1- Rejection of scientific data. Since, as one opinion in the Gemara has
it, Adam was created as a fully mature man of 20, trees were created fully
grown, it is clear that this opinion would hold that the universe as a
whole was formed with a history consistant with a natural, scientific,
progression.
This is, for example, the opinion of the late Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rav
Menachem Mender Shneerson, zt"l.
This opinion bothers me for three reasons: a- It implies that Hashem
created dinosaur bones and light from stars further away than 5758
light-years (for otherwise how could the light be reaching us yet) for no
reason other than to provide evidence against creation.
b- What would stop a similar argument that the world is 5 minutes old, and
all our memories, books, and so on have been faked to imply a history.
c- How can one ascribe a time to creation? It can't be on the Creator's
clock, since He Exists outside of time. Therefor, when we speak of "when"
creation happened, we mean the begining of the universe's timeline. So then
how could we talk about G-d creating the universe at some point in the
middle of the line, allowing history to go in both directions -- past and
future -- from that point?
2- Conflict resolution. Invoking relativity or whatnot to show that 15
billion years can be 5758 years in another frame of reference. The "birds"
of day 5 are actually dinosaurs, which are most similar bilogically to
birds of any thing living today. Creation of the sun on day 4 is actually
about the sky clearing to the point the sun could be seen on earth, etc...
As can be seen from my treatment, I don't consider this opinion fair to
either the Torah or the scientific data. Yet, many popular books have come
out in the past two years promoting this kind of position. Perhaps someone
else can do it justice.
3- Multiple creation times. This is the approach of the Tiferes Yisrael. He
cites an opinion of the tannaim that Hashem created worlds and destroyed
them before this one. Dinosaur bones and starlight are legacies of these
earlier worlds. In Gen 1:1, G-d creates ex nihilo (matter from nothing).
Then, before verse 2, these other worlds (in this opinion, epochs) rose and
fell. Then, there was "chaos and emptiness" from which our world emerged.
The universe as a whole, even the planet, can therefor be older than 5758
years.
Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan actually proves that the Zohar describes this first
creation to be 15 billion (plus a smidgen) years ago -- the age astronomers
and physicts seem to be converging on, given multiple ways of measuring the
age.
4- Rejection of a literal read of the Torah. This is much easier,
halachically, than it sounds, as there is a long tradition, including the
Rambam and the Vilna Gaon, teaching that Genesis 1&2 actually convey deeper
truths via metaphor. The gemara, after all, limits the number of students
(to 2) that one may teach the secrets of the Act of Creation -- so clearly
we can't just take the text at face value.
Another commonly sited proof for non-literalness is that the word "day"
precedes the creation of the sun. Therefor, it can't be used, at least in
this naarative, to mean our 24 hour period.
4a-The Maharal (intro to Gevuros Hashem) teaches that creation is so alien
to human experience that we don't have a comparison to it. Therefor
prophecy, which is transmitted by visions, can not describe it. (The World
to Come is similarly explained. This is why it only appears in Tanach as
"your days will be prolonged". Continued existance we can understand. The
rest of the details, no.)
However, creation is also so alien that we can not understand it by
extrapolation, either. In general, the Talmud teaches that "wisdom is
greater than prophecy". The Maharal explains that this is because the power
of extrapolation and deduction takes you further than just what can be
presented metaphorically in visions. In this case, though, creation is
beyond wisdom as well -- which is why the Talmud limits the forum where it
can be studied.
His conclusion is, therefor, that the Torah can't be taken literally AND
that science must be wrong. (It may be implied from the Maharal that
science can get you closer to the history, but not a correct history.)
In both 4 and 4a, the presumption is that Gen 1 and 2 teach some deeper
truths about reality. The Maharal explains some of the symbolism of the
number 7 later in Gevuros Hashem. The seventh should be made holy even
without the creation story, so it is possible the details of the story are
made to describe this point.
One can also see a pattern: light, sky-and-sea, earth; repeated twice.
First Hashem created light. On day four, He created the stars, moon and sun
-- the sources of light. Second, He seperated sky from the sea. On day 5,
He created those who live in the sky and the sea -- the birds and the fish.
Third, Hashem made the seas converge to show land. On day six, the animals
and people inhabited the land.
What is important to us as Jews is not what actually happened, that is,
whether G-d used natural or miraculous means to create the universe.
Rather, to take the lessons of creation, or the lessons encoded into the
story of creation, and live them.
Micha Berger (973) 916-0287
micha@aishdas.org
http://aishdas.org -- Orthodox Judaism: Torah, Avodah, Chessed