Hello… Anybody else out there?
For us here on earth it is certainly one of the most intriguing and far-reaching questions imaginable. Are we alone in the cosmos or are there others – perhaps like us or perhaps totally different – somewhere in the universe?
And for those of us who believe the account of creation as recorded in the Torah, are the opening words – “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” – meant as full disclosure of the creation of life by the Almighty or is this merely the information granted to earthlings as necessary for our relationship with God but not purporting to reveal other manifestations of divine power and creativity?
In short, can religious Jews believe in the possibility of alien life?
The question which until now was purely theoretical in nature may just have assumed forceful relevance in light of this week’s world shaking announcement by NASA. To their great amazement astronomers have just found seven Earth-size planets which seem suitable for life.
Life, they have now concluded, may have evolved on at least three planets in a newly discovered solar system just 39 light years from Earth. Astronomers have detected no less than seven Earth-sized worlds orbiting a cool dwarf star known as TRAPPIST-1.The six inner planets lie in a temperate zone where surface temperatures range from zero to 100C. Of these, at least three are thought to be capable of having oceans, increasing the likelihood of life. No other star system known contains such a large number of Earth-sized and probably rocky planets.
British astronomer Dr Chris Copperwheat, from Liverpool John Moores University, who co-led the international team, said: "The discovery of multiple rocky planets with surface temperatures which allow for liquid water make this amazing system an exciting future target in the search for life."
According to Judaism, is this in the realm of possibility? Can we conceive of other worlds whose inhabitants also share a special relationship with God? And from the sublime to the ridiculous, will these aliens from outer space be Jews, observe Torah laws, build synagogues and places of worship, and collect money for charitable purposes?
If from an egotistical perspective we consider human kind the only ones worthy of God’s special attention we might readily conclude that “this is all there is.” And that is what many rabbinic sages believed. What is fascinating however is that a significant body of opinion in traditional sources not only validates the possibility for alien life on other planets but actually finds biblical and midrashic confirmation for this view, even as it suggests that belief in an all-powerful God forbids placing any limitations on the extent of his creative powers.
Dr. David Weintraub, professor of astronomy at Vanderbilt University and the author of Religions and Extraterrestrial Life: How Will We Deal With It?, affirms that Judaism is spiritually prepared for little green men. “Judaism accepts the possibility of extraterrestrial life. Jewish theology may actually require a belief in extraterrestrials since there are no limits on the power of the creator. Thus, for Jews to say that no life beyond the Earth could possibly exist would be unacceptable, as such an idea would appear to place shackles on God’s creative power…the universe belongs to God and God can do what God wishes to do with the universe.”
Going back many centuries, the great Jewish philosopher Hasdai Crescas (1340-1411), in his classic work Ohr Hashem, wrote an entire chapter in which he maintained that the possibility of life on other planets is not in conflict with Jewish belief. Moreover, Torah sources in fact offer support for them. He invoked the words of Psalm 19:2: “The heavens declare the glory of God” – the rich cosmic landscape with all of its wonders continues to impress us with the infinite possibilities of God’s creations.
As further evidence for the possibility of extraterrestrial life, Crescas mentions the Talmudic teaching that “God flies through 18,000 worlds” [Babylonian Talmud Avoda Zara 3B]. Furthermore, Psalm 145:13’s statement that "Your kingdom is a kingdom spanning all olamim (worlds)" could imply the existence of extraterrestrial life, since if there were no existence on these other worlds, what kind of kingdom would God have?
Another biblical allusion to alien life are the words in the song of Debora in the book of Judges: "Curse Meroz, said the angel of the Lord, curse bitterly its inhabitants´[5:23] In his book Sefer HaBrit ('Book of the Covenant'), Rabbi Pinchas Eliyahu Horowitz, (18th century ) quotes as his authority a clear Talmud reference –the statement that contends that Meroz is an inhabited planet somewhere in outer space. Furthermore, he affirms emphatically that God created an infinite number of worlds, of physical, spiritual and inter-dimensional nature. This view is upheld by the Ari'zal (Rabbi Yitzchak Luria), who also spoke of an 'infinite number of spiritual worlds'.
Speaking of the verse (Song of Songs 6:8), "Worlds without number," the Zohar, the classic masterwork of Kabalah, Jewish mysticism, states: "The stars certainly are without number. But each star is called a separate world. These are the worlds without number."
What was left unsaid by the sages willing to accept the possibility of life on other planets was a further description of what these beings are like, what relationship they have to the Almighty, by which laws if any they are governed, in what “image” they were created, and most fundamental of all whether they share with us free will, the capacity for independent choice, which we as humans have been granted and which allows us the descriptive of being created “in the image of God.”
"For you to sit here and say there is no life outside of planet Earth is to put limitations on the Creator."
