Four Misconceptions About the Universe

Tzvika asks: "Hello. I learned that the size of Earth is like a grain compared to the size of the sun, and there are stars in the universe that are larger than our entire solar system! The immense size of the universe makes me feel insignificant, especially when I think about how small humans are and how great and infinite Hashem must be. How can we comprehend this?"

Hello Tzvika, and thank you for your question.
You've learned that the universe is incredibly vast, containing trillions of stars, some of which are gigantic. However, there are other scientific insights worth knowing that change the entire perception of reality:
 
1. We are amazed by the number of stars in the universe. Yet the discovery of atoms has proven that even in the smallest objects in our world, there are astonishing numbers. In just one teaspoon of water, there are more atoms than there are teaspoons of water in the entire ocean!
In the brain of a single person, there are more synapses (connections between neurons) than stars in the entire galaxy. Unlike the scattered stars, the synapses in a human brain are logically connected, working together to enable mental activity.
Our awe of quantities and numbers changes once we understand how many quantities and numbers exist everywhere we look. Even in the tiniest things, there are unimaginable numbers of components. Did you know that in a single grain of sand, there are over fifty trillion atoms? If the atoms in a grain of sand suddenly grew, they would appear as galaxies full of billions of stars. If a single tiny cell in our body grew to the size of a mountain, it would seem like a vast, complex city full of mechanical creatures working together. Each of us is like a walking jungle of billions of living machines. The abundance of numbers becomes irrelevant when we know that even the tiniest things can comprise billions of particles.
 
2. We are amazed by size. But today we know that space is only a physical illusion. Studies show that in the past, the entire universe, with all its immense stars and galaxies, was compacted into a singularity no larger than a grain of sand!
Theoretically, all the atoms of the Eiffel Tower could be compressed into a pocket wallet; the entire world's atoms could be compressed into a grain. Even the solidity and strength of the largest objects are just physical illusions, as they are all made of minute particles moving at incredible speed, creating an illusion of size and solidity due to their fast movement. If these particles suddenly stopped their mighty movement, their vast volume would vanish, and all the size, solidity, and strength of stars would disappear in a fraction of a second. This is further proof of the saying: "In His goodness, He renews every day perpetually the work of creation." (Blessing of Yotzer Or). If Hashem were to stop the movement of the particles, the entire universe would instantly revert to chaos. All vast sizes in the universe are mere illusions.
 
3. We mistake the concept of center. Even the concept of "center" is an illusion. Since the moment of creation, the universe has been expanding in all directions (similar to an inflating balloon), meaning there is no scientific point in the universe that can be called the "center of the universe." The only place that can be called "center" is wherever the observer is—the place where the universe is being studied.

4. We mistake the concept of time:
The theory of relativity teaches that there is no concept of objective time. Everywhere a clock is taken, its hands will move according to the speed at which it is traveling. Similarly, if an astronaut were traveling in space at speeds close to the speed of light, they could move decades into Earth's future in just a few days. Since the concept of "time" depends on the observer's speed, there is no concept of objective time in the universe. There is no real difference between billions of years and a few days, only physical speed and the strength of gravity that objects experience in space. If we wish to take a step further, Leibniz argued that time is merely a consciousness experience, a human perception that does not exist independently (a similar concept in biology is called "time perception"). If Leibniz was right, it can be said that before humanity was created, the concept of "time" did not exist in the universe, just as music did not exist (music is just the brain's interpretation of sound waves, and sound waves are inaudible vibrations by themselves).

5.And many mistake the concept of God:
Only a being with a body existing within a reality of space, size, quantity, volume can be impressed by concepts like size and quantity. Because humans compare themselves to things larger or more numerous than they are.
But Hashem is infinite, without boundaries. Hashem is neither small nor large, neither low nor high, neither wide nor short. He is everywhere and every time because He is infinite. Nothing in reality—large or small—can compare to Hashem. This means that for Hashem, there is no difference between the tiniest particle inside a tiny atom and the largest star or the galaxy with the most stars. For Hashem, size and quantity have no significance because He Himself has no size or quantity; nothing is too large or too small to compare to Him.
 
In this way, the Israelites are told: "It was not because you are more numerous than all other peoples that Hashem set His affection upon you and chose you, for you are the fewest of all peoples" (Deuteronomy 7:7).
Size and quantity confer no meaning to any object; consciousness and choice are what bestow significance and personal connection to Hashem. If we look at the universe, we see that a galaxy and a star cannot think or understand, as they are merely wandering material bodies. The universe is full of light, yet only a creature with eyes can recognize this light. A gigantic star has no eyes and cannot perceive light. This means that even the smallest eyes can receive more light than a sightless giant. Similarly, a human can receive more enlightenment and guidance ("light") from the infinite Creator than a star or even a galaxy, precisely because humans have "eyes." They can see, know, and understand. Therefore, humans can attain more knowledge and connection with the Creator. Animals do not think and cannot gain knowledge of their Creator; they are like those without sight in this sense. But humans have the intellect and ability to know their Creator and wish to serve Him, so they must receive more guidance than all other creatures and objects in the universe—not because they are large but because they have the eyes to see: the eyes of intellect and heart. This is why humans are the crown of creation: "And Hashem created humanity in His image, in the image of Hashem He created him" (Genesis 1:27), "and He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life" (Genesis 2:7).
 
Thus King David illustrated the wonderment of the magnificent universe: "When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place. What are humans that You are mindful of them, the children of humanity that You care for them?", yet immediately adds: "You have made them a little lower than Hashem, and crowned them with glory and honor!" (Psalms 8:4). Although creation is marvelous and astonishing, Hashem made humanity the crown of creation, adorning them with glory and honor by creating them in the image of Hashem. These attributes distinguish humans and grant them meaning and spiritual closeness to the Creator, more than billions of atoms and galaxies. The fact that you have been given eyes, and were created in the image of Hashem.