The Big Bang Theory: Cosmic Birth in Science and Scripture

The Torah describes the universe's creation as a divine act, as depicted in Genesis Chapter 1. But how does science see the universe's inception? Is it possible that the events described in the Torah might align with the latest scientific theories about how the universe came to be?

According to modern physics, the universe originated from an event known as the "Big Bang," a mid-20th century discovery. So, what is the Big Bang? In essence, the Big Bang theory posits the following:

1. All matter was present from the first moment

All matter in the universe, meaning electrons, protons, everything the universe is composed of—was concentrated at the dawn of time in a tiny point, smaller than the head of a pin.

Important note: How did all the matter get there? No one knows.

2. The universe as a single point

At its inception, the universe was concentrated in that primordial point. Spatially, this point was the entire universe. There was no "beside" or "next to" it, as no space existed outside this point.

3. A cosmic explosion

At a certain moment, an explosive event occurred: a vast burst of energy washed over the universe. One of the major pieces of evidence for the Big Bang is the cosmic background radiation that reaches Earth from all directions even today, recorded by scientific instruments.

The energy cooled, and following Einstein's mass-energy equivalence principle—E=M*C²—the energy transformed into mass. Gravity then pulled this mass together to form clusters, which became galaxies, star clusters, and stars.

The "initial point" began to expand, inflating into the three-dimensional space we recognize today. This continuous expansion is further evidence supporting the Big Bang: the fact that galaxies are moving away from each other. Imagine a balloon with dots drawn on its surface; as you inflate it, the dots move apart. This two-dimensional example mirrors our three-dimensional universe.

Important note: What caused this explosion? No one knows.

4. The beginning of time

With the explosion, time began to flow.

In other words, you cannot ask "what existed before the explosion," because there was no "before the explosion."

Important note: This point marked a dramatic shift in scientific thought. Until the mid-20th century, science claimed the universe always existed. There was no hint of a beginning. However, post-20th century, science acknowledges a start to time itself.

Did you know that since the discovery of the Big Bang, some leading scientists describe the universe's emergence openly as "creation?"

Here's a passage from a lecture by Professor Haggai Netzer of Tel Aviv University's Department of Astrophysics, an expert on galaxies and black holes. He was awarded the Weizmann Prize for Exact Sciences in 2005 for his contributions to astrophysics:

What does the Torah say about this?

There's a remarkable alignment with Torah teachings, which over 3300 years ago described these exact features of creation. Some of these correspondences were publicized before the writing of this article, and we revisit them here for a comprehensive picture. We also provide additional insights as an introduction:

1. All matter was present from the first moment

In Hebrew, the root "B.R.A" uniquely denotes creation ex nihilo, meaning something came into existence from nothing. Notice this verb appears exactly three times in Genesis: in the creation of matter, living creatures, and humans.

Creation of matter –

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth"

(Genesis 1:1)

Creation of living creatures –

"And God created the great sea creatures and every living being"

(Genesis 1:21)

Creation of humans –

"And God created man"

(Genesis 1:27)

The Torah's narrative shows that material creation is only mentioned at the very first moment. In the first verse. And that's it. Until living creatures appear (on the fifth day) there is no mention of further creation.

Jewish sages derived from this that all the material of the entire universe was created in that first moment. From there on, the material organized and transformed, undergoing processes, but no new matter came into being:

"The material from which everything came into being was created on the first day"

(Rabbeinu Bachya, Genesis 1:1)

"And in one utterance...

everything was created"

(Or HaChaim, Genesis 1:1)

"That everything was created on the first day"

(Rashi, Genesis 1:24)

"To teach us that all were created on the first day"

(Rashi, Genesis 2:4)

This matches the scientific discoveries from the mid-20th century, with no explanation as to how ancient people could have known such details unless the Torah was provided through divine revelation.

