What is Genesis 1-11 to the Jewish people?

Answer 1

The Hebrew name for the first book of the Torah is 'Bereishit'. The first chapter of Bereishit tells us the story of creation with verses 1-11 describing the creation of the universe. However, it doesn't tell us HOW HaShem created the universe, just WHAT He did. The majority of Jews (including religiously observant Jews) do not see any conflict between the story of creation and the Big Bang Theory.

Below is the English translation of the original Hebrew:

Bereishit 1:1-11

1. In the beginning of HaShem's creation of the heavens and the earth.

2. Now the earth was astonishingly empty, and darkness was on the face of the deep, and the spirit of HaShem was hovering over the face of the water.

3. And HaShem said, "Let there be light," and there was light

4. And HaShem saw the light that it was good, and HaShem separated between the light and between the darkness.

5. And HaShem called the light day, and the darkness He called night, and it was evening and it was morning, one day.

6. And HaShem said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of the water, and let it be a separation between water and water."

7. And HaShem made the expanse and it separated between the water that was below the expanse and the water that was above the expanse, and it was so.

8. And HaShem called the expanse Heaven, and it was evening, and it was morning, a second day.

9. And HaShem said, "Let the water that is beneath the heavens gather into one place, and let the dry land appear," and it was so.

10. And HaShem called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas, and HaShem saw that it was good.

11. And HaShem said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation, seed yielding herbs and fruit trees producing fruit according to its kind in which its seed is found, on the earth," and it was so.