The beginning of the Torah describes G‑d's creation of the Universe. The account of the six days of creation culminating in Shabbat, and of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, is so simple that it can be taught to a young child. At the same time it is wonderfully profound. The Talmud, Midrash and Zohar are ancient Jewish works which explain at great length the significance of the opening chapters of the Torah.

A point worth noting is that the universe, nature, is itself a communication to us from G‑d. The vastness, the boundless variety, the sense of structure and the sense of a constant interplay of dynamic forces express something about G‑d, who causes every detail in the universe to exist. A painting in an art gallery tells us something about the painter; existence tells us something about G‑d.

Jewish Sages present this as one of the reasons for creation: the communication to humanity of some aspect, at least, of the quality of the Divine. This idea is embodied in the Hebrew language: one of the names of G‑d--Elokim--has the same numerical value as the Hebrew word for "nature," hateva. Through contemplating existence, whether with the naked eye, a microscope or a radio telescope, a person can come closer to awareness of the Divine.