Why this? Why do people ignore the Torah. Why are they against its Laws? Why are they against G-d, the G-d of Creation, the Ruler of the Universe, the Source of all life--why are they against G-d, the G-d that Made them and Gave them life; why are they against their G-d? There are two types of people whose characters have gained prominence in our time. These are the "devoted" and the atheists. Both are deceivers and both scorn the Laws of G-d, rejecting His Torah. The "devoted" are led by a blind faith on a path of darkness and ignorance, while the atheists are led by a stubborn skepticism and an eagerness for confusion, that has kept them in a state of uncertainty, always chasing after illusions.

There's no need to speak of the "devoted," for they agree the Torah is important, although they reject G-d and detest His Laws. These people have no merit, for they are hypocrites and charlatans. They use the Torah only for their benefit, and "defend" it only for themselves--as an excuse for their deceit. These people have tried to replace Israel, but it is clear what they have achieved and in which direction their ways lead. They have had their time in history, but now their claims are ignored. It is because of them and their many failures, that atheism and paganism have been reborn. It is in response to them, that the Bible is scorned, and it is to criticize them, that G-d has been ignored. But these people were never really a people of G-d, and when the atheists contest their beliefs and their religions, they are fooling themselves to think there is no G-d.

On what basis do the atheists dispute the Torah? They say the Torah was written by men and it is the "creation" of men. They claim that people "invented" the Laws of G-d, therefore they are only laws, and there is no G-d. They say mankind "invented" G-d; therefore they say G-d is a "god," and is the "creation" of man, rather than the Creator of mankind. They reject G-d and they detest His Laws, for they say these are "the inventions of men which are not reasonable," yet they tell everyone to follow them and accept their thoughts. Their ideas are the thoughts of man, for they create their own laws and chase after the desires of their hearts, yet they say they are being reasonable. If in fact they lived reasonably and did not debase themselves, then perhaps they'd be honorable, for they would have brought themselves close to G-d. But their rejection of G-d reflects upon them, and they behave corruptly, indulging themselves excessively, while hiding behind the semblance of their groundless claims. These people have deceived themselves and they mislead everyone else.

It is true that the Torah was written by a person, as it is the Book of Moses. Likewise the books of the prophets were written by the prophets and the writings were written by those who wrote them. This is a known fact, and it is not disputed. Yet the prophecies of the prophets have come true (except the ones for the "End of Days"), and the prophecies of the Torah have come true as well. This should be a sign that G-d is Behind the Torah and the writings of the prophets, for these books express the Word of G-d to mankind. There should be no dispute on this topic, for just as a child is not exactly Created by G-d, for it is born of its mother, by the seed of its father, so was the Torah born of man. However, people do not create their children, they only give birth to them. It is G-d that Creates people and all life on earth--just as G-d Created all the world. When Moses wrote the Torah and the prophets spoke the Word of G-d, these people were Animated by the Spirit of G-d, and they expressed the Word of G-d. The Laws of G-d are in fact the Laws of G-d, for they are the Word of G-d...and people have the ability to prove this, for man contains the Breath of G-d. Those who bring themselves close to G-d, to the soul that is in them, not following the desires of their hearts nor living for dust--these people are fit to judge, for it is Reason that Guides them. It is by Reason that the Laws of G-d are known to be the Word of G-d, for only through Reason can one judge between good and bad; understanding Justice, knowing Truth, and living in Uprightness.

Yet the atheists have another claim from which to dispute the Torah. They say the Torah is false, because it says the world was Created in six days. I find this to be a foolish statement, as this has nothing to do with the Laws of G-d. But the atheists insist upon inflating this issue, and make it the basis for their arguments against G-d. They say that if this specific issue can be false, then the Torah expresses a falsehood, and thus the whole Torah is false. And so they say, if the Torah is false, then the Word of G-d would be false as well. But they also say, this cannot be, for there is no G-d. These are a lot assumptions to make based upon one statement. These atheists think too highly of themselves, thinking their foolishness should earn them the place of G-d; but it will never be so. These people are dust, their thoughts are the products of dust, and their ideas will be buried in dust; for they will be prominent no longer, and will deceive people no more.

