Question

Hi, I’ve read some of the books you wrote, and I’ve also happened to hear podcasts featuring you, and I enjoyed them מאוד. I’ve noticed in several places that among your range of arguments (deep and illuminating!!) you place particular emphasis on the possible connection between creationism and evolution, arguing that evolution has not fulfilled its obligation regarding the question of who designed it itself—and therefore its designer must be God. I assume the summary I wrote of your argument is poor relative to its depth and scope, but I would like to know whether the idea that evolution was conceived and carried out by God is compatible with Judaism and with the philosophical principles known to us. First, if evolution was carried out by God, then how is it that in the Book of Genesis the creation of man is written as that of a perfect creature, and evolution is not mentioned even by hint? (The question also applies to the creation of the world, but the creation of man is written more clearly.) Second, doesn’t evolution indicate a divine deficiency?! Well known are Maimonides’ comments struggling with the words of the Holy One, blessed be He, “I regret…” and likewise in Job, where the Holy One, blessed be He, tells Satan that he incited Him against Job for nothing. The concept of God connects—both Jewishly and philosophically—to perfection that tolerates no deficiency. Trial and error such as evolution, as I understand it, cannot fit with divine perfection. And one final question, which I don’t know whether it is right to call a theological question [perhaps it would be better to place it in the realm of divine psychology, and I mean the field that developed (mainly, as I understand it, following or together with Hasidic thought, which tries to portray God psychologically—sometimes as a father, sometimes as a rebbe, and sometimes as a nobleman…) in order to understand God’s motives and modes of action]: why would the God we know—the God of Judaism—who does not need to rely on rabbinic sayings for us to realize that He knows what He wants from Himself and from His world—bring about evolution? Another point I didn’t fully understand from reading your book is whether, in your view, this claim can be reconciled with the well-known rabbinic sayings, “He looked into the Torah and created the worlds,” “He created worlds and destroyed them,” and more and more from rabbinic thought—or whether you mean to say that even if the Sages disagreed with this, this is the only way to uphold the existence of God in our modern world.