Why Call the Stages of Creation “Days”? (Part 3 of 6)

The Torah tells us that creation took six days to complete. Over the years, this little timeline has sparked a lot of debate! Not only is it scientifically problematic, but the text itself says the sun and moon weren’t created until day four. So what does a “day” in the Bible story really mean? More importantly, why would God choose to tell the creation story this way, when He knew it was bound to create so much confusion and controversy? Why not skip the poetics and just tell us the facts?

In this video, Rabbi Fohrman suggests an answer to this question that goes beyond timelines to get at the deeper significance of the Six Days of Creation and why God uses metaphor to convey His most complex and meaningful ideas. 

This video is based on content that originated from part 2 of a 3 part lecture series on A Tale of God's Two Names. For a more in depth understanding of these materials, be sure to listen to A Tale of Two Names: Elokim and YHVH, A Tale of Two Names: Why Were There Days of Creation? and A Tale of Two Names: From The Garden To The Flood.