This book is the result of several radical revisions and close to twenty years of conversations about Judaism, philosophy and creation with friends, colleagues and students. I no longer am sure who contributed what to this final product, and I fear that I will not mention many who deserve recognition. But I will do the best that I can. The two primary forums that have allowed me to exchange ideas about creation were the graduate religious studies program at Temple University and the annual meetings of the Academy for Jewish Philosophy (AJP). I wish first to thank all of the students who have met with me on a regular basis over the past two decades to exchange ideas, read texts and argue (particularly Jacob Staub [Reconstructionist Rabbinical College], Michael Paley [Columbia University], Almut Bruckstein [Jerusalem], Martin Srajek [Champaign, Illinois] and Julius Simon [Philadelphia]), as well as my colleagues in the AJP who shared their own scholarship and ideas with me and offered open, constructive criticism of my own views as I worked them out.

A third avenue for learning available to me over the years has been Temple University's generous program of academic study leaves and faculty exchanges that enabled me to be a visiting scholar at several academic institutions, where I had exceptional opportunities to meet with scholars from all over the world and share ideas with them.