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The sheer vastness of space almost mathematically guarantees that there are other species or advanced civilizations in other galaxies or solar systems.

How do we reconcile this with the uniqueness of the Jewish People - and the specific mission that G-d has granted the Jewish people by the giving of the Torah.

Shoel U'Meishiv
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    Although note the Fermi Paradox (G-d is perfectly capable of creating a Great Filter, should He so desire) – Joel K Jun 08 '20 at 08:38
  • The numerous questions regarding aliens on this site don't satisfy your question here? – user6591 Jun 08 '20 at 10:24
  • @user6591 I didn’t see any that answer this specific question – Shoel U'Meishiv Jun 08 '20 at 10:24
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    Um, there are "other species or advanced civilizations" right here on Earth, too. Why ask about extraterrestrial ones? – msh210 Jun 08 '20 at 14:12
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    @msh210 good question. I would presume that one could say that revelation accounts for them too - for them to either be witness to the messiahs redemption. But for Hashem to have created an entire other world and civilazation outside of the Jewish purview - how do we understand that – Shoel U'Meishiv Jun 08 '20 at 14:19
  • This https://judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/43835/is-there-any-reason-to-deny-aliens-according-to-Judaism is relevant and may even be effectively a dup. – Avrohom Yitzchok Jun 08 '20 at 16:17
  • This comment comes from https://judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/43835/is-there-any-reason-to-deny-aliens-according-to-judaism "I realize you are asking for proof of negation, but I will just mention that in the book Thinking aloud, Rav Soloveitchik is recorded as saying alien life is definitely possible and ** that there may even be an Am Hanivchor for that planet!** user6591 Jul 25 '14 at 1:58" {my emphasis} – Avrohom Yitzchok Jun 08 '20 at 16:21
  • @Avrohom Yitzchok Thanks! I was looking where I wrote that and I couldn't find it:) – user6591 Jun 08 '20 at 17:15
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    Why so many downvotes? How can we be the light unto the nations that are light years away? – user6591 Jun 08 '20 at 17:30
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    Think about the phrase "almost mathematically guarantees". What does it mean? Maybe almost - but not quite. – Avrohom Yitzchok Jun 08 '20 at 18:37
  • Rav meir mazuz proves through multiple sources that Aliens don't exist. I heard in a shiur that according to the Zohar the earth is hollow and contains other unknown legendary species, is it possible to wager that the greys are one of them? – KapinKrunch Jun 08 '20 at 19:50
  • https://judaism.stackexchange.com/a/97142/16706 – Dr. Shmuel Jun 09 '20 at 18:17
  • Space is very small relative to the probability of the existence of life. – The GRAPKE Nov 19 '20 at 01:18
  • @TheGRAPKE can you elaborate what you mean – Shoel U'Meishiv Nov 19 '20 at 14:29
  • @ShoelU'Meishiv The observable universe is a sphere with a diameter of about 8.8×10^26 meters. Let's cube this to get a volume of approx. 10^78 cubic meters. The probability of even one primary protein structure developing by chance (according to the Union of Orthodox Jewish Scientists) is in the region of 1/2^200. So 10^78 / 2^200 = 622 thousand million million cubic meters, which is the volume of a sphere with radius approx 500 kms. That means that the conceptual size of the universe relative to this event is approx. 500 kms which is insufficient to blow my mind. – The GRAPKE Nov 19 '20 at 21:53

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R. Joseph B. Soloveitchik addressed this point when asked about alien life by R. David Holzer.

The Rav Thinking Aloud p. 93

[DH:] Would the discovery of alien life be an issue in terms of the Torah view?

It is possible that Hashem created other life forms on other planets. It is no problem to yahadus. The reason man likes to think he is the only created being in the entire universe is because of his egotistical nature.

Even the concept of am ha’nivchar may only be relative to our world, our small section of the universe. The Torah is written from the viewpoint of our sun, moon, and stars. It would not detract from our being the am ha’nivchar of this region of space if there were other am ha’nivchar in a distant galaxy.

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Alex
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Mathematical likelihood has no bearing or evidence about what Hashem did or did not create .

Rav Yaakov Kaminetsky said that there may or may not be living creature (animals) in out of space but there absolutly are no human like creatures with Bechira (free will) because Hasehm would not have created creatures with Bechira without Torah to guide them and the Torah given to Klal Yisroel on this planet is the ONLY Torah.

Zos HaTorah Lo Tihay Muchlefes.

Schmerel
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  • Maybe they just haven't gotten Torah yet. American Indians also didn't have torah for some time – Double AA Jun 09 '20 at 01:17
  • @DoubleAA How do you know that? According to Rav Azaria de Rossi, and several other sources I've seen, when the Tanakh mentions Ofir it means the New World. And indeed more and more evidence is coming up that ancient civilazations from the New and Old worlds did in fact have contact with each other for millennias. For an example, Pharaoh Ramses II was found to contain traces of Tobacco and cocao in his body cells – Adam Jun 09 '20 at 03:45
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    @Adam Your last two sentences are most likely incorrect. AFAIK, there's no evidence of ancient New/Old World trade routes. – magicker72 Jun 09 '20 at 05:12
  • is there a source for this statement of Rav Kaminetsky? (Is he cited anywhere, did he write this, etc.) – Binyomin Jun 09 '20 at 12:51
  • Rav Kaminetsky having said this is quoted by many Talmidim in general. I heard it in his name from Rav Yisroel Belsky It it also in B'Mechitzos Rabbinu . – Schmerel Jun 09 '20 at 13:07
  • And some people like the ones on Sentinel Island still don't have it @DoubleAA – Heshy Jun 09 '20 at 13:47
  • @Heshy I guess they don't have free will on sentinel island – Double AA Jun 09 '20 at 13:59
  • Not sure why my comment was deleted, but reddit isn't reliable. Use a real source next time – Adam Jun 09 '20 at 19:44
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If there are sentient beings on other worlds, and they are NOT the descendants of human beings from Earth, it would invalidate a key teaching in the Talmud [Sanhedrin 37a, 38a]:

-Why did God start humanity by creating only ONE man?

-So that unbelievers would not be able to say: There are many authorities in Heaven, and each created a different person.

-So that no one should be able to tell his neighbor, “My ancestors were better than your ancestors”.

-So the wicked could not say: “We are children of the wicked, so we cannot change our ways.”

-So the feeling of fraternity among people will limit crime.

-So people would know that God is One: Even though God created people in His image, every person can still be different from every other person: Unity in diversity.

-So that people would know that he who destroys one life is as if he had destroyed an entire world, and he who saves one life is as if he had saved an entire world.

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Maurice Mizrahi
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