Note: The creation of male and female, as "creation," is also mentioned ("Male and female, He created them," Genesis 1:27). Indeed, science also lacks answers to how genders formed. The verse relates to human creation, which is why it wasn't listed separately above.

2. The universe as a single point

The idea of a primordial point is also found in Jewish commentaries. Here it is:

"Within this creation,

as a tiny thin point lacking substance,

all creatures in heaven and earth were created"

(Nachmanides, Genesis 1:1)

"It seems to me that this point,

once taking form...

is what the sages call the "Foundation Stone" from which the world expanded"

(Nachmanides, Genesis 1:1)

Nachmanides even suggests a location (!) for this originating point, the "Foundation Stone," situated on the Temple Mount at the site of the Holy of Holies (scientifically, it's a conceptual location, as science describes the entire universe as originating from an expanding primordial point, as explained above).

3. The explosion

(1) A tidal wave of energy saturating the universe

Physics defines light as electromagnetic waves. Different colors visible to our eyes result from varying frequencies of these waves.

There are electromagnetic waves outside the visible range. They differ from other electromagnetic waves only by frequency, and thus they too are "light." More precisely, "invisible light."

The Big Bang left behind the "cosmic background radiation," an energy field still permeating the universe. Since electromagnetic radiation, whether visible or not, is called "light," if you wanted to succinctly describe a massive explosion spreading electromagnetic radiation (light) across the universe, wouldn't you phrase it exactly like this?

"Let there be light"

(Genesis 1:3)

"Let there be light"—turning on the light, like switching on a room's light, floods it with radiation; so too, creation began with the "turning on of light" saturating the entire universe with radiation. The verse is strikingly precise. Amazing, isn't it?

4. The beginning of time

As mentioned, before the mid-20th century, science believed the universe was eternal, stars drifted in space, the universe always was and always would be. After discovering the Big Bang, the scientific consensus emerged that the universe had a starting point in time.

Remarkably, isn't this the first word in the Torah?

"In the beginning"

(Genesis 1:1)

"In the beginning"—a point in time that marks a beginning. Written boldly in black and white over 3300 years ago.

Interim Summary

Summarizing what we've learned, Torah opens with the phrase: "In the beginning, God created" (Genesis 1:1), and the initial event is— "Let there be light" (Genesis 1:3).

• The word "In the beginning" informs us about the start of time, as discovered by science only in the 20th century.
• The word "created" informed Jewish sages that all matter in the universe existed from the first moment—as revealed by science only in the 20th century.
• The words "Let there be light" teach us about an explosion of light (energy) flooding the universe—as discovered by science only in the 20th century.
• And as we've seen earlier, even the primordial point appears in sources—as revealed by science only in the 20th century.

All these concepts seemed like "science fiction" for 3300 years after the Torah was given until the 20th century. But since then, science has begun to align with these ancient claims. Today, science can even measure the primordial light of "Let there be light." Fascinating, isn't it?

Information Beyond Current Science

Now, let's note there's information in this account that is unknown to modern science. To clarify, let's consider the open scientific questions:

1. How and from where did all the matter come about in that primordial starting point?
2. What initiated the explosion?

The Torah's verses clearly provide the answers.

The answer to the first question, how and from where did all the matter reach the primordial point, is:

"In the beginning, God created"

(Genesis 1:1)

"In the beginning"—a start point. "Created"—as we've learned, all universal matter was produced. "God"—Hashem, the Almighty Sovereign, created this matter ex nihilo. That's why science finds no answer to this fundamental question. The answer lies beyond the reach of scientific instruments, theories, and equations.

The answer to the second question, what triggered the explosion, is:

"And God said, Let there be light; and there was light."

(Genesis 1:3)

Hashem, the Almighty Sovereign, declared "Let there be light." And instantly—"there was light"—the explosion. Simple!

The text is from "Integrated Worlds." To download and read the chapter in PDF format, click here.

The writer holds a B.Sc in Physics with honors from the Technion.