Q&A: The Work of Creation
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
The Work of Creation
Question
Does the Rabbi think the world was created less than six thousand years ago, or more than 13 billion years ago? If it was more than 13 billion years ago, how does that fit with the Torah?
Answer
In my opinion, much, much more than 6,000. There are several ways to reconcile this. For example, the days of creation can be understood as periods. Adam was a very late creature.
The Talmud itself speaks about earlier worlds that existed before the creation of the present world and were destroyed. (Possibly the extinction of the dinosaurs—the great reptiles; possibly a moral, cultural, or intellectual collapse, etc.) The Zohar, part 2, Vayikra 10, speaks about human beings who preceded the one called “Adam” (the first one created in the divine image; were those before him not defined as being in the divine image?) and the Holy One, blessed be He, even prophesies about them…