Questions tagged [creation]
Questions about the creation of the world.
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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?
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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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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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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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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 ...
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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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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?
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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" ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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0answers
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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?
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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 ...
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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 ...
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How do religious Orthodox Jews reconcile their calendar with the Darwinian theory of evolution? [duplicate]
This is a genuine question. I'm curious because I read somewhere that even the most religious Orthodox Jews accept the Darwinian theory of evolution, and that even they don't believe dinosaurs lived ...
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What does Judaism teach about Eve's addition to divine commandment that she not touch the fruit?
In Genesis 2:17 we read:
But of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat of it, for on the day that you eat thereof, you shall surely die."
Later, during Eve's temptation, we read:
...
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What is the morning blessing Roka Haaretz - רוֹקַע הָאָרֶץ עַל הַמָּיִם - all about?
One of the daily morning blessings is רוֹקַע הָאָרֶץ עַל הַמָּיִם - He solidifies the ground above the water.
We're thanking Hashem for the solid ground; the inhabited world isn't all marshy or ...
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When was water created?
Bereishit 1 goes into detail on when and how Hashem created various things in creation. One thing I notice though is that there is no specific detail on how or when water was created. It just sort of "...
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Has God made ALL the animals dwelling on earth?
Is it possible for other angels/entities, even malevolent as satan, to have made living creatures?
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Torah view on the Chicken or the Egg?
What is the Torah's viewpoint on the age old question whether the chicken or the egg was created first?
Note: Although this article shows Rav Yehoshua Leib Diskin writes both fish and chicken eggs ...
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Purpose of Torah in Gan Eden
We know from several midrashim (see first chapter of Midrash Tanchuma to Bereshit) that Torah had already existed before the world was created. It should have contained all the positive and negative ...
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Source for Adam being made with the letter Hey
I know of this gemarah teaching (see also Midrash Rabah 12:2) about Bereshit 2:4 which teaches that the phrase: 'Eileh toldot hashamayim v'ha'aretz b'hibaram' could be read as 'b'Hey baram', that ...
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Universe has no foundation- Iyov
What pasuk in Iyov says that the universe has no foundation?
This connects to Brias HaOlam in perek aleph of bereshis.
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Could someone tell me where this comes from?
"The foundations of all foundations, and pillar of all wisdom is to know that there is a God who brought into being all existence. All beings of the heavens and the earth, and what is between them ...
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Divine Providence for individuals and purpose of Creation
This question is about Jewish philosophers. I ask myself if there is not a logical link between two issues and it is, if authors address it
Is there a link between the theory that the world was ...
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Was Adam HaRishon made incomplete? If so why?
Rav Yosef Albo (Sefer Halkkarim 3:2) explains that the expression 'Ki Tov' is used to describe something that has reached i.e. fulfilled its potential and reached its (goal, purpose) shleimus (...
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Maimonides on the purpose of animals?
In the intro to his commentary to Mishnayot the Rambam writes
אך על דרך כלל יש לדעת, שכל הנמצאים שתחת גלגל הירח נמצאו בשביל האדם
לבדו. וכל
מיני החיות, יש מהם למאכלו, כצאן ובקר וזולתם, ויש ...
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How could the angel of the sea disobey?
The Midrash in Bamidbar Rabbah 18:22 expounds Iyov 26:12 that when HaShem created the world, he told Rahav, the angel in charge of the ocean, to "open his mouth and swallow all the waters of Creation" ...
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Source for a Maharal I learned a while back…help
A while back I learned a Marahal in which he says that God provided the general instructions to the natural process but did not provide details, rather nature took its course. One example he gave (I ...
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Origin of Histakel Be'Oraisa Uvara Alma
The term "Histakel Be'Oraisa Uvara Alma" is often invoked when discussing chassidus or metaphysics. Literally translated, it means "[Hashem] gazed in[to] the Torah and created the world."
While the ...
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source of the world being created with lashon hakodesh
Where does the Mizrachi say (with exact wording) that the world was created with lashon hakodesh?
quoted from Artscroll (schottenstein edition) parshas noach 11:1-9
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When did G-d create darkness?
