The Jewish People on the Theory of Evolution

Not unlike most religious bodies, the Jewish people are philosophically divided on the subject
of evolution. While there are clear schisms among the sub-groups of the Judaic religious bodies, the
predominant opinion of each sect is colloquially agreed upon in most cases. Like the rest of the global
population, Jews have become less spiritual and more inclined towards scientific ideas in the past
century, and therefore, it is difficult to assess the overall nature of the Jewish relationship with
Darwinian evolution without mention of specific chronological context. The rapid transformation of
ideals in the past several generations has also left somewhat of a rift between the old and the young in
all populations, Jews being no exception. The use of generalization regarding any population,
especially one as culturally striated as the Jews, is an endeavor very much open to failure given the
individualistic nature of humanity, so careful and specific examination is required in order to gleam the
true inclination of Jews towards the sciences pertaining to evolution.
Classical Rabbinic teachings cited that the world was created around six millennia ago, a notion
that has been almost entirely dismissed by the scientific community, and is currently out of favor in the
teachings of modern Rabbis of most sects. Jewish religious scholars began to acknowledge the
possibility of a non-literal interpretation of their holy text, Genesis, relatively early (as soon as the 11th
century) when compared to the Christian and Islamic world. Rabbi Natan Slifkin's book on the Jewish
relationship with evolution, The Challenge of Creation, cites Jewish philosophers Gersonides and
Maimonides as having called into question the literal accuracy of the Torah in pertinence to the origins
of man and the world. Until the revelations of Charles Darwin, however, there were few specific claims
as to alternative theories explaining the origins of man.
As was the circumstance among nearly every holy body of the 19th century, Darwin's research
called for immediate debate among the religious scholars of the time. Jewish scholars were quick to
accept the concept of Darwin's ideas; Eliyahu Benamozegh, an Italian Kabbalist and Rabbi of the 19th
century, believed that the teachings of the Torah were not in conflict with evolution according to Em
LeMikra's 1863 book, Livorno. Israel Liphschitz combined information from geological surveys and
Kabbalistic philosophy in order to assert that the earth went through periods of history, with the dawn
of man having been one of them, and the ancient fossilized creatures whom once roamed the earth
another- a surprisingly scientifically accurate claim for one based upon religious philosophy.
By the turn of the century in the late 1880's, evolutionary theory had become fairly accepted
within Jewish circles. A frequent assertion was that evolution was an indication of the power and

guidance of God, and that it was not in conflict with the Torah. While Rabbi Samson Hirsch, chief
Rabbi of Moravia until his death in 1888, did not believe in the concept of a common ancestor among
all forms of life, he also felt that the theory was of no threat to Orthodox Judaism.
The mid-way point of the 1900's marked a period where most Conservative and Reform Jews
had come to embrace the theory of evolution as scientifically sound. There has been continued dissent
in this belief among a minority of the previously mentioned groups, as well as the Orthodox and UltraOrthodox, among other more radical sects. The Rabbinical Council of America's official stance on the
theory of evolution is that it is not incompatible with belief in a Divine Creator, nor with the first 2
chapters of Genesis.
Other Jewish scholars like Mordecai Kaplan and Yeshayu Leibowitz hold similar feelings on the
subject of the reconciliation of faith and science. They, like many modern religious figures, believe that
not all aspects of the bible are meant to provide a literal description or account of the scientific creation
of man and the earth. Like Talmudic rabbis and thinkers such as the previously mentioned Maimonides,
many Jews rationalize the Bible as a metaphorical interpretation of the history of the earth, rather than a
factual one.
Not all modern Jewish scholars are so placated, however. David Klinghoffer's 2001 Jerusalem
Post piece, Darwin is a problem for Jews asserts a more contrarian stance on the issue. Writing in
counterpoint to Yudelson's opinion piece, Darwin is no problem for Jews, Klinghoffer claims that
Yudelson's use of medieval Jewish philosophers to argue in favor of Darwin is a farse due to the
discrepe5ncy in time and beliefs between the two groups. Furthermore, Klinghoffer claims that
Darwin's goals in his founding of modern evolutionary theory were in conflict with the goals of the
Jews, and therefore not a belief that the Semitic people should follow.
In all, there is consensus among the majority of Jews that evolution is a sound theory, and that
the Torah is not meant as a literal source in pertinence to scientific matters. While there is disagreement
from religious conservatives such as the Ultra-Orthodox and Hasidics, that school of thought is
generally rare among the Jewish population. Of course, it's impossible to truly gauge the philosophical
inclinations of any people with 100% accuracy, but as a whole, Jews have historically been far more
receptive towards evolutionary theory than most other religious and ethnic groups, as is indicated by
first-hand sources going back to the 11th century.