In the first account of creation the Torah describes man's creation ex-nihilo. In the second account the Torah describes man's formation.
The Arizal says that the monkey is the intermediate between animal and man, an insight abstracting the evolutionary mindset of action.
Thus we may say that in the World of Creation man comes from nothing, in Formation from dust, in Action he is one half-step above the monkey.
Evolution is for action oriented minds. Relativity is for formation oriented minds, and quantum mechanics is for creation oriented minds.
Between Formation and Action there is a curtain called "anger." Evolution taken literally angers God. Our duty is to sweeten God's anger.
We sweeten God's anger by understanding evolution figuratively, as portraying a divine ladder of ascent of organic forms from amoeba to man.
The ladder of evolution is Jacob's ladder, "the ladder of prayer." Begin prayer by identifying with the lowest living form, reach up to God.
The ladder of prayer is grounded on the earth, the mineral kingdom. The Ba'al Shem Tov teaches: First see yourself no different than an ant.
Feel that you and the ant, your friend, are the same, both created for the same purpose, to serve God. Then start climbing the ladder.
The top of the ladder is man, the epitome of creation. Directly above the ladder is God's infinite light. He hears and answers our prayers.
From the amoeba we reach up to identify with the vegetable kingdom, then to the animal kingdom, and then to man created in the image of God.
Taking the step up from the animal kingdom to man we step through the monkey. "The beauty of Sarah to that of Eve was like monkey to man."
Man is not only more intelligent than monkey but more beautiful. From the above quote we see that man and monkey are relative terms.
Monkey in Hebrew, kof, is the etymological origin of the English word "copy." Monkey is no more than a lower class copy or imitation of man.
On the ladder of evolution the copy comes before the real thing. Since all is relative we may imply that all forms are lower copies of man.
"Last in action is first in thought." Man, the end of creation in action is the beginning of creation in thought, all creation leads to man.
