Six days or fifteen billion years? At first glance, the biblical and scientific accounts of the creation of the universe seem quite different. How then can there be modern twentieth century people who respect the methods and conclusions of science, yet take the Bible to be literally correct? The answer is given in this book. Dr. Andrew Goldfinger is a physicist by profession and a chasidic Jew by commitment. He takes the reader through the story of creation from both viewpoints.
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Goldfinger, who works at the Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University, opens his autobiographical reflection with a story. As a Hasidic Jew, he notes, he loves Torah, and as a practicing scientist, he loves science. When he engages in both Torah study and science, he says he can't help but marvel at the similarities between the two. For example, Goldfinger writes, the principal name of God as source of mercy has four letters and the principal name of God as source of justice has five. Similarly, DNA and RNA have four bases, but they differ in one of the bases, so altogether there are five bases. Goldfinger points to this four-five dichotomy, "the tension between justice and mercy," and wonders whether or not it is "found at the very foundations of life itself." Through the rest of the book, Goldfinger explores the relationship between science and religion in brief reflections on each discipline. These reflections range from remarks on the limitations of science and the methods of quantum mechanics to approaches to reading Torah. Goldfinger passes on to readers his own sense of wonder and curiosity about the intricacy and beauty of the universe and God.
Copyright 1998 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Review
Dr. Goldfinger carries us through the genesis of our existence, from the beginning to the present, in a way that captures his excitement at the wonder of creation. As a trained scientist, he is able to turn the mystery of the universe into a fruitful search for the 'why' of our being that underlies the physical reality we see around us in our daily lives. (Gerald Schroeder )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A very enjoyable and enlightening book!,
By
This review is from: Thinking about Creation: Eternal Torah and Modern Physics (Hardcover)
Thinking About Creation : Eternal Torah and Modern Physics is very enjoyable and enlightening book. It explores both the Torah and the intricacies of modern physics, and demonstrates their convergence. While both of these topics potentially can be heavy reading, the author keeps them light without sacrificing a lot of technical content. I recommend the book for people who are interested in the topic and want to have fun at the same time.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting; a triple, not a home run.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Thinking about Creation: Eternal Torah and Modern Physics (Hardcover)
The writing style is light and enjoyable and the author reveals a lot of interesting concepts being generated by contemporary physics. There are also some interestting incites into Torah; but, as far as unifying Torah with modern physics there is still a bit of a way to go at the present time. Dr. Goldfinger does give it a good try though.In my opinion the definitive work in this area remains Gerald Schroeder's Genesis and the Big Bang.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An approach to the relationship between Religion and Science,
By Shalom Freedman "Shalom Freedman" (Jerusalem,Israel) - See all my reviews (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER) (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)
This review is from: Thinking about Creation: Eternal Torah and Modern Physics (Hardcover)
My general view is that Science and Religion are different ways of seeing the world. And that in some sense they relate to different kinds of questions.Religion I would want to say relates to questions of life's ultimate meaning , of the human relation to God. And science explores through methods of observation and verification whatever can be addressed by its methods. In 'Thinking about Creation 'Andrew Goldfinger tries to tell the story of creation from both points-of -view. His aim is to see the parallels between the two accounts, and in a sense to reconcile the contradictions. He does in a sense the same kind of connecting task that Natan Aviezer and Gerald Schroeder do in their books. Goldfinger conducts his inquiry with modesty and sense. In his concluding chapter he gives the following words of caution in regard to what he himself has done. "We know that tomorrow the next generation of telescopes may tell us that our ideas of the cosmos need massive reworking. The behavior of a subatomic particle may violate the most deeply held theories of physics , and Nobel Prizes will be awarded to a new generation of young physicists who again will 'work things out'. Doubtlessly some of them will think that they have finally achieved the ultimate understanding, but we know otherwise. We know that 'Hashem 'has created a universe that can be understood only approximately, both in the physical and spiritual dimensions." I recommend this book to whoever has an interest in the relation between Torah and Science.
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