Evolution has long been a hot topic in the monotheistic religions of western civilization. Many scholars feel compelled to put in their two cents on many different evolution-based concepts, and on how those concepts can connect to religion. Such is the case with authors Daniel Matt and Byron Sherwin, who each offer varying ideas about evolutionary theories and how they relate to Kabbalah, Judaism, religion, and humanity as a whole.
Matt’s feelings about the scientific theory of evolution are conveyed in a rather short-but-sweet manner, in less than 70 words overall. To sum up his opinion on the matter, “The theory of evolution accords with the secrets of Kabbalah better than any other theory.” One of the central beliefs of Kabbalah is that…show more content… To him, the Kabbalistic belief in the evolution of creation (the repair of the world) has a clear end goal. Creation does not seek to improve and tweak itself merely for improvement’s sake; rather, it seeks to permanently fix itself so that humanity and the world will be put in a state of perfection, so that the Messiah may finally come. “What prevents the Messianic advent? ...the individual and collective behavior of the people of Israel either accelerates or retards messianic redemption… [the messianic advent] is a culmination of a process undertaken throughout history.” Though Sherwin and Matt both agree that the actions of the people of Israel are culminating in the improvement of creation, they do not seem to agree on the end goal of this evolution. Matt seems to focus more on personal enrichment and the “raising of the sparks,” returning the world to its intended greatness and pleasing God--while Sherwin discusses the idea that the ultimate goal is to create the perfect conditions for the return of the…show more content… The new life, be it that of a snail or an elephant or a human, would be given out based on the person’s goodliness in their previous life. One who had committed few sins and had contributed to the world in a positive way was likely to be reincarnated into a human body, and probably would not be disabled or poor. The possibility of more privilege in the next life provided some motivation for being good in the current one. Although scientifically, the theory of evolution applies only to populations (not individuals) and occurs without creation being “conscious” of it or choosing it, this idea of transmigration suggests a type of conscious, individual evolution that is just as valid, if in a different, non-scientific way. Matt makes no mention of transmigration, but Sherwin focuses on it as a major element of Lurianic Kabbalah. “Living a number of lives, in various forms, provided the individual with an opportunity to repair the soul of its sins in previous lives. It allowed for the justice denied in one life to be afforded in a future transmigration.” This individual evolution by way of transmigration gave people more chances to fix their mistakes and thus improve their souls (evolution of the spirit) and gave them more
