In this Foundations Q&A, Rabbi Daniel Rowe tackles one of the most asked questions at the intersection of Torah and modern cosmology: Do we really believe in a 5786-year-old world when science describes a universe measured in billions of years? From there, the conversation expands into dinosaurs, the “days” of creation, the nature of Gan Eden, and a deep framework for understanding the soul and human purpose. Rather than treating Torah as a scientific manual, Rabbi Rowe lays out how Torah and science operate with different aims: science as descriptive (how the universe works) and Torah as prescriptive (what we are meant to do within it). Rabbi Rowe then presents four major approaches used by serious Torah thinkers to resolve the apparent tension between the Torah’s timeline and scientific models. Topics covered Is Torah meant to be a science book? - Why Chazal treat Ma’aseh Bereishit as “deep secrets” - Why the Jewish calendar begins with Adam (not Day 1) - Four approaches to Torah a...