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Is there any rabbinic literature explaining why Hashem created only one planet (Earth) in the whole entire universe that can support intelligent life?

Zev Spitz
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ravikumar374483593
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Technically, given the way the Torah deals with life on Earth, there could be worlds designed for future settlement or worlds with intelligent beings and travel possible or impossible. Note how the Torah ignores the other civilizations on this Earth except as they interact with Bnai Yisrael. You should be asking if Chazal deal with the possibilities of other worlds.

For example Is There Life on Other Planets?

Several Torah scholars of past generations have discussed the possibility of life on other planets. Rabbi Chasdai Crescas (Spain, 1340–1411) wrote that there is nothing anywhere in Torah that negates such a possibility.3 Rabbi Yosef Albo (Spain, 1380–1444), on the other hand, disagreed.4 Rabbi Pinchas Horowitz (Poland 1765-1861), cites Albo, but rejects his thesis.5

  1. Ohr Hashem 4:5.
  2. Sefer Ha'Ikrim.
  3. Sefer HaBrit HaShalem 1:3, 4.

There are discussions as to whether beings on other planets would or would not have free will and what Hashem would command them and would they be given a (or the) Torah. Since we cannot determine this, any discussion is a matter of opinion based on how we read the Torah.

sabbahillel
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I would bring Zohar Teruma (ח"ב קסא, א):

דכד ברא קוב"ה עלמא אסתכל בה באורייתא וברא עלמא

G-d looked at the Torah and created the world accordingly.

As the Torah does not mention the creation of other intelligent creatures we can interact with, besides animals and other humans, we can conclude G-d didn't create alien worlds we can interact with.

Al Berko
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    The Torah doesn't explicitly mention phones, cars, or hataras nedarim. I guess none of those exist. – Heshy Aug 21 '19 at 09:52
  • @Heshy 1. Torah doesn't mention OUR creations of course, like AI, agreed. 2. I said "I would" to point to a possible explanation, I didn't judge its veracity. 3. as we discover more and more things not covered by our Halacha (think electricity) we start seriously doubt the extent of our Sages' and Torah's credibility (I personally think the technological revolution caused secularisation exactly because of this fact). I hope we will not bump into aliens, because the first question I'd ask is "what Torah do you guys have and how did you get it?" – Al Berko Aug 21 '19 at 10:12
  • What's the difference between if we contacted aliens tomorrow and when we contacted Native Americans in 1492? – Heshy Aug 21 '19 at 10:48
  • @Heshy Native Americans (or Chines or even Australians) fit perfectly into our Torah - they all are Adam's descendants. But where do the aliens come from? The flood? G-d created Adam, so the Torah says, and no other intelligent (Neshomah-bearing) creatures. – Al Berko Aug 21 '19 at 10:52
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    Where does the Torah say G-d created "no other intelligent (Neshomah-bearing) creatures"? – Heshy Aug 21 '19 at 12:20
  • @Heshy WOW, you just gave me a wonderful idea! Thank you, I'm going to post it – Al Berko Aug 21 '19 at 12:28
  • Note for example that the Torah does not deal with the Native Americans in North or South America. The reason is that they did not interact with Bnai Yisrael. Also the Torah does not deal with any of the 70 nations (from Parshas Noach) after it names them as descending from Noach. The Torah also does not mention any of the descendants of Cain after the list of names. Thus the Torah would not mention the inhabitants of any other worlds (if they exist) because they would not interact with this world. As a result, we cannot determine if they exist or not unless we can travel there. – sabbahillel Aug 22 '19 at 13:38
  • @sabbahillel Well, if the aliens relate themselves to the 70 nations it's fine with me, but if they came from another Adam, we have a serious problem with Torah. – Al Berko Aug 22 '19 at 19:12
  • @AlBerko No the point is that since they are on a different world, then they would not be mentioned in the Torah because it was given to us four our world. Whatever Hashem has for them would be written for them alone and we would never see it (unless we could go there).. The analogy was that the Torah does not refer to the other nations unless they actually have something to do with us. That is why the 70 nations are referenced only after Noach left the Ark an not again unless they have to deal with us. The creation of Adam is the beginning of intelligent life on this world only. – sabbahillel Aug 22 '19 at 23:12
  • @AlBerko We cannot know anything about other worlds unless Hashem has created the possibility of interstellar travel. – sabbahillel Aug 22 '19 at 23:13