We simply do not know the answers to these questions. But in terms of our openness to the questions and our willingness to pursue them we might well ponder the response of the Lubavitcher Rebbi to Dr. Velvl Greene, a prominent microbiologist who years ago was enlisted by NASA in their project to determine if there is life on Mars. Dr. Greene asked the Rebbe privately if this was something he should be doing. The Rebbe replied, “Dr. Greene, look for life on Mars! And if you don’t find it there, look somewhere else in the universe for it. Because for you to sit here and say there is no life outside of planet Earth is to put limitations on the Creator, and that is not something any of His creatures can do!”
New insights into the wonders of the universe can bring us a step closer to greater love and understanding of God.
(18) Arthur Gillman, November 17, 2018 10:22 PM
An infinite perspective dictates the existence of extraterrestrial life.
Whatever is not forbidden, is allowed. This is a basic premise.
(17) rob campbell, March 1, 2017 9:11 AM
interesting topic
no clear cut evidence of any life form in our solar system or even less so outside of our solar system,God created us in his image,for us to have a relationship with him,he certainly would not have complicated matters,by putting other alien forms anywhere,this is in the movies,in end times these movies will try and dominate and blind mankinds thinking away from Gods will for us
(16) jim, February 28, 2017 12:00 AM
if jews can build a nation...
piece-meal scattered world-wide, on one planet-earth then G-d can build a Kingdom likewise on many planets...why not!?
(15) Morris Gavant, February 27, 2017 7:23 PM
If you believe science fiction is not Jewish ....
.... then you haven't really read the "Nishmat kol chai" tefillah.
Your imagination should be used to spiritually inspire you and to move you to acknowledge the beauty of God's creation.
(14) shilvib puri, February 27, 2017 5:05 AM
VERY WONDERFULLY THOUGHTFULLY WRITTEN!!!!!!!
VERY WONDERFULLY THOUGHTFULLY WRITTEN!!!!!!!
(13) Edwin, February 27, 2017 4:37 AM
The most handsome of the creation is man.
the NASA news is mind boggling. Fiction stories and ideas of the image of aliens was popularized by "ET". Now, surely we can not grasp the vastness of God's wisdom. Is it not humility to just keep in awe of God's greatness and forget the theories of new discoveries? If we must remember that God required of us to be humble in the calling of Moses when He cautioned Moses by saying" Take off thy Sandals for thou art stepping on a holy ground." The " Burning bush" is alien to Moses just like the NASA revelations,then God maybe speaking to us in the same manner "take off your basic Idea about my power for you are hearing a NewS"
(12) Leonard Mansky, February 27, 2017 4:26 AM
Life, yes, humanlike, no.
Steven Jay Gould, writing in the Oct. 1996 Discover, includes the following relevant comments: “To produce a creature with our structural and neurological complexity evolution must be creative in the vernacular sense of this word -- that is, evolution must be able to develop novel structures with previously unrealized functions. ... Yet if evolution worked simply by fashioning exquisitely adapted creatures in an ascending series, humans could never have originated at all. Precise adaptation, with each part finely honed to perform a definite function in an optimal way, can only lead to blind alleys, dead ends, and extinction. ... The key is flexibility, not admirable precision. Ironically, then, to make us at all, evolution must work by processes contrary to the prejudicial hopes that we invest in Darwin’s legacy...” Gould then goes on to explain his own theory of adaptability rather than specialization and concludes: “We are quirky, if glorious, accidents not to be repeated on this planet.”
I can add, or any planet.
Anonymous, February 27, 2017 7:53 PM
We did not evolve
If Gould got as far as to say that men could not have evolved on other planets, why did he not make a further logical step and realize that even humans on this planet are too complex to have evolved and were designed by an intelligent Being? I think that the only "proofs" brought for the theory of evolution could not be accepted as proof in a court of law. In my opinion, given all the evidence against it, it takes more faith to believe in evolution than to believe that man was created from dirt by an Almighty G-d - granted that we are being objective here and not just believing what we were taught as children simply because it is a familiar theory and doesn't mess up our world
(11) Leon, February 27, 2017 4:25 AM
Different worlds would have different belief systems
It seems to me that planets with developed civilizations of intellectual beings would have their own systems of beliefs and their own Holy books based on their historical and spiritual experience.
Shlomo Chaim, February 27, 2017 7:43 PM
Really?
To me, that only makes sense if there is at least one belief system there which had a Divine Revelation to an entire people like Judaism did, and Devarim/Deuteronomy 4:32-33 clearly states that is not the case. Also, I don't think they can be under the realm of another power, because our G-d is the Only One in the entire universe. What makes the most sense in my opinion is that they either would lack the capacity to make up a religion, or they somehow would have learned about our Revelation at Mount Sinai or another religious experience of ours (maybe through a dream). Perhaps they even have a function to serve the Jewish people, although we may not know what it is yet or if they have done so yet
(10) Rhon, February 27, 2017 12:27 AM
If there is life on other planets, it probably will be unicellular, bacterialike, possibly plant or fungus like, or perhaps even based on silicon instead of carbon.
