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 In the beginning G-d created the heaven and the earth. Light, sky, land, vegetation, animals and humans. The Torah's description of creation is summarized in 31 short verses. Surely not enough space to adequately explain the process of creation. Of course the purpose of Genesis chapters one and two is not to explain the process of creation. It is the purpose of creation that interests the Torah. The Torah is not a science textbook and it is left to the scientists to explain the complex process of creation. The Ramban (13th century Spain) points out the obvious, that the process of creation can not be understood from the Biblical text. For those who believe in a divine creator, the statement recorded in the aseret hadibrot that G-d created the world in "six days" would suffice and those who choose to deny G-d will not be convinced by the claims of the biblical author.
The story of creation, like every word in the Torah, is there to teach a moral lesson. Thus we should not see the Torah as teaching us history, though much historical information is recorded therein. But the historical events recorded are there to teach ethics and the historical record is incidental. The story of the exodus teaches and obligates us to be sensitive to the stranger "for you were strangers in the land of Egypt" any information for the historical record is incidental. That is why so much history is "missing" from the Bible. Thus the whole supposed conflict between creationism and science is based on a misunderstanding of what the Torah is all about. The Torah is not interested in explaining science but rather in giving moral guidance to scientists.
Even more importantly by definition there can be no conflict between torah and science. To assert that science and torah are in conflict seems to me to deny the Creator. The opening verse of the Bible tells us that G-d created the heaven and the earth, not how G-d did it, but that G-d did it. G-d created all the rules of nature - in fact G-d created nature itself. As Maimonides opens his monumental code of law - "the foundation of foundations and the pillar of wisdom is to know that there is a First cause and He brought all that there is into existence". Torah and science join harmoniously together; both representing differing manifestations of the same G-d. Of course we have yet to plumb the full depths of science nor have we succeeded in fully understanding all of torah. Any apparent conflicts mean that we are either deficient in our understanding of science or deficient in our understanding of Torah, or perhaps both. To assert the conflict is irreconcilable is to assert disunity in the creative process.
On a practical level, denying the grandeur of science even when it conflicts with pre-existing notions of our understanding of Torah, is misguided at best as it serves to drive people away from religion. We have to work hard to find a solution but if we can not admit it without denying the scientific approach. This is a lesson the church learned when it excommunicated those who supported Copernicus for teaching that the earth revolved around the sun. Science is too way powerful - and usually quite correct- to be rejected and those who do so are rejected by the masses. This could explain why, in fact, the Torah does record the creation story. The torah begins by teaching us that we should never think that we can fully understand the Torah. The 31 terse verses of creation starkly point out that despite the brilliance of man there is so much we do not and will not understand. While this is more readily apparent in trying to decipher the mysteries of creation it is equally true for the less esoteric parts of Torah also. The torah is so rich, so deep so multilayered that new layers of understanding, chiddush , are opened before us the more we delve into it. And yes there are parts that will remain forever hidden from.
G-d has created a most beautiful and complex world, both physically and spiritually. We must work hard to delve into the depths of Torah and the depths of nature as we strive to come closer to G-d, the creator of the heaven and the earth. Shabbat Shalom.
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