Bereshit 1:5 says:
וַיִּקְרָ֨א אֱלֹהִ֤ים ׀ לָאוֹר֙ י֔וֹם וְלַחֹ֖שֶׁךְ קָ֣רָא לָ֑יְלָה וַֽיְהִי־עֶ֥רֶב וַֽיְהִי־בֹ֖קֶר י֥וֹם אֶחָֽד׃ (פ
And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called ...
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What do our sources say about the principle of plenitude?
In the book Nature's Destiny, Michael Denton discusses the principle of plenitude, where he claims that all possible viable life forms on a planet like earth appear to have been actualized (as a sort ...
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What's a roadmap to origins positions among Jewish groups today?
Where are the lines drawn and where are the camps considered regarding origins questions? Are origins questions considered important matters, or is there something like a concern that too much arguing ...
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Give and take a battle?
http://www.aish.com/jl/p/wayofg-d/17-Created-for-Pleasure.html?mobile=yes
According to my own understanding the Ramchal thought that because HaShem is completely, perfectly, totally, absolutly, ...
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Why was only the light hidden at creation?
In Bereshis 1:3-4 God creates light and differentiates between light and dark. Chazal in Hagigah 12a each us that God saw the original light was not appropriate for the wicked to use and hid it away ...
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Hashem created this world l'heitiv labriyos [duplicate]
so Hashem only does good, only wants to do good,...
so why arent we born in gan eiden?
answer: we shudnt feel stupid with getting things for granted...
people dont feel good that way, people like to ...
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4answers
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Creating things with the Sefer Yetzira?
According to the Talmud (sanhedrin 65b), the Rabbis of the Talmud used the system of the sefer yetzira to miraculously create a calf every friday and eat it on the Sabbath.
Rabbi Avraham Azoulai ...
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Why does אבות cite Gen. 9, not Gen. 1, for נברא בצלם?
Avos, chapter 3, reads in part:
הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר חָבִיב אָדָם שֶׁנִּבְרָא בְצֶלֶם חִבָּה יְתֵרָה נוֹדַעַת לוֹ שֶׁנִּבְרָא בְצֶלֶם שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר כִּי בְּצֶלֶם א׳ עָשָׂה אֶת הָאָדָם
Sefaria's ...
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Is believing in G-d guided evolution a valid belief in Orthodox Judaism? [duplicate]
Like the title dictates. Does the theory of evolution hold legitamacy in light of Maaseh Bereishis? That being said, are there ramifications of having that understanding towards one's Avodas HaShem? ...
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What happened to the “D'mut”?
In Bereishit 1:26, Hashem says (all text and translation from the Chabad site's Judaica Press version)
And God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness,
וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים נַעֲשֶׂה ...
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3answers
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Is everything in the universe a metahaphors for a spiritual world?
Why did Hashem create things to work like they do?
Is Hashem describing a spiritual world, or the spiritual world, with his creation on earth? He could have created it in so many ways; why this way?
...
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Words can create
I have heard that for many years. Words can create.Some say if you read Tehillim you are creating.
Could someone help me with this question.
Im trying to ask. Does everything we say create something?...
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Noahide studying creation
Can Noahide study matters related to creation like first day of creation, commentaries of Ramban, Rashi and others? If so what are limits to such study and how much can one speculate about it?
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Genesis Rabbah (ch. 1 “On Creation”) available online?
Do any of you know if Genesis Rabbah's first chapter ("On Creation") is available online? Would you mind directing me to the source?
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Proverbs 8:22-31. Woman Wisdom personified or actual being?
In Proverbs 8:22-31, a figure known as "Woman Wisdom" is described as being present when G-d was creating the world. Obviously, "Woman Wisdom" serves as a great personification to teach about the ...
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2answers
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Did God create all animals in pairs?
I can't find any proof about how many animals of every kind were created in the creation of the world. Is that information mentioned anywhere? Before this question, I mistakenly thought that the ...
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Does anyone explicitly say one may not believe in any type of evolution?
As seen in the answers to this Mi Yodea question, some Rabbis were fine with accepting at least some version of the theory of evolution. [A belief in God's involvement in the process seems to be a ...
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If God took away light but didn't create darkness what would it be like?
Did god create darkness or just light?
If he did create darkness, what is it?
Is it a certain substance ?
If god did create darkness then what would be if god took away light but didn't create ...
