Questions tagged [creation]
Questions about the creation of the world.
209
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Has anyone ever eaten from the Tree of Life?
Obviously, the Tree of Knowledge was eaten from by Adam and Chava, but is there any evidence or sources that discuss the Tree of Life?
3
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1answer
154 views
Why does the Torah not write about or mention the creation of the Angels/Melachim? When were they made?
It's something I've interested in for a while ;)
Thank you!
5
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1answer
136 views
Who named trees and plants?
Following questions about naming animals, in Genesis narrative, God creates Earth, it grows plants and trees, God creates animals, then man, man names animals.
Who named the plants, for example, the 7 ...
2
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0answers
21 views
Making sense of God's different actions of the creation
I'm trying to categorize different actions God takes in the process of creation as appears in Genesis.1:
Part of creation | Said? | Then | Then | Then
1. Heaven and Earth: | No ...
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1answer
45 views
Creation and God
What was the purpose of creation? Why did god have the WILL to create a universe? Why create timelines and stories and create a religion? Why not just sit back and party with your angels? Or better ...
9
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3answers
125 views
Why are the sun and moon not named during creation?
During the 6 days of creation, many things are made and named (sky, grass, seeds, water, land, stars) but the sun and moon are referred to only as the lights/luminaries (Ber 1:16)
וַיַּ֣עַשׂ ...
3
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1answer
61 views
Does anyone know of midrashim on the number of times the word “or” (light) appears during Creation?
I'm reading a work by a contemporary Jewish author who has some midrashic inspiration, however vague. I came across a passage that attempts to impute significance to the number of times "light&...
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2answers
117 views
Why did G-d choose to speak creation into existence
“Great art is the outward expression of an inner life in the artist, and this inner life will result in his personal vision of the world.” - Edward Hopper.
In Menoras Hameor R. Yitzchak Abuhav ...
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1answer
96 views
Date/Week of Creation off by a day?
Question: If we believe that Sunday is Yom Rishon of Creation, then what do we do with the given date of Creation being Monday, October 7, 3761 B.C.E. according to our current calendar? Are there ...
2
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0answers
38 views
Hebrew verbs in the Creation [duplicate]
Genesis 1 uses three distinct verbs when describing the Creation:
Strong's #
Hebrew
Transliteration
English
Verses
H1254
בָּרָא
bara'
to create
1, 21, 27
H1961
הָיְתָ֥ה
hayah
to be
2, 3, 14
H6213
...
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2answers
135 views
Where in the Tanakh, on a peshat level, is “Yetzer HaTov” derived?
Where in the Tanakh, on a peshat level, is "Yetzer HaTov" derived?
Rashi seems to derive "Yetzer HaRa" from Genesis 8:21 (because the words "yetzer" and "ra" ...
4
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2answers
218 views
Lilit and Chavah
A neighbor asked me about there being a woman created before Chavah. The only Jewish source I could find was a paragraph in the Medrash of Ben Sirah about the creation of Lilit. Are there any other ...
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4answers
185 views
Who or what did G-d use while creating?
I’ve a question,
G-d created the heavens and the earth, but in order to do so did He used an 'agent’ i.e. a tool or instrument of some kind, a way or manner in which others were involved?
The spirit ...
2
votes
4answers
203 views
Interrupting learning to reflect on creation is a cause of mortal guilt. Why is this so bad?
Rambam in Hilchos Yesodei Hatorah 2(2) says
But how may one discover the way to love and fear Him? When man will
reflect concerning His works, and His great and wonderful creatures,
and will ...
5
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2answers
365 views
The Netziv on Evolution
The Wikipedia page titled Jewish views on evolution states the following about the Netziv.
When scientists first developed the theory of evolution, this idea was seized upon by rabbis such as ...
2
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1answer
91 views
How was the creation story captured/revealed exactly?
How were the first few pages of the creation story captured/revealed? That is, who first heard it or created it or was it revealed to, and in what detail was the first 7 days of creation laid out at ...
5
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2answers
440 views
How did Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel arrive at the conclusion that it would have been preferable had man not been created?
תנו רבנן: שתי שנים ומחצה נחלקו בית שמאי ובית הלל, הללו אומרים: נוח לו לאדם שלא נברא יותר משנברא, והללו אומרים: נוח לו לאדם שנברא יותר משלא נברא. נמנו וגמרו: נוח לו לאדם שלא נברא יותר משנברא, עכשיו ...