I will answer their questions as best as I can, from what I know of the Word of G-d, but I have my conditions. I must know what the atheists think of the world. For if the world is only the earth, then when the Torah says the world was Created in six days, they would understand this to be the earth. But if their idea of the world is the universe, then they would understand the Torah to say that the universe, and not the earth, was Created in six days. And I must know what they think of time. For if they measure time from earth, than a day is the day that we know. But a day on Mars is different from a day on earth, as is different from a day anywhere else in the universe--as we all know that a day is dependent upon the rotation of a planet and its distance from a sun, and these factors vary throughout the universe. Furthermore, I would have to know what the atheists think of "creation." For if creation is the physical act of creating, then it would not involve their concept of evolution. But if creation is the process of "evolution" then you might even say the world was Created in a second--for you could say there was only one spark of Creation and the rest was "evolution." These three conditions are of great importance to their equation of denial. For if the atheists were reasonable, they would be certain to define their terms; otherwise validity could be twisted according to definition.

In the time of the Bible, I'm sure people laughed at the thought that it took G-d six days to Create the world, when He could have Created it in a second. Today people laugh because the Torah says G-d Created the world in six days, yet no one would believe the world is only 5761 years (or whatever year and day we happen to be in when you read this) plus six days old. This goes to show how people have changed over the years, for we now realize how complex and unique our world is. And the scientists of the day say the universe is about 15 billion years old. But would you expect the Torah to have made such a statement? Had the Torah said something like this, then, in fact, it would be false. But had the Torah said the world was Created in an instant, then it would also be false--although the initial Spark of Creation really was instantaneous, for out of "nothing" there came something...

Bereshit [Genesis] 1: (1) In the beginning G-d Created the heavens and the earth. (2) And the earth was completely disordered, with darkness upon the surface of the deep, and the Divine Presence Hovered upon the surface of the waters. (3) And G-d Said, "Let there be light," and there was light. (4) G-d Saw that the light was good, and G-d Separated between the light and the darkness. (5) G-d Called to the light: "Day," and to the darkness He Called: "Night." And there was evening and there was morning, one day.

What does all this stuff mean? "Darkness upon the surface of the deep...and the Divine Presence 'Hovered' upon the surface of the waters..." light was Created, and "G-d Separated between the light and the darkness...And there was evening and there was morning, one day?" And this is even before the sun and the stars where Created, which, according to the order of days, were Created even after the plants, which depend upon sunlight for life--as plant-life was Created on the third day, while the sun, moon, and stars were Created on the fourth day. Furthermore, what is the "deep" supposed to be, and how did the Divine Presence Hover "upon the surface of the 'waters,'" when the "'waters' beneath the heaven" were not "Gathered" into one area to form seas, until day three? Clearly, there are many vague and ambiguous things being described, even in this one passage. If you read these vague descriptions literally, then surely this could not be believed; but the Torah is speaking in parables in order to fit so many things in one passage, and make it understandable to read. I will expand on this idea...

The darkness being described goes along with the disorder, meaning the Creation of light goes along with the Creation of Order. The earth, is the planet earth, and there was darkness and disorder on earth. The "water" is not exactly water. It is more like clouds, or gas, that was later, on "day two," Divided into an atmosphere, "above" the skies, and "water" beneath the atmosphere (which also divided between our planet and space). Then, on "day three," these "waters" beneath the skies were divided into seas and land, and plants grew on the land. However, in these passages, the space beyond the earth is not discussed, for only earth is being discussed in the "time" contained between "days" one and three.

Then, on "day" four, we start to hear about the universe. The Torah says G-d Created the "lights" in the sky, in order to separate between day and night; "and they shall serve as signs, and for festivals, and for days and years;" and they should shine upon the earth. The sun was Made to dominate the day, and the moon and stars to dominate at night..."to give light upon the earth...and to separate between the light and the darkness." According to the Torah, it seems the universe was Created for the earth, as the universe is only mentioned from the perspective of the earth; and even the vast bodies of the universe are described only as lights and signs, and no distinction is made on their behalf except that they divide between day and night--the sun and moon being the most prominent of them all. What's more, the lights in the sky are given credit for their function as light-givers, but there was already light from "day one," even before these things were mentioned. And once again, these lights in the sky are supposed to divide between day and night, thus establishing what days and years are, however "days" were counted even before they were mentioned. This is because the concept of a "day" is never really defined, and according to the Text there was never anything to base a "day" upon, except for what was mentioned on day one, which set the precedent for the concept of a day, while the luminaries had not even been mentioned.

Up to now we can understand that the Torah speaks of the earth as the world, and the universe as only a side issue that is mentioned merely for its light-giving bodies. However, the Torah implies that the universe was Created for the earth, and the Creation of the stars, the sun, and the moon are mentioned as a part of Creation. Which means this "six day" period encompasses the Creation of the universe. At the same rate, the course of a day cannot exactly be understood, for everything is vague, and time doesn't appear to be the issue, nor does the order of Creation appear to be important.

