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Introduction
Ever
since science has attempted to determine the age of the universe
there has been a fierce intellectual battle between the forces of
science and creationism. I tend to believe that the two perspectives
don't have to conflict, especially so fiercely. Today, there are
several genuine approaches which can reconcile the two accounts of
creation. What I will present here is one particular possibility
based on my understanding of what I have learned in Jewish mysticism.
While I believe that my approach is correct, I also know that my
understanding is limited and has its share of human imperfections.
Hence, I leave it to the great Jewish Sages of the generation
(especially those initiated into the mysteries) to determine the
veracity of what I am about to present.
Though
I am a concerned about my worthiness to make this presentation, I am
motivated by several considerations:
A)
I’ve
seen many in my generation who are hampered by creation issues from
taking Judaism seriously.
B)
According
to many authorities (often Kabbalists themselves) we are already
living in a generation that has permission to study the mysteries.
Therefore, I am less reluctant to be open.
C)
In
the course of presenting my understanding on the topic, I might be
teaching my readers certain key concepts germane to Jewish mysticism,
which will help their growth.
May
the Creator help me and clarify my way for His own sake and for the
sake of the aiding the world’s spiritual growth.
Chapter
1 – The universe and perception
Jewish
mysticism has a layered view of the universe. According to this view
the universe conceptually depicted as layers of an onion.
[i]
There is a large outer sphere encompassing a slightly smaller sphere,
which in turn encompasses an even slightly smaller sphere. This
process of sphere within the sphere continues until reaching the
center sphere – which is the physical universe we are familiar
with. A two dimensional view of this would look like a classical
archery target with our universe being the bull’s eye. Each of
these spheres is referred to as a “universe”. Hence, there seem
to be many universes. The outer universes are more spiritual and the
inner ones harden, tending towards ever more physical – until
reaching the most physical of all, our own universe.
[ii]
Naturally, each universe is inhabited by creatures with match its own
spiritual level. Accordingly, angels inhabit outer universes and
animals inhabit the innermost level. This establishes a spiritual
hierarchy of universes and creatures – a spectrum with those higher
up having much less limitation and those closer to the center
beginning to feel the crunch of limitation. Freedom versus limitation
is a very strong distinguishing factor between spiritual and physical
beings.
In
some sense, this multi-universe view might be a metaphor. Based on
the teachings of Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi it seems likely that
there truthfully is only one universe.
[iii]
The multitudes of “universes” seem likely to be merely many
various creatures perceiving the same universe very differently. When
a group of creatures share a largely overlapping perception of the
universe, they are considered to be living in the same universe. For
example, a human, a dog and a bee are all considered inhabitants of
the same universe. Why? They can all perceive each other and pick up
many of the same vibes. This does not mean that their perception
range is entirely identical; a dog perceives sounds and smells
outside the range of human perception. A bee sees ultraviolet light.
However, there's sufficient overlap to allow these creatures to
interact. Hence, they share the same "universe".
In
contrast, a human and an angel are considered to be inhabitants of
different "universes". Why? Because the human sees the
universe as a physical structure, while the angel sees the same
universe as a containing spiritual force. The universe each sees is
not different. What's different is the level of perception each
creature was designed for. There are as many "universes"
as there are perceptual ranges. Rabbi Shneur Zalman teaches that had
the eye been allowed to see the spirituality in each creature, it
would not appear earthly at all, but rather as a vibrant spiritual
force. (Tanya II chapter 3)
Kabbalah
teaches that a universe is defined as a framework of time, space and
life.[iv]
Since ultimately there is only one shared universe there is also
only one framework of time, space and life. Every single creature
lives within this over arching framework which defines the basic
parameters of the universe. However, the way each creature
experiences time, space and life can vary greatly from the next. The
way time is experienced by humans dwelling in an earthly body is not
the way time is experienced by a disembodied soul. People who
survived near death experiences have shared on interviews that when
disembodied their perception of time was vastly different.
It
seems like the experience of time can be compared to a sensory
perception which varies depending on what vessels of perception the
creature was designed with. This notion of time is bolstered by
recent research in the field of psychology which discovered through
research that the human perception of time as really a "construction
of the human mind".[v]
Therefore, there can be many kinds of time perception in the overall
universe.
Chapter
2 – The Garden of Eden
One
of the most celebrated Kabbalists in all Jewish history was Rabbi
Isaac Luria, of blessed memory (1534 – 1572). In order to gain
perspective on the issue of the age of the universe, it is useful to
examine his treatment of the Biblical story of Adam and Eve in the
Garden of Eden.
According
to Rabbi Isaac Luria, the universe Adam and Eve inhabited was not
physical at all. Rather, it was highly spiritual.