2
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1answer
70 views
Understanding “conflict” between Genesis creation and “continuous” creation
There's a passage in the daily Shacharit tefilla in the 1st of the pre-Shema blessing that says:
המחדש בטובו בכל יום תמיד מעשה בראשית
My translation and inference from this phrase is that God ...
1
vote
1answer
121 views
How can constant creation of new stars explained theologically?
"... we get on average about one new star per year, and one star dying each year as a planetary nebula in the Milky Way.... therefore there are about 275 million [born] per day, in the whole ...
3
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0answers
45 views
What is so special about Taninim to be mentioned separately?
וַיִּבְרָא אֱלֹהִים אֶת־הַתַּנִּינִם הַגְּדֹלִים וְאֵת כָּל־נֶפֶשׁ הַחַיָּה הָרֹמֶשֶׂת אֲשֶׁר שָׁרְצוּ הַמַּיִם לְמִינֵהֶם וְאֵת כָּל־עוֹף כָּנָף לְמִינֵהוּ וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים כִּי־טוֹב׃
God created ...
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0answers
57 views
How did animals get their soul?
We know that in the process of the creation of Man, his body was shaped from the earth but his soul (נשמה) was blown by G-d.
Animals, IIRC, appeared from the earth and from the water already with ...
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0answers
42 views
Torah confusion between “daylight” and “a day”
The Torah uses the same word יום in the same verse to denote both "daylight" and "24 hours":
וַיִּקְרָא אֱלֹהִים לָאוֹר יוֹם וְלַחֹשֶׁךְ קָרָא לָיְלָה
וַיְהִי־עֶרֶב וַיְהִי־בֹקֶר יוֹם אֶחָד׃
...
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2answers
69 views
Importance of “Days” in the process of Creation
Why is it important that the Creation process is divided into 6 "days", as opposed to "parts" or "stages" or even presented in simple succession without mentioning "units"?
1
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1answer
72 views
How did Adam and Chava know what's good or bad before eating from the tree? [duplicate]
Hashem Elohim allowed the human being to eat the product which was produced by every tree in Gan Eden, except from the tree of knowledge (understanding) of what’s good and bad. So with this knowledge ...
0
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1answer
49 views
What does it mean that G-d calls names to things?
In the process of Creation G-d eventually calls names of different things:
וַיִּקְרָא אֱלֹהִים לָאוֹר יוֹם וְלַחֹשֶׁךְ קָרָא לָיְלָה ...׃
God called the light Day, and the darkness He called ...
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Why should G-d correct His Creation as He goes?
THe Torah and the commentaries clearly suggest in several places that G-d corrected His Creation while still in the process:
וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת־הָאוֹר כִּי־טוֹב וַיַּבְדֵּל אֱלֹהִים בֵּין הָאוֹר ...
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0answers
28 views
Why should G-d look at the parts of His creation?
THis part of the story of the Creation seriously puzzles me: G-d looking at His creation and checking/judging/evaluating it. Examples:
וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת־הָאוֹר כִּי־טוֹב וַיַּבְדֵּל אֱלֹהִים ...
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1answer
61 views
Was Adam aware of his other part before separation?
וַיִּבְרָא אֱלֹקים אֶת־הָאָדָם ... זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה בָּרָא אֹתָם׃
And God created man in His image, ... male and female He created them. (Gen 1.27)
Rashi brings Midrashim:
But according to a ...
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1answer
180 views
Why no Torah or wisdom or knowledge is mentioned presented by G-d to Adam?
IIRC, the passing of the Tora/wisdom/divine knowledge in our tradition didn't start with Moses or even Abraham. Allegedly, the 19 generations of Tzadikim from Adam to Abraham studied/dealt with it ...
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4answers
181 views
Why was the purpose of the creation of Man was so dull?
On the 6th day of the Creation, G-d consults angels (see my other question) and presents them with what looks like His vision of Man's goal on Earth:
וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹקים נַעֲשֶׂה אָדָם בְּצַלְמֵנוּ ...
7
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1answer
723 views
Does Yeshayahu 43:10b / 43:13a imply HaShem was created?
I cannot read Hebrew and am struggling a great deal to understand Yeshayahu 43:10/43:13. In my English versions, these verse-parts seem very much to suggest that HaShem was Himself ‘formed’ at some ...