In fact, "days" one and four, two and five, and three and six, have more in common with each other than each day has with the other in a chronological order. It appears that "days" one to three tell a story and then "days" four to six repeat this theme. It would even seem reasonable to read the Text from one, to four, to two, to five, to three, and then to six, for "day" four is dependent upon "day" one, "day" five on day two, and "day" six on day three. And the story of Creation is more a story of dependence, everything being dependent upon G-d.

On "day" one light was Created, which allowed objects to give light on "day" four. On "day" two the sky was Separated from the "ground," dividing between "water" and water," which made it possible for sea creatures and birds of the sky, to exist on "day" five. On "day" three the water was Gathered into seas, Creating dry land, and plants grew on the land, which made it possible for creatures and later people, to exist on "day" six. The first three "days" involve an Act of Division, "Creating" Order, in order for life to be Created later on. This tells us that the world was Created upon order, and it is upon this order that we were Brought into the world. Which means we depend upon the order, and it is the Order of G-d that we depend upon.

It is obvious that the Torah is not trying to explain how the world was Created, in these few short passages. The Torah is not a science manual, and its purpose is not to teach the way things work and how they were Built. The Purpose of the Torah is to teach mankind the way things affect each other and how they depend upon one another, and that there is Order in the world. It says that G-d Created Order and then He Created life. G-d Created man within this Order, and He even Gave man the Source of all the Order, for G-d Breathed Life into man, Creating people in His "Image." People depend upon the order, and they depend upon the Order of G-d; thus it should be clear to all, that a rejection of G-d and the Order of His Laws, brings death to life and disorder to the world. This is what's important, and this is what we should learn. How the world was Created and for how long G-d has been Creating, is not the issue, nor is it important for us to know. But we must know that the world was Created with Order, and Order is what makes the world a livable place. We depend upon the Order of G-d and we depend upon G-d, and knowing this, we can live a better life and make the world a better place.

The atheists think they're in charge of creation, and they think objects create themselves, and life is born out of dust. The atheists think life evolves by its own accord, and they say order is a product of chance. This is exactly the issue that the Torah addresses, even in these few short passages. According to the Torah, creating order is what "Creation" is. This type of "Creation" is when you take something that's "disorderly" and put it together in some sort of order. Actually, that's not Creation, to be specific. For Creation is when something is Created out of nothing. When something is ordered (i.e., given an ordered structure), this is called "melachah" in the Torah. For example the heavens and the earth were Created out of nothing. Life was Created within dust, out of nowhere. But when G-d Separated between day and night, atmosphere and water, and land and sea, these were acts of Melachah--the type of "Creation" known to man. When I speak of creation right now, I'm speaking of melachah, as this is the only type of creation that people know and can perform.

It is for this reason that it says, "And G-d Said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light." The Torah never says G-d Created divisions, as it never says G-d Created order. Instead it says, "G-d Said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light." What does this mean, to say, "let there be something" and then something comes to be? What does it mean to say; to give an order? What does it mean when G-d Gives Orders to things? It means exactly that; G-d Gave Order to the world. Yet giving order is not an act of Creation, it is melachah--the type of creation known to man. G-d Said, "Let there be order," and there was Order in the world. Yet this is after G-d had already Created, for "In the beginning G-d Created the heavens and the earth." And then after the heavens and the earth were Ordered, G-d Created life on earth.

So what is this concept of evolution that the atheists like to speak of? Do people create trees? No! People plant trees, and the tree grows from a seed. What is a seed? The seed contains the order for the tree. G-d "Planted" a "seed" and then the world grew! G-d Created order and He Created life, and then His Orders were realized. What the atheists like to call mother nature and evolution are merely the Workings of G-d, as were Established by His Order (by His laws of nature). But people are not a product of these Orders. People are a separate Creation, and they were Created by G-d, Animated by the Breath of G-d. G-d Breathed life into dust--which could have been any form of dust, but happened to be in the form and shape that are now called people--and thus man was Created from the Spirit of G-d, as is manifested within dust. People were Created from the Source of everything and the Creator of all the order, and thus we are expected to live like G-d and follow the Order that is within us.

We live in dust, and thus we must follow the laws of nature like all the other forms of dust, but we are more than dust, for we are from G-d. And we were Given the ability to be like G-d on earth, ruling the world and caring for it as well. In order for this to be done, we must live with Order, that we might rule the world for the good of all. And this Order is derived from G-d, as it is described by His Laws, and understood by the Spirit that is within us...

