Torah and Science: Why Ancient Jewish Wisdom Anticipated Modern Discoveries

When we speak of Torah, we refer to both the Written Torah and the Oral Torah together. When we speak of science, we refer to established, proven scientific knowledge, not speculative hypotheses. Although Torah and science are distinct disciplines, it is a mistake to conclude that they are inherently contradictory.

The Torah encompasses realms far beyond the reach of scientific investigation. The sages of the Talmud penetrated the depths of nature and creation, not through the experimental methods of scientists in every era, but through profound spiritual insight that reached the level of Ruach HaKodesh, divine inspiration.

The sages were not interested in science for its own sake. They engaged with knowledge of nature only when it was relevant to Torah law and halachic decision making. Moreover, their understanding of the natural world was transmitted through Torah and Kabbalah from generation to generation.

The Maharal on Wisdom and Truth

The Maharal of Prague writes that the sages were not ignorant of human wisdom. Had they spoken in a manner detached from reality, it would have indicated a lack of knowledge and distance from truth. On the contrary, the sages warned explicitly against making unclear or speculative statements. “Say to wisdom, you are my sister” means that only what is as clear as a forbidden sister should be stated; otherwise, one should refrain from speaking.

The sages did not focus on natural causes, which are the domain of natural scientists. Rather, they addressed the deeper causes that govern nature itself. Their concern was not how nature functions, but why it functions as it does.

Science and Its Self Imposed Limits

The revolution in the exact sciences began in the seventeenth century with Galileo and those who followed him. Even then, science defined its own limits: it investigates phenomena inductively and answers how things occur, not why they occur.

Isaac Newton, who formulated the laws of gravity, described how bodies behave in motion but deliberately avoided explaining why they behave that way. He acknowledged that such questions lie beyond the capacity of science.

By contrast, the sages of the Talmud focused on the foundations and roots of reality. The highest level of this inquiry is known as Maaseh Bereishit, the secrets of creation itself.

Absolute Truth Versus Observable Phenomena

Jewish sages sought the absolute truth underlying all existence. Through Torah, which precedes nature and serves as its foundation, they grasped the essence of reality. Scientists study natural phenomena, not nature itself, which remains beyond their reach.

This distinction explains why Talmudic literature contains references to scientific and medical knowledge that modern science only rediscovered centuries later.

For example, modern anatomy described the ducts of the salivary glands only in the sixteenth century, yet the Talmud casually mentions “the canal that passes beneath the tongue.” The role of the liver as a station in venous blood circulation appears in the Zohar long before modern physiology.

The lungs, the structure of the heart, and its placement in the chest are described accurately by the sages, in contrast to the erroneous views of Aristotle, Galen, and Avicenna.

Medicine, Surgery, and Disease in the Talmud

The Talmud discusses complex brain surgeries and the transmission of disease by flies. Rabbi Yochanan warned explicitly about flies associated with certain illnesses. It also records surgical procedures involving anesthesia: administering a sedative, isolating the patient in a marble chamber, and performing abdominal surgery. Ether anesthesia was not discovered in Western medicine until 1842.

Dr. Yeshayahu Leibowitz noted that Talmudic anatomy is rich in detail and remarkably precise, even describing small cartilages in the trachea that Western science identified only in the seventeenth century. The lack of systematic presentation stems from the fact that anatomical details were recorded only when relevant to halachic questions.

The Case of Zivah and Medical Accuracy

The Torah distinguishes between zav and seminal emission, assigning different levels of ritual impurity. The Tosefta explains that zivah originates from diseased flesh and resembles diluted egg white, whereas semen resembles thick egg white.

For centuries, physicians believed zivah was weakened semen. Only in the seventeenth century did medicine discover that it is actually pus. Talmudic sages already knew this, because it was relevant to halacha, and preserved the knowledge for future generations.

Flight, Possibility, and Faith in the Talmud

Today, flight is routine. In ancient times it seemed impossible. Yet Mishnah texts written nearly two thousand years ago discuss laws related to traveling through the air. The Rambam states plainly that entering foreign lands in an airborne container renders one ritually impure.

Those who mocked such statements lacked familiarity with the Talmudic mindset. If something is recorded in the Talmud, it is possible, even if it has not yet been realized.

Ruach HaKodesh and Human Effort

The Talmud teaches that after the destruction of the Temple, prophecy was taken from prophets but not from sages. The Ramban explains that while prophetic vision ceased, the wisdom of sages through Ruach HaKodesh did not.

Divine inspiration differs from prophecy in that it depends largely on human effort, spiritual refinement, and sanctity. It arises from intense intellectual and moral striving.

Science, Change, and Caution

Not every Talmudic statement has yet been confirmed by modern science. In some areas, scientists dispute the sages. Nevertheless, priority must be given to the sages, who spoke only with clarity and truth, even if centuries pass before their insights are understood.

In some cases, changes in nature itself may have occurred. This is why medicinal remedies mentioned in the Talmud are not used today.

Creation, Energy, and the Collapse of Ancient Theories

For millennia, Plato’s belief in eternal preexisting matter dominated philosophy and science. The Torah consistently taught creation ex nihilo. Only in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, through discoveries in electromagnetism and Einstein’s revelation of the unity of matter and energy, did Plato’s theory collapse.

Matter was revealed to be condensed energy. When released, it becomes light, heat, motion, and power, as seen in atomic reactions. The Maharal repeatedly taught that material reality is not absolute, a view dismissed in his time but vindicated centuries later.

Rather than embracing the Torah’s account of creation, modern humanity adopted evolutionary theory. Like earlier dominant theories, it too may require many future discoveries before its assumptions are overturned.

Life in All Matter According to Kabbalah

Kabbalistic texts across generations hint at forms of life or vitality within plants and even inanimate matter. This was long ridiculed, yet modern science now acknowledges the immense energy embedded in matter itself.

Scientists today investigate how matter functions, how it can be broken down and recombined. They study phenomena, not the essence of existence. The sages of Torah addressed these questions at their roots through hidden wisdom.

Einstein on Humility and the Divine

Albert Einstein himself wrote that his sense of God was rooted in humility and awe before an infinite spiritual power revealed through the limited details accessible to the human mind. This profound experiential faith shaped his understanding of God.