[vi]
For that matter neither was the snake’s realm physical. It too was
spiritual, though it was much closer to being physical, as it was
spiritually lower. The tree of knowledge served as a tenuous link
between where the first couple lived and the snake’s realm. As a
result of eating from the tree of knowledge, the two realms mixed
together into a single realm becoming the physical universe as we
know it today. This is how Adam and Eve were "chased out"
of the Garden. [vii]
The world around them simply became physical. It was no longer a
“garden”. Obviously, Adam and Eve no longer looked the same
either. Previously, they were clothed in spiritual light. Now, they
were clothed in skin. [viii]
Although
I have not seen this written anywhere
[ix],
it's my own understanding that the reason why mixing the realms made
our universe physical is because Adam’s realm and the snake’s
realm were very incompatible with each other. Imagine bringing
together two dancers trained in very different styles of dancing to
dance with each other. Their tedious efforts to synchronize their
movements will slow them down. Similarly, the elements of Adam’s
realm and the snake’s realm were so vastly different that they
didn’t “dance well together”. Each slowed down the other. The
slower the movement the more concrete an entity becomes. For example,
solid is harder than liquid, gas or energy because the molecules in
solid aren’t moving as freely. As molecules slow down, substances
harden, becoming more concrete.
Since
Adam and Eve were not initially created physically, but rather as
inhabitants of Eden, it logically follows that their experience of
time was also very different than our own. In our current state, we
are incapable of understanding what time was like for them. The very
same notion in its own way applies to time in the snake’s realm as
well. Their experiences of time there was unique to each of their
respective realms.
Upon
mixing, the inhabitants of both realms became earthly. Commensurate
with their new level, their sensory apparatus now perceived
physicality. As a result of their new perceptual range, a brand new
experience of time, space and life emerged – one that never existed
before either in the Garden of Eden or in the snake’s realm. What
existed in both spiritual realms downloaded into this new realm –
squash
... everything became more constrained into newly introduced
limitations brought on by two incompatible realms attempting to work
together - resulting in slow motion. Therefore, anything which seems
to predate the first couple’s entry into the physical realm is
really a footprint of something which existed spiritually in a whole
other perception of time, which cannot be measured in human terms.
This is why the true age of the physical universe cannot be measured.
The history of our physical universe began in two realms, each with
their own version of immeasurable "spiritual time" and
combined 5,780 years ago, continuing onward in “physical time”.
Yet,
when all that previous “spiritual time” downloaded physically, it
probably translated into about 15 billion earthly years. Upon entry
into the physical realm, everything brought along its own previous
history. All that spiritual history downloaded into physical
constraints, yielding a new kind of history appropriate for a more
limited format. This could be comparable to taking a jump drive full
of data and trying to transfer all that data onto a batch of old 3.5"
floppy discs. The vast quantity of data which the single jump drive
had easily stored will now require many floppy discs, as the data is
being translated into a more limited format. What's lost in quality
requires greater quantity to bring about an equal result. Similarly,
translating events from high quality spiritual time into the
constraints of physical time requires a huge number of units to hold
it; possibly, something like 15 billion human years. 15 billion years
worth of history downloaded, but only 5,780 years ago.
These
ideas accord nicely with the view of the Medieval Kabbalist Rabbi
Isaac of Acco (1250 – 1340).
Chapter
3 - Rabbi Isaac of Acco
Rabbi
Isaac of Acco, discourse on the age of the universe which combines
ideas from the Talmud and Bible was introduced to the English
speaking audience by late Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, of blessed memory. He
has an elaborate essay about Rabbi Isaac of Acco's discourse in his
book "Immortality, Resurrection and the Age of the Universe: A
Kabbalistic View". He also has a shorter explanation in his
translation and commentary to "Sefer Yetzirah" P.186.
Rabbi
Kaplan explains that the Talmud cites in a number of places that the
universe is supposed to exist for 7,000 years. A variety of Rabbinic
sources expand on this teaching and explain that the universe really
goes through seven cycles of 7,000 years, totaling 49,000 years.
There’s some disagreement on whether we’re in the second cycle or
the seventh cycle.
Rabbi
Isaac of Acco takes each day in the 49,000 years and multiplies it by
1,000 years – teaching that a “divine day” really equals 1,000
human years. He bases this idea on the Biblical verse (Psalms 90:4)
“A thousand years in Your eyes are just like yesterday (i.e. a
single day).”
Assuming
we are in the last of the seven cycles, we can do a simple
calculation: 1,000 years x 365.25 days x 42,000 = 15,340,500,000
human years - that's 15 billion and 340 million and 500 thousand
human years. This equation multiplies the 1,000 year long divine day
by 365.25 days in the solar year in order to determine the length of
a divine year, which is 365,250 “human years”. Then following the
approach of those Rabbinic authorities who believe we’re in the
seventh cycle, six cycles have already passed by making the world at
least 42,000 years old in this context. By multiplying 365,250 “human
years” and 42,000 “cycle years”, one yields 15,340,500,000
human years. This is pretty close to some scientific estimates of the
age of the universe.
