Introduction: Science Evolves, Torah Endures

Scientific theories, even the most established, remain subject to change. As knowledge advances, models are refined or replaced. The Torah, by contrast, presents a stable framework that has endured across generations.

Within an integrative approach, the Torah can serve as a reference point—helping evaluate whether emerging scientific ideas align with deeper structures of reality. A key principle in science is asking the right question. Here, a short phrase from Jewish liturgy opens such a question.

The Core Question: Why “Creates Darkness”?

In the morning Jewish prayer (Shacharit), the phrase appears:

“Who forms light and creates darkness, makes peace and creates all.”

"יוצר אור ובורא חושך, עושה שלום ובורא את הכל."

This wording originates in Isaiah 45:7. The asymmetry is striking:

• Light is formed (יוצר)

• Darkness is created (בורא)

In Genesis, the verb “bara” is used sparingly, primarily for the creation of the universe, living beings, and men (ADAM). Why, then, is darkness also described as a primary creation?

The Order of Creation

Genesis describes the initial state:

• “Darkness was upon the face of the deep”

• Only afterward: “Let there be light”

This suggests that darkness is not merely the absence of light, but part of the original condition of creation.

Ramban: Darkness as a Created Reality

Nachmanides (a Jewish scholar who lived in the 13th century) offers a profound interpretation: the “darkness” in Genesis is not absence, but a real created entity, described as a form of primordial “dark fire.”

According to this view, darkness has substance, it is part of the earliest stage of creation itself.

A Modern Scientific Parallel

Contemporary cosmology describes a similar sequence:

1. A void is generated in the infinity of God's presence.

2. The universe begins in an extremely dense, high-energy state.

3. According to Albert Einstein, energy and matter are interchangeable (E=mc²), and in the earliest moments of the universe, energy converts into matter.

4. According to the Big Bang Theory, matter existed as plasma (primarily hydrogen and helium) for about 380,000 years

5. Light cannot travel freely due to constant interaction with particles in a very dense form. All contained within the plasma/Chaos (תהו ובוהו) that was the initial stage of creation.

6. Only after expansion does radiation propagate, making the universe “visible”, the first light which the Torah refers to. 

Thus, the early universe is effectively dark, despite immense energy.

This parallels the Torah’s description:

Science

1. Opaque early universe

2. Emergence of free radiation

Torah

1. Darkness precedes light

2. “Let there be light”

Conclusion: Darkness as a Beginning

Both the Torah and modern science describe a process in which:

• Energy transitions into matter at the beginning of creation

• Darkness is not incidental, but foundational

• Light emerges only after a prior stage of concealment

 Creation does not begin with visible light, but with a hidden stage that makes light possible.

From this view, the Torah is not something science proves. Instead, it is a measuring tool to check if scientific ideas are on the right track. When science matches the structure described in the Torah, it suggests it is closer to the truth.

Science changes over time, but the Torah remains constant, describing a reality that moves from hidden to revealed, from darkness to clarity, and toward unity between since and faith.