(9) Lynne, February 26, 2017 7:09 PM
It would be arrogant of us to think we are the only living beings in this entire Universe. Hashem is so awesome and His creations amazing. Human beings are still discovering things all the time. So, yes there is definitely other life out there!
(8) Anonymous, February 26, 2017 6:56 PM
Shabbos on Mars
Reminds me of an old joke: Astronauts land on Mars and Martians (little green men) come to greet them. Before taking off their helmets, one of the astronauts pulls out a match to see if it burns to test the air for a safe amount of oxygen. The Martians get all upset! The astronauts ask the Martians a few questions: Is it dangerous? No. Are you scared of fire? No. Then what's wrong with lighting a match? It's Shabbos!
(7) Michael V, February 26, 2017 6:48 PM
Saying that God is limited unless he creates other beings doesn't make sense to me.
Saying that God is limited unless He creates other beings doesn't make sense to me. Can someone explain that?
Anonymous, February 28, 2017 4:51 PM
Your Answer
It doesn't. What does make sense is if he CAN - if he is theoretically able to. Read it again
(6) Anonymous, February 26, 2017 6:29 PM
Life exists on other planets?
There is no life outside Israel!
Shlomo Chaim, February 28, 2017 4:48 PM
True...
...only survival.
(5) Anonymous, February 26, 2017 6:10 PM
Sensationalistic News is not fact
The article states on NASA's website: "Answering the question ‘are we alone’ is a top science priority and finding so many planets like these for the first time in the habitable zone is a remarkable step forward toward that goal.”
Logically flawed reasoning. Firstly, all they discovered is a bunch of planets in a habitable zone. That zone is made up based on our own solar-system experience. It could well be that in other systems, water (assuming you need water for life), could be found in planets outside the zone. Secondly all they have is estimates and guesses as to mass, density and planetary composition, based on....our own experience. We assume that gas-giants are a certain size and density, smaller planets are rocky. Again, too many assumptions here, lets actually prove their composition and how dense they are and actually prove that there is water on these planets. The probabilities of having life on other planets doesn't change based on the number of exo-planets that are discovered. It seems counter intuitive, but it makes no bearing on how many coins you toss in the air, at every toss there is a 50-50 chance of hitting heads or tails, regardless of whether or not this is your first toss, or millionth toss. Scientists have no idea how life began on earth. We assume that you need a little spark, a few proteins, water and a lot of luck to produce a single cell. However, it remains one of the deepest mysteries of the current age. How can we possibly assume that life is so abundant in the universe when we haven't the foggiest idea how it starts in the first place! When scientists actually prove that there is life on other planets, the discussion is moot. The Torah was given to the Jewish people to continue G-d's mission in the Universe. Everything else in the universe is subservient to that mission. If life on another planets is a greater kavod shamayim, then it will be but it doesn't impact on a Jew's mission on this planet.
(4) Shimon BK, February 26, 2017 5:35 PM
Life on other planets
I once heard someone ask Rav Avigdor Miller zt"l this very question. He answered that while there may be life forms on other planets, humans only exist on Earth.
(3) Dvirah, February 26, 2017 5:11 PM
A Few Points
Honesty, kindness, and other Torah qualities are universal. While I don't expect to find Jews on other planets, I do expect to find beings who subscribe to those qualities.
Incidently, I think the reason we so often portray aliens as having distorted human faces is due to the fact that most "UFO sightings" have involved facing an intense light source (not necessarily a UFO!); under such circumstances the light leaks behind our eyses and then bounces back to the retina so that what one sees is actually the inside of one's skull! Only it is interpreted as looking outward at a funny looking being.
Anonymous, February 27, 2017 2:01 AM
What are you talking about
Morals are olny something imparted to man and therefore we are the purpose of creation...
This question is like bechira yedia question its not relevant to your service of hashem whether it is or isnt has no bearing and is kind of a waste to ponder...
(2) Raphael Egeolu, February 26, 2017 3:47 PM
I always read ur aticles in aish.com
I am judaist in Nigeria. I will be elated to ur support with some of ur Jewish books.
(1) Shohana-Jerusalem, February 26, 2017 2:44 PM
first things first
First let's see if there's life there and then decide whether or not to believe in it!
H-shem's power is unlimited so why can't there be life out there? The Torah is the everlasting and unchanging truth. We will remain His chosen people, the Am Segula, mamlechet Cohanim, goy kadosh, if He has other servants out there or not.
It reminds me of this is there life on Mars or isn't there that's been going on since I was as little kid.