Was the universe created in six days — or over the past 13.8 billion years? Jewish thinkers have long wrestled with this question, exploring how ancient texts and modern science might actually be saying the same thing in different ways.
With insights from Rabbi Shlomo Einhorn, Dr. Gerald Schroeder, and Nachmanides, the Torah’s creation story still shapes our understanding of time, purpose, and what it means to be human.
Big Ideas
- Whereas the Torah helps us understand the WHY of creation, scientific discovery can help us understand HOW the world came to be.
- It is possible to reconcile the religious and scientific understandings of creation.
- In Judaism, numbers are often symbols for meaningful concepts.
Essential Questions
- Can scientific and religious understandings of the world coincide with one another?
- What is the purpose of the Torah?
- How does our understanding of Torah evolve over time?
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