The Western Wall, Birds, and Circumcision: 5 Points to Consider

Blood Clotting Mechanism

I was chopping vegetables for a salad with a rather sharp knife, and in a hasty and careless move, I cut my finger. I dabbed away the blood that burst out, and after some time, the bleeding stopped on its own. How did this happen? After all, the cut had not yet healed!

Blood clotting is an essential mechanism that helps maintain the functionality of the body's bloodstream and prevents blood loss.

(photo: shutterstock)

How does it work? The blood contains a substance called fibrinogen, which is a soluble protein produced in the liver. When an outer body cut occurs and blood flows out, fibrinogen, through an enzyme called thrombin, turns into fibrin, an insoluble substance. This blocks the breach in the blood vessel, stopping the blood flow. Without the clotting mechanism, the wounded individual would continue to bleed ceaselessly, risking life, because "the blood is the life." The clotting process is built into the body and operates automatically to preserve life—an amazing wonder indeed!

And on the eighth day, every male shall be circumcised

One of the most famous commandments in Judaism is the commandment of circumcision, through which the mark of faith in Hashem is inscribed in our flesh. The Torah commands us to circumcise the newborn baby boy on the eighth day of his birth. Why specifically on the eighth day?

Medical studies reveal another wonder related to the clotting mechanism mentioned above: In the newborn's body, during the first days after birth, there is a significant lack of clotting materials since they are produced in the liver, and at this time, the liver's function is weak. A small cut can result in substantial blood loss and endanger life. But the baby's body recovers gradually and quickly, so much so that by the eighth day, the clotting materials increase and reach 110% of their normal level—a peak for all times! Afterwards, they return to the normal level of 100%. From this, we learn that the eighth day of the baby's life is the most suitable day for performing the commandment of circumcision!

(photo: Flash90)

This day was chosen by the Creator of the clotting factors, precisely connecting the day when the blood's clotting factors reach their highest level with the day of the circumcision commandment: "And on the eighth day, every male shall be circumcised."

It should be noted that it is not because the eighth day is the most suitable day for circumcision that we are commanded to circumcise on the eighth day. Rather, because circumcision must occur on the eighth day, for reasons known to the Creator, He instilled in creation that this day would have a sufficient level of clotting factors in the human body, thereby aiding in stopping the bleeding to allow the commandment's performance.

The Western Wall

During Chol Hamoed, I visited the Western Wall, which is the wall of the western side of the courtyard of the Second Temple in Jerusalem.
This wall, which was not destroyed during the second destruction, was built by King Herod on the foundation of the First Temple wall.

I reflected on the Wall and thought to myself:
The very existence of the Wall standing as it is today is supernatural! After all, throughout two thousand years of exile, Jerusalem faced numerous wars and was destroyed and rebuilt at least nine times! Our Temple was burned twice (by Nebuchadnezzar and Titus); could they not have also demolished the Western Wall "along the way"? Moreover, even though Jerusalem was occupied by foreigners (Romans, Byzantines, Seljuks, Muslims, and others) who wished to eradicate any trace of it, the Wall remained standing! Is it possible they simply "forgot" to destroy the Western Wall?

Yet the wonder intensifies sevenfold in light of the promise that the Western Wall would never be destroyed.

(photo: shutterstock)

And thus it is written in the verse from Song of Songs: "Here He stands behind our wall" (Song of Songs 2:9). Midrash Rabbah (which has existed for 1,600 years) explains: "Here He stands behind our wall—behind the western wall of the Temple, to which Hashem swore would never be destroyed...

And why (particularly the Western Wall will not be destroyed)? Because the Divine Presence is in the west" (Midrash Rabbah, Song of Songs 2:9). This is likely due to the location of the Ark of the Covenant near the western wall of the Temple.

Consider this: If this prophecy and other words of the Bible were written by man, could it be conceived that this person could promise in advance regarding a single wall, a remnant from an ancient Temple, that it would remain intact and never be destroyed?!

It is none but the Creator of the World and Designer of History—who gave the Torah, and only He can promise to preserve the last remnant that stands as testimony to the unyielding Divine Presence—He promised and He fulfilled.

Migratory Birds

If I took five people and asked them to run forward in an open field, maintaining a fixed distance of about half a meter between each other, and in addition, asked them to turn right or left all together, without prior warning - how many do you think would collide, push, and fall one after the other? I assume all of them...

From this arises a great wonder: Birds generally migrate in large flocks, closely positioned in perfect order. There is a bird that leads the way and clears the path for the entire flock. How is this order maintained over time without them colliding with one another? How do they manage to keep equal spacing among them in such density and form a V-shape? How do they know to turn right or left in perfect synchronization with each other without prior coordination?!

(photo: shutterstock)

Flocks of migratory birds fly in triangular formations (like the letter V) for aerodynamic reasons. As a bird flies, it leaves behind a sort of wake. The bird flying behind can be propelled forward by the rising air current in that wake if it flies below the lead bird and slightly to the side. When a flock of birds flies in this order, a V shape or arrowhead is formed.

The flight of the birds in a triangular formation helps them conserve energy. The birds position themselves exactly where they can benefit from the airstream, sense the wake left by their flock mates, and adjust their wing beats to it.

Could this extraordinary talent have developed on its own without a Creator or designer?

Time is Life

A person nearing the end of their life, truly in the last moments, suddenly sees Eliyahu the Prophet appear before them and says: "If I grant you one more hour of life, what will you give me in return?"

What do you think they would reply?

I believe they would answer: "I will give you whatever you want! Take my car, my house, as much money as you wish—just give me one more hour of life!"

(photo: shutterstock)

On the other hand, in the middle of life, a person can easily waste an hour idly without batting an eye, simply doing nothing. They can just sit on the porch and stare, or watch TV shows all day.

I ask: What is the difference between an hour in the middle of life and an hour at the end of life? Why at the end of life, for that same hour, would a person be willing to give all their possessions, while in the middle of life the same person would waste that hour meaninglessly—even though it is no less precious. It's the same 60 minutes.

Reflect: A wise person takes advantage of every moment in life to gain wisdom, to know, to learn, to understand the meaning of life and their role in this temporary world... May it be Hashem's will that we understand the purpose of life and live lives of true meaning, Amen!