The atheists concern themselves with petty matters. How long did it take G-d to Create the world? It says, in the beginning G-d Created everything--the heavens and the earth--and He Created everything out of nothing. And this was before "days" were counted, so time was certainly not an issue. In fact, all matter was probably Created instantaneously; it is the Order that took time, as it took time for the world to realize the Order of G-d, and then it took time for life to "develop" after it was Created. Just as it takes a child time to grow, then grow old and die, so has life been Given time to live. And just as it takes time for landscapes to take form and unfold like a rose, the universe has had a living history, as the Presence of G-d and the Manifestation of His laws have brought dust to "life" with motion, force, and wondrous occurrences, and these things have occurred from the very beginning of the world, and will continue as they do this very day.

However, the Bible mentions "days." It says, in Genesis 2:1-3: "Thus the heaven and the earth were finished, and all their array. By the seventh day G-d had Completed His Melachah which He had Done, and He Abstained on the seventh day from all His Melachah which He had Done. And G-d Blessed the seventh day and Sanctified it because on it He Abstained from all His Melachah, which G-d had Created to Do."

Melachah literally means Kingly Acts. Shabbat, the Sabbath, literally means to cease, to abstain, or to rest. For on Shabbat, G-d Ceased to Do Melachah, therefore it is a day of rest. And it says, G-d Blessed the seventh "day," because for six days He "Created" Order, but on the seventh "day" G-d Ceased to "Create" Order in the world that He had Created for this Purpose. This doesn't mean there ceased to be Order in the world, although after the Creation of man the world has become a place of disorder--it simply means, on the seventh "day," G-d Abstained from His Intentions and did not Order new things in the world. Instead, on Shabbat, G-d Observed what was Done, Looking over what had become and what would be, and thus G-d Judged His Creations and Decided what should be, as He had Done each day, when He would Judge What was Done, and "See" that it was good.

This serves as an example for man. G-d "Created" for six "days," but on the seventh "day" G-d Rested. G-d Rested? Why would G-d need to Rest? It's not that "Creating" the world was such a tiring task--G-d Spoke and it was so. However, Putting the world into Order is a very complicated task, for even the slightest error can cause disorder. But G-d is not a person. Why should G-d make mistakes? But we are like G-d and yet we make many mistakes, although this is because we see ourselves through dust. However, G-d could have Created the world in many different ways. It is only by Choice that He Created the world this Way. Therefore, with infinite options there are infinite possibilities, and this requires Judgement between one or the other. And it is the same for people. We can create almost anything, and we can do an infinite amount of things--for the possibilities are limitless, just as our spirits are from an Infinite Source. Therefore we must rest, ceasing to create new things, and taking time to judge between what was done and what was made, what might become, and what must be done; and this must be done on Shabbat. For if people don't judge themselves and stop giving and fulfilling orders, then they will be nothing more than slaves acting without reason and understanding, and the world would become an unjust place, filled with corruption and disorder.

But G-d doesn't function on days. Days are for us and they were Created for us--as it says, (on "day" four) "G-d Said, 'Let there be luminaries in the firmament of the heaven to separate between the day and the night; and they shall serve as signs, and for festivals, and for days and years...'" But this is not for G-d. G-d is Beyond the world. G-d Created the universe; could G-d be contained by His Creations? G-d is Beyond time and space, for these are G-d's Creations. Therefore G-d is not limited by days, not any type of day, nor any type of measurement--for G-d is Infinite and Eternal, and the Source of all that is known.

Days are for us, not for G-d. When the Torah mentions "days," this is only for our benefit, that we can understand there is a structure to creation and rest, and there is a structure to our lives and the days of our time. And even each day of creation is marked by acts of creation and then rest, as when there is light we usually give and fulfill orders, giving order to our life. And then there is darkness, and we rest, and our spirits "leave" the world as we sleep, the way G-d "left" the site of Creation (the universe) and "returned" to it the next "day," to continue to "Create." This is the order that is described for the course of days, Shabbat being the day of rest. A day is not marked by time. It is marked by the appearance of light and then of darkness; the Divine Acts of Order and then of Rest.

The atheists might say the Torah is very "earth-centered," but let the atheists live on mars and that will change their concept of a day. Let them live without light and they would never speak of a day. But let them live upon Reason and revolve around the Light of G-d, and then they'll know what a day is and they'll understand the Ways of G-d. Then they'll appreciate the life-Giving Orders and the life-Giving Decrees, and they'll know What they depend upon, and upon What the world was Built. When the atheists understand what Order is and how it relates to them, then they'll know G-d and they'll know their place in the world. Because life depends upon Order and Order depends upon G-d, for G-d Made the Order and Created the Light of our life. And it would be wise of us to the preserve the Order and maintain the Light of mankind.