Age of the Universe

Index page for material relavant to the topic of the age of the universe - internal and external links

Age of the Universe and the Shemitot

Adopting an apologetic stance, some even Orthodox thinkers have made various attempts to find grounds for a much older universe in Torah based on the notion of shemitot, first appearing in the book titled Sefer Hatemunah. In this three part lecture Harav Ginsburgh discusses the status of the shemitot in Kabbalah, why it was discounted by the Ramak and the Arizal, the two greatest Kabbalistic authorities in history, and what the correct understanding of certain passages in the Zohar regarding this topic is. He then goes on to elucidate the various allusions in the Talmud and the Zohar to generations that preceded Adam. Click here for the video

Added: 28 Shevat 5771 | 2 Feb 2011

24 Tevet Farbrengen 5768

The second part of this farbrengen explains how the three verbs used in relation to the creation of Adam in Genesis represent the different possible points of view on the age of the universe: the scientific mind (evolutionary), the archetypal mind (mythical) and the creative mind (Genesis) and how all 3 together are part of the Torah's account of creation.

Added: 25 Tevet 5768