Is Evolution a Well-Founded Theory?

"Greetings, Rabbi, I am returning to my faith, and recently, foolishly, a doubt about the theory of evolution entered my mind, which troubles me greatly as I saw the words of atheists, and felt that it contradicted Judaism. Thank you in advance"

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Hello and blessings,

Congratulations on your journey of spiritual growth. There's no doubt you have chosen life.

Regarding the theory of evolution, I'll try to clarify things for you.

In light of current scientific facts, evolution is not well-founded. Those who forcefully defend it claim that minute changes within a species (such as minor differences between dogs) are proof of evolution across species. This is unproven because the changes we observe do not lead to significant transformation; bacteria remain bacteria, and humans remain humans. Therefore, they argue the process takes millions of years, and we cannot witness it. In other words, it is a theory and not a scientific fact.

Please see here: https://www.hidabroot.org/he/article/73765

Secondly, they try to point to various fossils. However, upon thorough examination, it becomes clear they are largely based on theoretical reconstructions and not on complete skulls, not even half a skull. Or they forcibly draw a skull as if it were an ape-man when it could equally be reconstructed as an ape. Thus, you'll find a sea of interpretations and very few real facts.

In any case, evolution should not trouble you. Even if evolution were definitively proven, we would only need to understand that it is the means by which Hashem created the animals during the six days of creation. Our sages have said there are many secrets in the creation account, and not everything is meant to be understood literally. Therefore, science and Torah will never contradict each other—either science is imprecise, or we lack full knowledge of the Torah. But there can be no contradiction because both Torah and science come from the one Creator.

See here the article: "What Would Rambam Say About Evolution?"

https://www.hidabroot.org/he/article/70644

It is important to clarify now:
We know there is a Creator of the world—not because evolution is disproved, nor because we have found scientific parallels between the Big Bang and the words of the Torah. It is crucial to understand that we have innumerable scientific, logical, and philosophical reasons compelling any rational person to reach the unequivocal conclusion that there is a Creator of the world—independent of evolution or the age of the world.
We know the world had a beginning and every beginning must have a cause. We know the universe is governed by natural laws demonstrating the control of the Creator, even at this moment. We see the universe is designed, built on complex mathematical equations, proving to us that the world was created by a Designer. Reason compels us to reach the Cause of all causes, One who is not bound by matter and time, who created everything and is identified as Hashem. We learn about the spiritual essence within us, free will testifying to the existence of a divine soul. The evidence is countless.
One does not need to be "Einstein" or a seer to understand there is a Creator of the world. Even a child can look honestly at the world around us and come to the necessary conclusion that there is a Creator. The existence of the Creator does not touch upon whether the Creator made the world over millions of years or created animals through a process of evolution—because, in any case, we understand there is a Creator of the world who created the universe and man with wisdom and precise intent—with or without evolution, with or without processes spanning millions of years. The Creator must exist in any situation, this is an inescapable conclusion from reality, and it is important to understand that the Creator's existence cannot be disproven under any circumstances.
We also know that the Torah is true—not because we found impressive comparisons between the words of the sages and modern science, but because we have a reliable history of thousands of years, documenting and confirming the control of the Creator during the ten plagues in Egypt, the splitting of the Red Sea, during 40 years in the desert, in illogical prophecies that came true over two thousand years as described in the Book of Books, and the main revelation of the Creator before all of Israel at Mount Sinai.
Our ancestors and forefathers faithfully passed down the Torah, festivals, and commandments, willing to sacrifice their lives in every generation for its truth. We do not believe in the Exodus solely "because it is written in the Torah," but thanks to our ancestors transmitting the Torah from generation to generation as our national history for 3300 years. Therefore, the Torah serves as undeniable historical evidence, and all those "Bible deniers" are no different from recent Holocaust deniers.
The people of Israel are the only nation in the world to receive the manufacturer's instructions from God before an entire nation, in a divine revelation with miracles proving His control over nature, and no Torah has influenced the world more than the Torah of the Jews. The very existence of the nation of Israel also proves the miraculous control of the Creator in history, as the Jewish people are the only nation to survive so many exterminations and antisemitism over thousands of years, scattered worldwide, remaining small and surviving without authority and army while all ancient empires and nations assimilated and disappeared—and even after all these, the people of Israel returned to their land after two thousand years of exile, with this entire ordeal already described in ancient prophecies in the Torah passed down by the Jewish people for 3300 years. We know the secret of its eternity!
We have countless historical reasons to believe in the Torah, and to know clearly that the Torah of Israel is truth. There is no other Torah or religion in the world even attempting to compete with the historical authenticity and miraculous nature of the Torah of Israel and the people of Israel. All the principles of faith are clarified in the books of our Rabbis, like the Book of Kuzari, Duties of the Heart, and more.
Therefore, even if you encounter the words of an atheist seeking to criticize or distort a Rabbi's words, you must always know how to distinguish whether their words touch upon the core of our faith, or only on reinforcing themes in faith (like the renewal of the moon or the sphericity of the earth in the Zohar). Mature and rational returnees to faith have already learned to base their faith on true knowledge and are not troubled by such doubts.
I recommend you read the "Fateful Talk" pamphlet today, which answers all questions (on the existence of the Creator and religions, Oral Torah, free will, why Hashem created us, and more). It is advised to read until the surprising end, and not skip any topic. To read the pamphlet, search Google for the words "Fateful Talk."
Best wishes,
Daniel Bels