In
light of Rabbi Isaac Luria’s teaching, I understand Rabbi Isaac of
Acco as conveying that a value of over 15 billion human years has
passed since the universe’s inception, but not that the universe
was literally more than 15 billion years old. Of course, had Adam and
Eve been initially created as physical beings then over 15 billion
human years would have actually transpired, but this was not the
case.
Chapter
4 – Seven Days in Physical Time
A
contemporary physicist and Torah scholar, Dr. Gerald Schroeder,
demonstrates that the seven days of creation can also be calculated
in physical time. [x]
Even though the first couple spent at least their first hours in
spiritual time, I accept Dr. Schroeder’s findings as a confirmation
that the seven days of creation had left their imprint even
physically. This means that had the universe been physically created,
the notion that it was created in seven days would have still been
true.
Dr.
Schroeder theory attempts to reconcile the Biblical time frame of
creation, of seven days, with the scientific age of the universe,
which according to some scientists is over 15 billion years old. He
argued that seven days from the outer rim of the universe can equal
billions of years within the universe. His approach is based on
Einstein's time dilation theory. (If you don't believe in Einstein's
theory of time dilation then please throw out your GPS. It heavily
depends on this theory to work.)
The
gist of Dr. Schroeder's reconciliation goes like this. When the big
bang happened the outer rim of the universe ballooned outward with
such a tremendous burst of energy that it approached the speed of
light. Einstein's time dilation theory teaches that the faster
something travels in space the slower it goes in time. Therefore by
reaching such high speeds, time greatly slowed down at the outer rim
of the universe when measured relative to clocks within the universe.
While the outer rim experienced only seven days, the interior of the
universe could have experienced 15 billion years.
According
to Dr. Schroeder’s theory, the Creator measured the Biblical seven
days from the perspective of the most universal clock, the clock
which embraces all clocks; namely, the outer rim of the universe.
This makes sense considering that time dilation theory teaches that
the experience of time is not only affected by speed, but also by
gravity. The stronger gravity is, the slower time moves. So while
from the perspective of earth the universe could be about 15 billion
years old, from the perspective of Jupiter the universe could be much
older. Since there are a vast multitude of gravitational fields
within the universe with vastly varying intensities, just for this
reason alone there are also a vast number of clocks from which the
age of the universe can be gauged – each yielding a different
result. Therefore, the over-arching clock on the rim of the universe
makes the most sense to use.
Once
the framework of a seven day creation has been paradoxically greatly
expanded while simultaneously being very literal, there is room to
discuss a protracted process of creation, along with what tools might
have been in the Creator's "tool box" to bring this about.
Without any knowledge to the contrary, evolution should be as good a
tool as any other for the Creator to slowly form the amazing wide
variety of species which inhabit our planet.
I'm
not personally saying that this is how it happened or that I throw my
full support into Dr. Schroeder's theory, as literally having
happened.
However,
(a) it serves as a neat reconciliation for people who don’t want to
get too mystical (b) it demonstrates that the Creator could have
worked out a seven day creation even within physical time (c) the
very fact all these reconciliations between the Biblical and
scientific accounts exist should bring members of both camps to
question whether there really needs to be such a heated argument,
when one can simultaneously believe in the Creator, science and a
literal reading of the Bible without any inner intellectual conflict?
Let all sides continue their work peacefully, so we can all grow
together towards our fullest potential.
Content
copyrighted by author
[i]
A note to those studying Kabbalah: I am only discussing sefirot
igulim here – as they are the
chambers which are inhabited by beings.
[ii]
Sefer Etz Chaim, Shaar Igulim V’Yosher
[iii]
Tanya II, Chapter 3
[iv]
See “Sefer Yetzirah”, from chapters 3 to 5 the 22 mystical
letters of the Hebrew alphabet are described as manifesting in time,
space and life – encompassing the entire framework of creation as
we know it.
[v]
Radio interview with neuroscientist David Eagleman on WHYY broadcast
in Philadelphia on August 11, 2011.
[vi]
“Shaar HaPesukim”, Siman 2, Discourse 3. Also see “The Knowing
Heart”, by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, Feldheim Publishing’s
English translated edition, P. 188 – 189.
[vii]
Genesis 3:23
[viii]
“Ben Ish Chai” commenting on the Torah portion of Braishit
(first year).
[ix]
I received oral confirmation for this idea from a known Kabbalist.
[x]
See “Genesis and the Big Bang” by Dr. Gerald Schroeder. More
about Dr. Schroeder’s theories can be found on his website
http://www.geraldschroeder.com
