Our Gemara on Amud Aleph discusses the principle that “There is no disqualification of limbs that are left overnight at the top of the altar.” If a limb was left overnight at the top of the altar, the priest may burn it forever — i.e., no matter how much time has passed.

Is this rule just a halachic technicality or a sign of something even more spectacular? Tzofnas Pa’aneach (Beshalach 16:33) notes that the jar of Manna which was preserved in the Holy of Holies never decayed, because like the top of the altar, certain intense holy places exist outside of time. It’s not just that the Halacha says that there is no disqualification of “overnight” on the altar — but actually time stops.

This is fascinating because we also have a tradition that as Yaakov traveled and turned back to the future location of the Beis HaMikdash, the ground “jumped” and he was immediately transported there while the Sun suddenly set. The ground was folded, and this was legitimately the world’s first “space warp” (Chulin 91b and Rashi Bereishis 28:17).

I am awful at math and do not have a mind that can comprehend Einstein’s physics and proofs, but as “a matter of faith” I understand that his Theory of Relativity has actually been proven via various experiments. The Theory of Relativity holds that space and time are not a fixed background; they are a flexible 4-dimensional “space-time” fabric that gets stretched by speed and curved by mass/energy. It is noteworthy that every single prediction Einstein made about this has been confirmed by experiments for over 100 years, such as comparing an atomic clock that was in a high, fast-flying airplane and how it diverges from its counterparts. (Hafele-Keating Experiment, 1971: Scientists flew super-accurate cesium atomic clocks around the world on commercial jets. Eastbound flight (with Earth’s rotation): lost 59 nanoseconds. Westbound flight (against rotation): gained 273 nanoseconds. Huh? Wow!)

If so, holy places do not just alter time but also space, allowing us to understand how Yaakov’s travels happened via a space-time warp. Additionally, Gemara Yoma (21a) tells us that the ark in the Holy of Holies did not take up any physical space, allowing space for the Cherubim, whose wings alone took up the entire area.

Even though I don’t understand the physics of it, it is amazing that our tradition somehow anticipated ideas contained in General Relativity. 

Two of the most influential German Jewish scientists of the 20th century, changed the way the world thought. Einstein through physics and Freud through psychology. Both of them had a traditional Jewish education exposed to the very same midrashim and Rashis such as the ones quoted here. I wonder how influential the sparks of wisdom within Chazal was in their scientific thinking? I bet a lot more than can ever be proven.