for humans to resolve our differences. KS
You hear their voices in the forest, Your grandparents’ children Fleeing the pogrom and Hiding in the snow.
You feel their shame each time they call you The name of your uncle Found in a hospital Alive after Auschwitz.
And when your mind gives way with age, Their fears are your delusions, Capture by Nazis, Attempts at escape.
But might your grandchildren continue To feel the anxiety, Inherited trauma In Ashkenazi genes.
A quasi-moon Defies the impossible, Dances with Venus for now
Until it feels A new source of gravity Pulling it swiftly away.
And there are more Likewise polyamorous Bodies throughout the night sky, Confounding us With their unpredictable, Whimsical journeys through space.
Cedars talk to Maples, Birch to Douglas Firs, Through phone lines made of Mushroom mycelium.
Acacias release ethelyne, A warning of giraffes, So trees downwind may Make their leaves taste bitter.
Mother trees feed saplings, Giving sugar to their roots, As beeches share their sugar With felled matriarchs
Cover photo by "The Vegan Monster," via Pexels
All English poems by Karen Siegel
Inheritance
Impossibility:
Karen Siegel
gromandhiding
gromandhiding
Butmightyourgrandchildrencon
Butmightyourgrandchildrencon
Butmightyourgrandchildrencon
Butmightyourgrandchildrencon