Cosmic Insights: Does the Talmud Reveal the Universe's Structure?

Could the Talmud contain insights about the universe's structure that even modern science hasn't yet discovered? Here's a look:

"Hashem said to the people of Israel:
12 constellations have I created in the sky.
And for each constellation, I created: 30 legions
And for each legion, I created: 30 divisions
And for each division, I created: 30 brigades
And for each brigade, I created: 30 companies
And for each company, I created: 30 squads
And for each squad, I've placed
365,000 myriad stars corresponding to the days of the solar cycle.
And all of them I created just for you."

(Berachot 32b)

As discussed in the chapter "Size of a Galaxy," the above Talmudic excerpt provides a description that allows one to appreciate the sheer number of stars in the universe. It's an overwhelming count, far beyond what can be imagined by mere stargazing without telescopes. Moreover, the number of stars mentioned in the Talmud closely resembles the scientific estimates of today. In ancient times, there was no way to naturally deduce the vast and incredible number of stars. This topic is well-known and discussed, for instance, in the writings of Rabbi Zamir Cohen.

The Talmud's mention of "365,000 myriad stars"—with "myriad" meaning 10,000—mirrors the scientific estimate of an average galaxy's star count. This can be explored further in the chapter on "Galaxies" in this book.

Moreover, this text quietly holds information not yet known to science (!). It suggests the structure—from edge to edge—of the entire universe. According to the text, the universe's star arrangement is as follows:

The universe consists of 12 groups of stars.

Each group is divided into 30 subgroups.

Each subgroup is further divided into 30 subgroups.

Each subgroup is further divided into 30 subgroups.

Each subgroup is further divided into 30 subgroups.

Each subgroup is further divided into 30 groups.

Each group of stars is of a scale of 365,000 myriad stars (a galaxy).

Amazing, isn't it? Again, this information is not known to current science.

The text is taken from the book "Interlocking Worlds." To download and read the chapter as a PDF, click here.

The author holds a B.Sc degree in Physics with honors from the Technion.