Fooling Scientists
A recent estimate of the age of the universe is twelve billions of years. The scientific establishment opposes the notion of a young universe because much evidence points to the fact that the universe is old. One example of this evidence is the appearance in our night sky of stars that are millions and even billions of light years away. The fact that the light from these stars is visible from earth indicates to these scientists that the light has been traveling for millions and billions of years.
Science writer Kenneth R. Miller attempts to discredit an argument some proponents of a recent creation offer to explain the visibility from earth of light from stars billions of light years away. These proponents argue that when G-d created the world, He gave it an "apparent age." In other words, when G-d created the stars approximately 6,000 years ago, He also created light traveling through space which only appeared to have emanated from stars. Kenneth Miller objects to the idea that the Creator would have made the world with the appearance of age, on the grounds that it would mean that G-d did something to "fool its inhabitants." But is fooling the world's inhabitants something that G-d never does?
When G-d wanted to split the Red Sea, He caused the east wind to blow all night. Now as Ramban points out (comment to Exodus 14:21), wind cannot cause the sea to split. What was the purpose, then, of the east wind? Ramban answers that the wind blew in order to cause the Egyptians to err. The Egyptians were fooled and followed Israel into the sea to their own destruction.
In Avodah Zara 55a, we read the following:
Rava bar Rav Yitzchak said to Rav Yehudah, "There is a pagan temple in our place, and whenever the world needs rain, the idol appears to its followers in a dream and tells them, 'Sacrifice a man.' And rain comes." Rav Yehudah replied to him . . . "Rav said, 'What is the meaning of that which is written, "which Hashem your G-d apportioned (cholak) to all peoples under the entire heaven (Deut. 4:19)"? This teaches that G-d smoothed the way for them to slip (she-hechelikan) by means of these things in order to drive them from the world.' "
The Talmud says that if one comes to engage in idolatry, an opportunity will be provided for him. G-d causes the idolater to have a deceptive dream. Since the idolater wishes to engage in idolatrous practices, G-d assists him. He fools the idolater into thinking his beliefs are valid.
In a similar example on the same daf, Zunin asks Rabbi Akiva why idolaters enter a pagan temple with illnesses and emerge healed, appearing to have been cured by their idols. The answer is that when G-d brings suffering, the suffering is destined to last for a specific amount of time. If an idolater happens to be in a pagan temple when the suffering is destined to end, he will attribute his cure to the idol. G-d arranges it so that the idolater happens to be in the pagan temple when the suffering leaves. Thus, G-d fools the idolater into ascribing curative powers to his idol.
In the above examples, we see that G-d indeed does do things to fool people. One therefore cannot reject the opinion that G-d created the world with apparent age simply because it would mean G-d did something to fool people. We may never know the true reason G-d created the world in which starlight appears to have been traveling for billions of years. Nevertheless, we can extend the idea that G-d fooled the ancient Egyptians and fools idolaters and conclude that G-d may fool scientists who study stars.
G-d fooled the Egyptians who chased Israel because they persisted in denying G-d despite all the miracles that were wrought for Israel. He fools the idolater because he originally followed an idol of his own volition despite the overwhelming evidence that idols possess no Divine powers. Likewise, G-d fools the scientist if he too denies G-d. The scientist who concludes that the universe is billions of years old has certainly heard of the Biblical narrative of creation but has rejected it. He prefers to believe that the universe as we know it came into being over millions and billions of years and not in six days. Like the idolater who is visited in a dream by his idol, such a scientist views the evidence as overwhelmingly pointing to but one conclusion. Since he denies G-d, the only conclusion he can draw when viewing light from stars billions of light years away is that the universe is billions of years old.
Boruch Yonah Lipton is the author of The Sin of the Golden Calf According to Rashi and The Song at the Sea According to Rashi, both available from the author's email, boruchyonah@yahoo.com
