"Did G-d do the big bang and the whole solar system or was it natural?' - From the Religious School

 

As a Reform Jew, I believe in science which means I believe the Big Bang occurred, leading to billions of years of evolution. However, the exact moment of creation remains a mystery to science. For me, science answers how the universe was created. The Torah answers why the universe was created. The stories in the Torah are always intended to be interpreted and so maybe God and the Big Bang are two different ways of explaining the same phenomenon?!

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"Why do Jews give in multiple of 18?

Eighteen is considered a special and lucky number in Judaism.  Under the system of Gematria, each Hebrew letter is attributed a numerical value (aleph is 1, bet is 2, etc.).  The letters that spell the word chair (life) and up to 18. By giving in multiples of 18, one signifies you wish the receipt is granted the blessing of life.