What was the light created on the first day before the creation of planets? For Rabbi Kaplan the light on the first day is the electromagnetic force in matter responsible for all chemical and physical properties, without the electromagnetic force the world is chaos and void.
What was created on the second day? It was when G-d set the matter of the first day into Euclidean four-dimensional space-time matrix. (15:12).
On the third day, G-d created the gravitational force. The “gathering of the waters” is not about swamps and sea but the “warping of matter” and the creation of phenomena that follow non-Euclidian geometry. It was also the physio-chemical properties of matter needed for plant life, (15:13)
On the fourth day, G-d initiated the process by which matter would condense into galaxies, starts and planets,” which is the completion of inorganic matter.
On the fifth day, G-d started the process by which organic matter and life came to be.
On the important 6th day of creation, G-d created the evolutionary potential of higher mammals and primitive man. Nothing was actually created on the 6th day, rather the evolutionary potential of the development of higher mammals from lower mammals was designated. After the 6th day, G-d allows world to develop by itself – without intelligent design- solely through the natural evolution. Just as the geological evolution of crystals grow naturally over millions of years from natural processes, so too the evolution of animals is the same way. The unfolding properties for mammals and eventually man is in the natural order.
Man, known to paleontologists as later stages of homo sapiens, already had mental and physical capabilities about 25,000 years ago according to Rabbi Kaplan’s scheme. (In 1979, he extends this to 100,000 years ago). However, it was only 6,000 years ago that man was given a divine soul. This was a new level of wisdom and inventiveness to allow for cultural evolution through invention, metallurgy, animal husbandry, ship sailing (15:22). Rabbi Kaplan acknowledges that species change and that even man evolves as shown by his vestigial tail.
Hence, the six days of creation are as follows:
- Day 1: Electromagnetic force
- Day 2: 4-D space/time matrix
- Day 3: Warping of matter, beyond Euclidian space
- Day 4: Inorganic matter
- Day 5: Organic matter and life
- Day 6: Evolutionary potential of higher mammals and primitive man.
Rabbi Kaplan explains his own method of not treating the words literally, rather as allegories for scientific principles. Water, sky, and light are all allegorical terms for the unfolding of the scientific cosmos because the scientific terms were unknown in ancient times. (15:10) As he wrote earlier in the chapter, according to Ramban, these terms refer to divine unfolding of the cosmos not physical objects.
In many ways, Rabbi Kaplan approach to science is similar to Ramban’ concept of remez, in which scientific concepts are alluded to in the Torah. Both Rabbi Kaplan and Ramban read the allusions in the Torah to science, psychology, and powers of the soul.
Ramban in his introduction to the Torah wrote: “G-d informed Moses first of the manner of the creation of heaven and earth and all their hosts... together with an account of the four forces in the lower world, minerals, vegetation, animal, and the rational soul. With regard to all of these matters Moses our teacher was apprised, and all of it was written in the Torah, explicitly or by implication.” (For more about Ramban, see Oded, Yisraeli, The Kabbalistic Remez and Its Status in Nacḥmanides’ Commentary on the Torah. The Journal of Jewish Thought and Philosophy. 24. (2016)1-30)
