Abarbanel on the Torah

  (To read the previous part, click here .) This interpretation is also incorrect. Throughout the entire account of Creation, the name 'Elohim' is consistently used as a designation for the Creator, blessed be He (1). How, then, could the first mention of 'Elohim' at the beginning of the Torah refer to the created angels, while in the subsequent verses, the same name refers to the Creator, the Cause of all causes, blessed be He? Alternatively, if one were to claim that every mention of 'Elohim' in the Creation narrative refers to angels, this would imply that they were the ones who created the world—a notion that is utterly unacceptable. Creation in its entirety is attributed exclusively and directly to the First Cause, blessed be He, without any intermediary, and certainly not to any of His creations. Furthermore, according to this interpretation, the identity of the Creator would be missing from the verse. It would state merely, "In the beginning, [som...

  (To read the previous part, click here .) The second question Why does the creation account in Bereshit not mention the creation of the spiritual angels, when they constitute one-third of existence, and are the first and most elevated part of creation? Should we assume, as some investigators have suggested, that there are no separate intellects ( sechalim nivdalim ), apart from the First Cause ( ha-sibah ha-rishonah , i.e., God)? According to this view: God alone is the only force that moves the celestial spheres. The universe consists of one moving sphere and one Prime Mover ( ha-kadur ha-mitnoa echad veha-mania echad ). However, this idea is not only false from the perspective of true philosophical reasoning, but it is also heresy according to the Torah! The Torah clearly affirms the existence of angels: They appear in the narratives of the forefathers ( Avot ); they are described in prophetic visions ( Nevi’im ); the Book of Daniel explicitly names angels such as Gabri...

( To read the previous part , click here .)   All the more so, what prevents God from creating the four fundamental elements (earth, water, air, and fire) with their specific forms from the outset, allowing them to serve as the shared material for all things that come into existence and perish, as well as for human sustenance? Is God's hand, Heaven forbid, too short to create four distinct elements from absolute nothingness—so much so that He must first create one primordial matter instead? Rather, this entire theory is based on the requirements of natural existence, following the principles of philosophy, rather than on the absolute nature of divine creation, as understood by the Torah. If I were to believe the existence of a primordial matter preceding creation, from which all things later emerged—which is an assertion that is entirely unacceptable from a Torah-based perspective—then I would still prefer to say that a single, unified formless substance was created, from which al...

( To read the previous part , click here .) Difficulties with This Approach First, how can the Torah state that God created the heavens and the earth if it merely refers to the creation of primordial matter ( hyle )? After all, the hyle —the raw substance of a thing—is the lowest aspect of its existence. How can this simple matter be called by the complete and composite name of "heavens and earth"? Even more so, how could it be referred to with the definite article ("the heavens and the earth")? This phrase can only refer to something perceived, tangible, and well-known, not to an abstract, lacking, and imperceptible primordial substance that did not even exist in its formless state for more than a fleeting moment. Second, how is it possible for two separate, formless substances to be created ex nihilo and yet be distinct from one another? Distinction arises from form and function, yet if these substances were entirely without form, how could they be considered s...

1. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (1) He begins by addressing the order of creation and the reason for the juxtaposition of the words Bereshit (“In the beginning”) and Bara (“created”) in the phrase Bereshit Bara Elokim (“In the beginning, God created”) up until the mention of “one day.” I have found it necessary to raise several questions regarding these verses: The First Question The first question arises from the verse Bereshit Bara Elokim ... (“In the beginning, God created...”). If the Torah seeks to describe the order of creation and what preceded what, how can it state that the first thing created was the heavens and the earth? For these two encompass all physical existence, both above and below. If everything was created at the outset, then what remained to be created afterward? The commentators have addressed this difficulty by explaining that the Torah does not intend to present the chronological sequence of creation. Rather, they interpret...