0
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1answer
200 views
Arguments against evolution
In trying to find the best, most factually based argument against evolution, I found this which said that it just doesn't make sense because why would a creator take so long.
Are there any other ...
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2answers
132 views
What time of day was the world first created?
It's well known that the world was created on the 25th of Elul, but what time of day? Yes it says "and it was evening, and it was morning, one day", implying it was created during the night, but what ...
3
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2answers
269 views
What did G-d do before Creation?
Is it possible to know what G-d was doing before this creation?
While, as Maimonides states, that we cannot know anything about G-d except for what G-d is not (G-d has no body and is one), ...
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3answers
1k views
No Torah = Revert to Nothingness?
Although I have often heard that the world would revert to nothingness if there wasn't someone learning Torah at any given moment, I haven't seen this written yet - what is the source of this concept?
3
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1answer
270 views
Why is prior to creation called holy?
In Mechilta (to ex. 12.16), while discussing whether or not work is forbidden on chol hamoed, the time before and after the six days of creation are referred to as holy.
ששת ימי בראשית יוכיחו שיש ...
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4answers
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Can a person still be an Orthodox Jew and believe that the Torah contains narratives that are not scientifically correct?
I am taking the position that perhaps the Torah does contain narratives that are not scientifically correct, such as the creation and early human history narratives found in the first 11 chapters of ...
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1answer
162 views
Age of Universe [duplicate]
What is the most plausible way to reconcile the traditional dating of the universe (now 5779) with science's understanding that the universe is billions of years old?
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1answer
43 views
What's the difference between two potential (כוחניים) maters the Yuly and the second
I read in the Abarbanel on Bereishit 1:1,quoting the Ramban, that on the first day Hashem created two types of primordial matter:
הראשון לבד שני חמרים מבלי צורה כוחניים בטבעם כענין ההיולי הראשון ...
0
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1answer
54 views
Body Parallels to the Creation
Inspired by this question.
Some commentaries viewed maaseh bereishis to be the literal description of the creation, and some interpret it in an allegorical fashion. I recall hearing somewhere that ...
2
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1answer
89 views
Why is Hashem being separate from his creation a more acceptable belief than His creation being within Him?
I've read and been told that Hashem is separate from his creation because he is infinite and therefore he can't have the finite objects of the universe be a part of him. He must be uniform.
I've ...
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0answers
29 views
Why is the plural form used in describing the creation of man? [duplicate]
When man is being created, it is Betzelemenu Kidimutenu, why is this in plural form? Is this implying that the oneness of God Echad is somehow contradicted?
2
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3answers
105 views
Hashem's will is not “nihilo”, so why is it “creatio ex nihilo”?
The traditional objection is to any material having existed prior to the creation of the Heavens and the Earth, but then why not call it "creation without material"? The will of Hashem is not "nihilo" ...
2
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1answer
85 views
Did Hashem originally intend to have a connection with everyone?
Does it say anywhere that when Hashem created the world it was with the intention to have a connection with everyone, but because people sinned Hashem saw he could only have this intimate connection ...
2
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0answers
65 views
Order of events in parashas Bereishis
BH
I am having a lot of trouble understanding the order of the following events:
The creation of Man
The births of Cain and Hevel
The death of Hevel
The snake
Eating from the ...
3
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0answers
67 views
Source that the world was created for amalek
Numerous Midrashim list different things that the world was created for the purpose of such as Klal Yisrael, Bikkurim, Torah, Challah, and Maasros all of which are called "ראשית" (first).
I remember ...
7
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2answers
536 views
On the interpretation of Genesis 1: 1
I'm an Italian noahide.
Here are some observations on Genesis 1: 1, about which I would very much like to know your opinion.
1 In most translations I have consulted, the verse is thus render:” In ...
2
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1answer
239 views
What does the Torah think of Pangea?
What does Torah literature say about Pangaea?
Is it considered be legitimate? Are there sources which lean either way?
2
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2answers
148 views
Age of the universe [duplicate]
Do contemporary Orthodox (Litvish, Chassidish, & Sephardi) Rabbi’s still believe that the world was created 5,779 yrs ago or do they agree with Aryeh Kaplan that perhaps 5779 is just the birth of ...
2
votes
1answer
52 views
Birchas Hachama and the world being created in Tishrei
Birchas Hachama is said once every 28 years. According to Wikipedia it is said when the sun has returned to ts original position when the world was created.
Jewish tradition says that when the Sun ...
