From Heartbeat to Brainwaves: Signs of a Creator Within Us

As a teenager, I believed in the existence of a Creator. That belief came from the words of my rabbis in yeshiva, from my parents, and from close friends. But at that stage, my conviction was only in the category of “belief.” I didn’t feel that I knew there was a Creator of the universe.

The Torah commands us: “Know this day and take it to heart that the Lord is God — there is none else” (Deuteronomy 4:39). The word “know” means to understand and grasp with certainty, just as I know I have hands, because I see them and use them constantly, and just as I know the Land of Israel exists, because I live within it. In the same way, I must know that there is a Creator who gives me life, and sustains the entire universe, every moment without pause.

As I began to study and search, I discovered that the entire universe is crying out: “I have a Creator, wondrous in wisdom and infinite in power.” Not only did He create this breathtaking universe, whose beauty and complexity defy description, but He also continuously renews it, moment by moment. As we say each morning in prayer: “Who, in His goodness, renews each day the work of Creation.”

A Pulse in the Heart

Several years ago, I was on a trip in northern Israel. As evening approached, my friends and I prepared to pray the afternoon prayer (mincha), but we lacked a tenth man to complete the quorum. Suddenly, a Jew walked by who didn’t look observant.

My friends asked him to join us, and he pointed at me and said: “If you can prove to me, here and now, that there’s a Creator, I’ll join you.”

In that moment I prayed silently that God would give me the right words. I pointed to his chest and asked, “Do you know how your heart works?” He said no.

I explained: “You have four chambers in your heart. Their job is to pump blood through the lungs so it can absorb oxygen, and then send it back out to your entire body. Your heart beats sixty to seventy times a minute, without pause. Tell me, who keeps your heart running? Who keeps your liver functioning? Who keeps your kidneys working?”

The young man hesitated, unsure of what to answer. Finally, he said, “I’ve never thought about that.”

I continued: “There’s a tiny node in your heart that releases tiny electric pulses, which keep your heart contracting. That’s why when someone has a heart attack, doctors shock the heart with electricity to restore its rhythm. No scientist has ever been able to explain why that node begins to fire, or what keeps it going without stopping for a lifetime.

We know that it is the Creator, in His great power, who commands that little point in your heart to keep beating. If you want to hear how God is sustaining you, just place your hand on your chest and listen to your heartbeat.”

That was how I concluded. The young man, overwhelmed by this simple yet profound realization, was so shaken that he simply fled the scene.

“From My Flesh, I See God”

To recognize the Creator, you need only to observe your own body. The human eye is the most sophisticated camera in existence, capable of day and night vision, perceiving depth and color in ways beyond imagination. The great rabbi known as the Chazon Ish wrote in his book Faith and Trust that even if the greatest minds of all generations tried, they could never fully grasp the wisdom embedded in the eye. And yet, God creates billions of pairs of eyes in every generation.

The Most Advanced Sensor in the World

Consider the nose. Each nostril contains about ten million smell receptors that can detect and distinguish up to ten thousand different odors. The human brain can remember these smells and differentiate between them for many years.

Our sages therefore instituted blessings over pleasant fragrances, so that also through the sense of smell, we can recognize the wisdom of the Creator.

The Most Advanced Computer in the World

Every organ of the body reflects genius, and each one is perfectly placed, flexible, and coordinated to serve human function. However, nothing compares to the human brain.

I once heard a scientist explain that in the United States, there are three “supercomputers” used by the government to process the security, economic, and statistical data of 250 million citizens. They are the largest and most advanced computers in existence.

Even if we combined the power of all three, they could not equal what a single human brain produces in a single moment. In one instant, a person can think, speak, give instructions to the body to walk or run, and simultaneously maintain balance. At the same time, countless inner systems continue their work for digestion and nutrient absorption, oxygenation of the blood through the lungs, detoxification by the kidneys, and much more.

If we ask ourselves, “Who designed this ultimate computer, the human brain, which is more advanced than all the machines in the world combined?" The answer must be, someone of unfathomable wisdom, far beyond human comprehension.