Awesome Creation

About - Awesome Creation by Rabbi Bitton

The first three verses of the Torah are perhaps the best-known sentences of the Hebrew Bible. In the Beginning… they may also very well be the least understood. In Awesome Creation, Rabbi Yosef Bitton and Orthodox Rabbi and Chief Rabbi of Uruguay delves into these verses with an open mind and an open heart. Drawing on classical Jewish sources as well as current scientific data, Rabbi Bitton offers a fresh reading of the initial words of Scripture.

Among the subjects covered are the coincidences and differences between the Big Bang theory and the Biblical Creation story, the unexplored consequences of Creation ex nihilo, the controversies surrounding the age of the universe, the state of our planet upon its creation, the natural forces used by the Creator to reshape His world, and the enigma of the nature of primeval light. Throughout his book, Rabbi Bitton emphasizes the importance of an accurate comprehension of Biblical Hebrew, as explained by the Rabbis of the Talmud and the classical Torah commentators. Through a precise understanding of each word of these verses and thanks to today s modern scientific knowledge we are able to appreciate, as never before, the beauty and sophistication of the Biblical story of Creation.

Reviews - Awesome Creation by Rabbi Bitton

alice kohanim wrote:
Awesome Creation is a must read for any individual looking to meld modern science with the biblical account of creation. I have studied this topic in depth & was very excited to learn amazing new perspectives on the subject. I am left with absolutely no conflict between physics & torah & more importantly a greater level of Bitachon in the fact that the bible always tells it like it is. Some truly eye-opening insights. Rabbi Bitton's detailed analysis allows one to imagine what the universe was like during its birth & infancy from a very reliable viewpoint....the words of the creator himself!!

Steven Shama wrote:
This book is one of the best books I have read in a long time. Who knew the initial three verses of the bible could be have such an impact. This is not just any book, the author does an excellent job incorporating the biblical commentaries with modern and post-modern physicists' take on the explanation on the creation of the world. Using the biblical texts as the basis of his discussion he explains how the biblical story and the scientific story of creation are one in the same. I have read a couple of books on this topic but this book drives the point of how amazing the biblical story of creation and how modern science clarifies further understanding on this complex process.
Rabbi Yosef Biton does an excellent job using the rules of hebrew grammar in order to explain and articulate the true meaning of the first couple of verses of the torah. It is through explaining several grammar rules that the reader is able to grasp the author's message, while also giving the reader a complex knowledge of biblical grammar that one can apply elsewhere in the bible.

I would very much recommend this book to someone who wants an interesting read, on a complex topic such as creation. If you buy this book you will not be disappointed.

Michelle Cohen wrote:
Awesome Creation is really a fantastic work. Highly recommend it to anyone interested in delving into the biblical story of creation. The work is divided into three parts, each analyzing a different verse from the beginning of Genesis. The verses are analyzed using Hebrew grammar, clsssical commentaries, modern Jewish thinkers, scientific findings, relevant biblical parallelisms and philosophical ideas.

I would say that there are three aspects which make this work stand out.

First, the attention given to Hebrew grammar. Often, modern Biblical commentaries are not versed enough in Dikduk to be able to give over a sophisticated and traditionally accurate reading of the Hebrew text. This is something which was always indicative of classical Sepharadic biblical scholarship and which Rabbi Bitton does a fantastic job of integrating in his work.

Second, the way the book integrates science and scientific findings to explicate the words of Bereshit. This is not a book which directly deals with the science vs. religion question. It does not seek to solve that dilemma. What Rabbi Bitton does instead is to highlight how modern science sheds new understanding on some biblical/talmudic ideas and concepts.

Third, this book brings to life many, many Rabbis which are to often absent from normative Jewish literature in America. He features writers like R Moshe Chefetz, R' Menashe Ben Israel, R' Morris Raphall and many others. These voices add nuances and new understandings which are currently not being heard in the scholarly and religious discourse around Biblical exegesis.

Overall, I found the book great. It presents very complex subjects in an accessible manner (especially since it has a summary to every chapter) and is also filled with inspiration of the divine genesis. I very much recommend Awesome Creation.