Do All Stars in the Universe Follow Their Own Laws?

Dafna asks:

"Hello, I heard that the probability of a universe with precise natural laws like ours is practically impossible, which is one of the proofs of the existence of a Creator. But I don't understand the proof, because if the universe is infinite, then aren't there many possibilities in the universe?"

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Hello Dafna, and thank you for your question.

The idea you raised is a common misconception that should be corrected: the universe is not infinite, and the natural laws within it do not change from place to place, but are fixed from its inception ("a law is given and does not pass"), so they do not vary from star to star. In other words: we have a one-time universe.

While the universe is indeed very large, it is not infinite. There is a finite number of stars, estimated by NASA at approximately 10 to the power of 20 stars.

The amount of matter in the universe determines its size (space is merely the distance between stars, and new space is created all the time because the universe is expanding).

It is important to mention in this context the "Law of Conservation of Mass-Energy". This natural law states that new matter cannot be created or disappear from the universe. For example, burning fire does not eliminate materials like wood, but merely breaks them down into small particles that disperse in the air.

It has been discovered that matter can be converted into energy, and energy can be converted into matter, but the amount never changes. This means that the amount of matter in the universe is constant and precise, without change, from the moment it appeared.

From the moment the universe first appeared, the amount of energy in it was determined, and since then not a single atom could appear more or less than what the universe initially allowed.

Since the amount of matter in the universe is finite, the space (the space that contains the matter) is also finite. The size of the space depends on the amount and movement of the matter within it. Since the amount of matter is finite, the amount of space in the universe is also finite.

The universe is finite, and so are the forces operating within it - the natural laws shape all galaxies according to identical equations. The gravitational force that acts on Earth acts exactly the same on a planet at the other end of the universe. All the stars are essentially made from the same building blocks, the same molecules and atoms, because the natural laws move all particles in the universe identically.

The natural laws restrict the universe from its appearance to a very specific behavior, and no other form of behavior. There are not two gravitational forces, but only one gravitational force that drives the universe.

All types of nebulas, galaxies, and stars must arrive at their precise size, shape, and place in the universe - due to the gravitational force that requires it. The periodic table of elements was determined from the universe's inception - even before molecules existed.

Similarly, at the molecular level: particles must move in a certain way according to nuclear and electric forces, every atom and every molecular bond had to form and link exactly as we see them today. All types of nebulas, galaxies, and stars had to reach their precise form and size and place in the universe due to gravitational force.

These laws prove the existence of a lawgiver of the universe - Hashem. Because without a lawgiver, no laws could exist.

Our universe cannot be random, because it operates according to laws that appeared alongside the universe and shaped all the materials within it (the primordial material known in science as the "singular point" contained all the energy that would be in the universe, and with it the natural laws that would shape this energy into various materials, atoms, and molecules, eventually forming galaxies, stars, planets, materials like carbon, water, oxygen and more).

We learn that only Hashem is infinite, besides Him, blessed be He, there is no other infinite force in reality. All creatures and the entire universe are limited in their power and size.

This is the first wisdom of science, standing behind all other wisdoms, as the Rambam explains in the Laws of the Foundations of the Torah (Chapter 1):

"The foundation of foundations and pillar of wisdoms is to know that there is a First Being, and He causes all that exists to exist. All existences of the heaven, earth, and what is between them exist only from the truth of His existence. If it could be imagined that He does not exist, nothing else could exist.

...this being - He is the G-d of the world, the lord of all the earth. He directs the sphere with a power that has no end or limit, a power that does not cease, for the sphere revolves constantly, and it is impossible for it to revolve without a mover; and He, blessed be He, is the one who moves it, without hand or body".

The universe, due to its limits, and the natural laws governing it, testifies to its unlimited Creator who created and legislated it. Without Him, there would be no universe or natural laws.

The Rambam also explained why wisdom cannot exist without a wise being:

"It is obvious that any artisan making a tool, unless the craft of that tool were conceptualized in his mind, he could not make it... if the faculty of sight were hidden from him and he did not know it, how could he create the organs intended for sight? ...Would an intelligent person think that this happens by chance? Nature has no mind or direction, and this is agreed upon by all philosophers... and if the source of existence did not comprehend this, or know it, then how did it happen, or how did it exist through chance as they suppose, nature being directed toward a purpose with no knowledge of it? Rightly did David call them blind fools" (Guide for the Perplexed 3, 19).