YouTube Title: Why Aren't Dinosaurs Mentioned in the Bible?

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In this episode of Dear Rabbi, I tackle a fascinating question: Why don't we find any mention of dinosaurs in the creation story in the Bible? The answer reveals how we should read and interpret biblical texts.

First, let me point out that we also don't find any mention of oranges in the creation story, yet no one doubts that oranges exist. The Bible simply doesn't mention every single thing that was created. It provides categories and highlights certain creations, but it's not an exhaustive inventory of all creations.

However, there's an interesting possibility. In Genesis 1:21, the Bible describes the creation of animals and gives different categories. One category is "tannin." Gerald Schroeder, a brilliant MIT physicist, explains that in Exodus 3, the word "tannin" (singular of tannin) refers specifically to a snake. Since the general term for a snake or the category is "reptile," he translates "tannin" as "large reptiles," and the Greek word for a large reptile is "dinosaur." So Schroeder believes the "tannin" mentioned on day five of creation was actually a dinosaur.

According to oral tradition and the Midrash, these large creatures (tannin golem) were long extinct before humans came onto the scene. This aligns with what we know about dinosaurs from fossil records.

Dinosaurs do raise important questions about the age of the universe, which is a separate discussion. For deeper exploration of both topics, I recommend Gerald Schroeder's books, particularly "The Science of God" and his smaller work "What About the Dinosaurs?"
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