What Existed Before the Universe? Science and Faith Meet at the Beginning of Creation

Leah asks: "In a previous article, I read that God created the entire universe from a single primordial substance, and that everything was once smaller than the head of a pin. I can’t understand how that’s even possible. How could a star — or the entire universe — fit inside the head of a pin? It seems impossible to grasp. And if we’re already talking about things that defy understanding — what existed before the universe? What does it mean that there was 'nothing'? Was there an empty, dark space? Thank you!"

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Hello Leah, and thank you for your thoughtful questions.

The short scientific answer is yes, that’s exactly what happened.
Modern science discovered that all galaxies are moving away from each other. This means that, in the distant past, all the matter and energy in the universe were once concentrated in a single, infinitesimally small point — smaller than the head of a pin.

Nearly 800 years ago, Nachmanides (the Ramban) described this concept in his commentary on the first verse of Bereishit, explaining that God created the world from a “primordial substance” — a kind of original, condensed material. Today, science refers to that same idea as the “singularity point.”

How Could Everything Be So Small?

It seems impossible only because we think of the world as solid and fixed in size. In truth, everything we see — including stars, planets, and even our own bodies, is made up of tiny particles moving at incredible speeds.

The apparent solidity of objects is actually an illusion created by motion. Imagine a fan with three thin blades: when it spins fast enough, it looks like a solid disc, and any touch feels “solid.”

In the same way, atoms are made of a nucleus (protons and neutrons) with electrons orbiting around it. The nucleus is so small that it’s been compared to an ant sitting in the middle of a football field. The “field” is just the space in which the electrons move.

If all the particles in the universe were to stop moving for even an instant, they could collapse into a single microscopic point — smaller than the head of a pin.

What Existed Before the Universe?

Science has proven that the universe had a definite beginning. Before that moment, there was no matter, no energy, no space, and no time. In simple terms — there was nothing.

This “nothing” wasn’t empty space, because even empty space didn’t exist yet. There was no darkness, no light — not even a place where a pin could be placed. The universe simply wasn’t.

Our imagination can’t picture that, because imagination works with what we’ve already seen, heard, or touched. But to make it more understandable, think of the concept of a vacuum.

When you remove all air from a sealed bag, its walls collapse together. What’s left inside is called a “vacuum” — the absence of space or matter. Before the universe, there was an even more absolute state of nothingness — no space, no particles, no motion.

In “nothing,” nothing can ever happen, because there’s nothing to change or move.

The Logical Conclusion: A Creator Beyond Time and Space

The very fact that the universe began — that “something” appeared from “nothing” — is evidence that it was caused by a Being outside of nature, beyond the limits of time and space.

Let’s look at what this means step by step:

1. No matter or energy existed before the universe → Therefore, the Creator is not made of matter or energy. He is non-physical — supernatural.

2. There was no space (no dimension or distance) → Therefore, the Creator does not need space to exist — He is infinite and boundless.

3. There was no division or separation of parts → Therefore, the Creator is One — absolute unity.

4. There was no time or motion → Therefore, the Creator exists beyond time — He is eternal and unchanging.

5. The universe operates by precise mathematical laws → Therefore, its Creator is intelligent and purposeful.

The Universe as Testimony

If you ask people what they mean when they say “God,” they’ll usually describe: A Being who created the world, is non-physical, infinite, eternal, one, all-powerful, and wise beyond comprehension.

Remarkably, these are exactly the traits revealed by the very existence of the universe itself. The cosmos, in its beauty and precision, testifies to its Creator. Every atom, every star, every law of nature silently declares: “The heavens proclaim the glory of God.” (Tehillim 19:2)